yeahgr8

Does anyone have any information on what are the major causes of premature death in alcoholics? I know that on the death certificate if the alcoholic dies from a heart attack then cause of death would be heart attack (or the proper medical term), not heart attack due to long term alcohol abuse.

The reason being is that it seems to me that cirhossis of the liver is preceived as the main one. I've always wondered whether this is true, above storkes, heart attacks etc. I was talking to my sponsor and, between the both of us, know quite a few alcoholics that have died an early death but none from cirhossis.

Does anyone have any links, books, info please?

Taking5

I'm in agreement with you. I do not think that most alcohol related deaths are actually recorded as such. I know of 4 deaths that were alcohol related: 2 esophageal hemorrhages, 1 heart attack and 1 stomach cancer.

yeahgr8

Thanks for that dgillz, some people may wonder why i have asked this? The reason being that cirhossis is, for the most part, a disease that takes ages to come into play as a result of long long term alcohol abuse. It was easy for me, and i am certain with other alcoholics, when i was at that stage of looking into the health problems associated with alcoholism. The information i got from my counselor 10 months ago was all theoretical...e.g. you might get, could get...

By no means am i trying to imply that this information would have stopped me drinking, or any other alcoholic, but looking back, for me, it was a culmination of information, consequences and patterns that got me thinking and finally led me into the rooms of AA, along with a huge dose of luck or what i know now to be Someone nudging me;-)

I think this info is very, very important as cirhossis does not create any urgency to consider the health implications of serious alcohol abuse, yet remains the single, only consequence of long term alcohol abuse in the minds of most people.

vegibean

Hey there. I totally appreciate this post. While in treatment I read through a book that discussed all the medical issues and effects of alcohol and other drug use. I cannot remember the name of the book but it was a great read. I love to read about everything!!!

Anyway, I just found this book on another site doing a Google search, it seems to cover the topics that I had read way back then. I do know the books are out there. Good luck!!

Handbook of the Medical Consequences of Alcohol and Drug Abuse

flutter

I posted this on another thread way back in January, but you might find the info interesting. It's not really about causes of death, per se.. but still I think it's good info!

Read through this list of medical issues alcohol can cause... it's no wonder that it takes us a LONG time to heal. This was taken from the book "How to Quit Drinking Without AA", the chapter is called "Are the Benefits Worth the Problems?":

fatty liver
hepatitis
cancer of the liver or gallbladder
cirrhosis
pancreatitis
cancer of the pancreas or spleen
ulcers
esophagitis
cancer of the esophagus
gastritis
inflammations of the intestines (colitis, Crohn's disease)
cancer of the intestines (seems the big C is a running theme!)
chronic bladder infections
cancer of the bladder
kidney failure
hypoglycemia
diabetes
bronchitis
pneumonia
lung cancer
hypertension
mycardiopathy
congestive heart failure
anemia
osteoporosis
gout
myopathies (muscle diseases)
eye inflammation
lateral nystagmus (jerking movements of eyes)
male impotence
frequent urinary tract infections
inflammation of the uterus
malnutrition
neuritis
toxic amblyopia (dimness of vision)
beriberi (vitamin b1 disorder)
pellagra (caused by vitamin b3 deficiency)
scurvy (caused by vitamin c deficiency)
neuropathies
convulsive disorders
degenerative nerve disorders
Wernicke's syndrome (mental disorder)
Korsakoff's syndrome or alcohol amnesiac disorder


That's the short list of medical diagnoses common in alcoholics, and came from a checklist to share with your doctor as he/she is diagnosing any illnesses caused by alcohol.

Mattcake

Here's another pretty comprehensive list of the long term effects of alcohol - not all of them are deadly, but they paint a very grim picture. They also left out mortality due to accidents, which is bound to be the leading cause of premature death.

From the article:

Quote:

Over-consumption of alcohol is one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide.One study links alcohol to 1 in every 25 deaths worldwide, and that 5% of years lived with disability are attributable to alcohol consumption.

Long term effects of alcohol

I'm personally more concerned about the mental health consequences of booze consumption - it didn't take much drinking for me to develop major depressive disorder, and to exacerbate my already uncontrollable anxiety. Though I've never been suicidal, I gather that's also a pretty common consequence, from the accounts I've read here .. These effects are very difficult to deal with - in many cases, sustained sobriety, along with therapy etc, is just the starting point to clear these up.