You might be drinking too much if you need alcohol to relax, if you can’t control your drinking, if it’s affecting your responsibilities or relationships, or if you experience withdrawal symptoms when not drinking. If you’re worried about your drinking habits or bruising, talk to a doctor. They can help you determine whether you have a problem and https://ecosoberhouse.com/ what to do next. Even though alcoholic neuropathy may not go away, there are things you can do to cope with this condition. Alcohol also alters the function of the stomach, liver, and kidneys in ways that prevent the body from properly detoxifying waste material. This waste then builds up and harms many regions of the body, including the nerves.
Physical Signs You’re Drinking Too Much
I recently joined Ohio Community Health Recovery Centers as a Clinical Case Manager. I am originally from Wisconsin but settled in the Cincinnati area in my early 20s. My career started in the fashion industry but quickly changed as I searched to find my drive and passion through helping others who struggle with addiction. Seeing a doctor can help determine if there’s a more serious issue and get you the right treatment.
How bruises develop
Over time, drinking a lot of alcohol can cause many health problems. It increases the risk of many types of cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Chronic alcohol misuse can also lead to liver disease, which often causes bruising. Because alcohol impairs the function of the normal blood-clotting system, it also can adversely interact with over-the-counter and prescription medications that prolong bleeding or prevent coagulation. As a result, the concomitant use of alcohol and aspirin or NSAID’s greatly increases the patient’s risk for gastrointestinal bleeding. Similarly, alcohol can enhance aspirin-induced fecal blood loss.
Long-Term Health Risks
Alcohol is one of several substances that can damage your liver. Excessive alcohol consumption can cause fat to build up in your liver. This can lead to inflammation and an increase in scar tissue, which can seriously impact your liver’s ability to function as it should. Severe alcoholic hepatitis can come on suddenly, such as after binge drinking, and can be life threatening.
- You may get it if you hit your thumb with a hammer or stub your toe, but you may also get it from wearing tight shoes or training for a marathon.
- Your provider might also check your blood platelet levels or do tests that measure the time it takes your blood to clot.
- Dr. Moawad regularly writes and edits health and career content for medical books and publications.
- But there’s plenty of research to back up the notion that alcohol does lead to weight gain in general.
Something people might notice with ongoing, severe alcohol misuse is bruising from alcohol. Learn the answer, as well as how to get help with medication assisted treatment for alcohol use, below. People diagnosed with a mast cell disorder also may bruise easily. These immune system disorders, with subtypes that range from the comparatively mild to life-threatening, are genetic and rare. Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is a bleeding disorder that occurs when a protein called von Willebrand factor in the blood is lacking or not working properly.
- This happens because it interferes with the production of platelets (and other blood cells) in the bone marrow.
- Understanding your symptoms and signs and educating yourself about health conditions are also a part of living your healthiest life.
- In mild alcoholic hepatitis, liver damage occurs slowly over the course of many years.
- Easy bruising and bleeding are signs of cirrhosis, which is a serious liver disorder.
- These proteins include those involved in blood clotting as well as immune proteins (i.e., antibodies or immunoglobulins).
Finally, a person with an alcohol use disorder will likely give up other activities, because their focus is on drinking. They may stop participating in hobbies, or withdraw from friends and family members, because their desire alcohol and bruising to drink is stronger than their need for social interaction or other forms of recreation. Withdrawal side effects can be incredibly uncomfortable, which can lead a person to resume drinking to alleviate these side effects.
low blood platelets but other results normal
How to Get Rid of a Bruise
- The bruises will look like regular bruises, but they can be larger.
- Since the skin isn’t cut or broken, you won’t see external bleeding.
- These brain changes contribute to the compulsive nature of addiction, making it difficult to abstain from alcohol.
- The best approach to prevent alcohol-induced bruising is to minimize or stop consuming alcohol in large volumes.
- It’s possible that this can cause you to bruise more easily as a result of platelet function and other changes.
- Blood thinners such as warfarin, heparin, and aspirin can cause you to bleed and get bruises more often.
