Intermittent alcoholism is destructive enough. However, chronic alcoholism can wreak havoc on many parts of your life. You can lose your spouse, your children, your home, your career, and even your ability to support yourself in any manner. Before your life crumbles into oblivion, it will first begin to destroy your body. Workplace drug and alcohol testing reveals this problem for what it really is: a problem. You cannot escape it. You must have a drug free home and a drug free workplace.
High amounts of homocysteine found in the blood will increase your chances of heart disease. When abnormally large amounts of homocysteine are in the bloodstream, this is called hyperhomocysteinemia. Chronic alcoholism brings about hyperhomocysteinemia, because the constant alcohol intake disrupts the enzymes vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, and intracellular folate, which determine how much homocysteine is regulated within the bloodstream. What does this mean?
Chronic alcoholism increases your chance for heart disease, not simply through simple wear-and-tear, but through a direct chemical process. This is why chronic alcoholics are far more likely to die of heart disease than individuals who do not abuse drugs or alcohol and live a well-regulated life. Alcoholic employees who are not identified through drug testing can be a health risk to themselves.
Habitual and long-term alcoholism also affects cognitive processing and memory retention, even after the individual is detoxified and recovered from their chronic alcoholism. This affects work performance, which is why alcohol testing is often done in businesses. Brain white matter is directly affected by chronic alcoholism. There is a distinct degradation which occurs and, due to diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), this can be measured in detoxified alcoholic men versus a non-alcoholic control group. It was found that negative impacts on working memory, attention spans, and cognitive abilities were all directly correlated with chronic alcoholism. This means that, even after recovery from alcoholism, there is long-term or permanent damage done to the physical brain and the ability to process information or memories. Regular alcohol testing can prevent this permanent damage from entering your business.
Chronic alcoholism is common among homeless residents, especially in inner-city areas. It is also the cause of bartonellaquintana. Bartonellaquintana is a bacterium which causes endocarditis, angiomatosis, and trench fever. Endocarditis is an infection occurring within the heart, typically within one of the heart valves. Angiomatosis consists of groupings of clearly defined tumors comprised of large vascular spaces.
As you can see, chronic alcoholism may take its toll on your body long before it tears apart your family or results in job loss. It is a case of one disease leading to another, and then leading to another. Keep your business safe from this sickness by using regular drug and alcohol testing, such as the high quality Lion Alcoblow breathalysers available at CMM Technology. Contact us today: (+61) 1300 79 70 30.
Workplace Drug Testing & Pre Screening 