Even if you yourself have not said this in your time in college, you probably know someone who has said “it doesn’t count when you’re in college” about things like drinking alcohol or smoking nicotine. Many college students are social drinkers or smokers that participate in these activities more than once a week. Of course, there is nothing wrong with enjoying your time, but it is important to notice signs from your body that it may be time to take things a bit more seriously.
Think about how many times you or your friends get heartburn, does it happen regularly? It can’t be that significant, everyone has it at some point in their lives right? Acid reflux due to the malfunction of the cardiac sphincter in the stomach and at the base of the esophagus could be a slippery slope to much more serious issues. If acid reflux occurs daily over the span of months or years, you may be at risk of developing Barrett’s esophagus. This happens when the body tries to heal itself and replaces the esophagus lining with tissue resembling that of the small intestine.
You’re probably thinking, “okay, how does that relate to drinking and smoking?” Here’s how: smoking and heavy alcohol use can increase the risk of esophageal cancer, and if you have acid reflux, it can quickly become an issue without warning. Even though it is rare, making up about 1% of all cancers in the U.S. and occurring in people over the age of 55, these activities college students are participating in could increase their chances of experiencing issues with the esophagus.
I have seen it in a 46 year old who was an alcoholic in his twenties and an avid smoker, the only symptom he had was acid reflux that suddenly worsened over the span of a month. In my time with him, 16 years, he had only picked up alcohol at holiday events, but nicotine or vaping was an everyday occurrence. This type of cancer can also happen in young adults that have never smoked and have healthy lifestyles.
So surely doing these things in college doesn’t count. Surely these habits will stop once you graduate. Do yourself and your loved ones a favor and take that acid reflux seriously! Barrett's esophagus is just as important to look out for!
Rylee, this post is fascinating! I had no idea that the human body even has the capability to heal one area with the tissue from another; isn't it crazy how beautifully smart and complex our bodies are? Anyway, I really appreciate this post. I think many people, college students or not, adopt these bad habits when they know it may be hurting them, but the negative consequences are not yet happening, and they exhibit no signs of distress, so they choose to ignore the potential harm they are causing themselves. I also appreciate how you aimed this post towards college students because due to peer pressure and the stigma surrounding the idea that college students should be wild and experimental, many students get lost in this cycle of drug use and fitting in, so bringing awareness to the severity of these choices is very important.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy this article because I genuinely don't understand why people overindulge in things that can harm them because of this mantra. thank you for giving me more evidence to show people that these things really do harm in the long term rather than just right now.
ReplyDeleteI really really enjoyed this post and it is something that I personally really take to heart. I think it is really interesting that you tied it to acid reflux as well. It is something that I will start taking much more seriously as I didn't think it was anything to worry about. It is really important to continue raising awareness about these issues and also raise awareness to the symptoms that an individual might otherwise overlook. It is very easy to get lost in the fact that if there isn't an immediate side effect or super noticeable harm happening, that nothing is happening at all. This was really interesting and thank you for bringing attention to this issue!
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