Long-Term Effects of Alcohol: Dangers, Risks & Effects
If you drink, you’ve probably had some experience with alcohol’s effects, from the warm buzz that kicks in quickly to the not-so-pleasant wine headache, or the hangover that shows up the next morning. Since those effects don’t last long, you might not worry much about them, especially if you don’t drink often. If AUD is not treated, it can increase your risk for serious health problems. After completing treatment for AUD, it’s possible to have a risk of relapse. It’s important to recognize warning signs and seek help if you’re concerned about having a relapse. It can be hard to see there is a problem even if the drinking is negatively impacting your health and your life.
Because alcohol is a depressant, it can also contribute to mental health conditions, like anxiety and depression. Research indicates that heavy alcohol use can also increase the risk of suicide. In addition, AUD is an addiction disorder, which means you may have a difficult time stopping alcohol consumption, even when you want to. The definition of AUD also includes the impact that such drinking has on your health and life. Generally, however, the difference between alcohol misuse and AUD lies in looking at how a person drinks in the short term, as opposed to over a prolonged period of time.
The pancreas helps regulate how your body uses insulin and responds to glucose. If your pancreas and liver don’t function properly due to pancreatitis or liver disease, you could experience low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia. But more recent research suggests there’s really no “safe” amount of alcohol since even moderate drinking can negatively impact brain health. Becoming cognitively impaired from excessive drinking of alcohol can lead to risky behaviors that can result in injury or death of an affected person or of others. Drinking alcohol too much or too often, or being unable to control alcohol consumption, can be a sign of alcohol misuse and, in some cases, alcohol use disorder (AUD). Even drinking a little too much (binge drinking) on occasion can set off a chain reaction that affects your well-being.
This can lead to conditions like stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease, and multiple sclerosis (MS). Seizures, hallucinations, and delirium may occur in severe cases of withdrawal. Ulcers can cause dangerous internal bleeding, which can sometimes be fatal without prompt diagnosis and treatment. Experts recommend avoiding excessive amounts of alcohol if you have diabetes or hypoglycemia.
Alcohol withdrawal
However, AUDs do not affect all population subgroups equally; for example, they mainly affect men, globally representing the second-most disabling disease and injury condition for men. In contrast, AUDs are not among the 10 most important causes of disabling disease and injury in women (WHO 2008). Overall, the effects of alcohol consumption on cardiovascular disease are detrimental in all societies with large proportions of heavy-drinking occasions, which is true for most societies globally (Rehm et al. 2003a). This conclusion also is supported by ecological analyses or natural experiments. For example, studies in Lithuania (Chenet et al. 2001) found that cardiovascular deaths increased on weekends, when heavy drinking is more common. Alcohol can impact various parts of the body, including the brain, heart, liver, and pancreas, as well as essential body systems like the immune and digestive systems.
Alcohol-induced mental health conditions
Drinking alcohol can influence your psychological functioning and well-being. Alcohol also causes damage to nerves and pathways, which disrupts communication between essential organs and bodily functions. Alcohol use suppresses the central nervous system and destroys neurons.
Some studies have found that even light or moderate drinking can lead to some deterioration of the hippocampus. According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 69.5% of people in the United States reported drinking within the last year. 25.8% of people classified their recent consumption habits as binge drinking (excessive drinking in a defined amount of time).
What Are the Long-Term Effects of Alcohol on the Body?
Having several nonalcoholic drinks between drinks of alcohol can also slow the effects of alcohol on your system. Many people with alcohol use disorder hesitate to get treatment because they don’t recognize that they have a problem. An intervention from loved ones can help some people recognize and accept that they need professional help. If you’re concerned about someone who drinks too much, ask a professional experienced in alcohol treatment for advice on how to approach that person.
- Many people with alcohol use disorder hesitate to get treatment because they don’t recognize that they have a problem.
- This condition can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the number of symptoms you have.
- By Geralyn Dexter, PhD, LMHCDexter has a doctorate in psychology and is a licensed mental health counselor with a focus on suicidal ideation, self-harm, and mood disorders.
- Alcohol makes it harder for the brain areas controlling balance, memory, speech, and judgment to do their jobs, resulting in a higher likelihood of injuries and other negative outcomes.
- Eventually, you can develop permanent and irreversible scarring in your liver, which is called cirrhosis.
- When it comes to your beverage of choice, alcoholic beverages are unique.
People who binge drink or drink heavily may notice more health effects sooner, but alcohol also poses some risks for people who drink in moderation. But alcohol misuse, also known as excessive drinking, has a more immediate impact, whereas the symptoms of AUD will be more prolonged. Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways and can affect the way the brain looks and works. Alcohol makes it harder for the brain areas controlling balance, memory, speech, and judgment to do their jobs, resulting in a higher likelihood of injuries and other negative outcomes. Long-term heavy drinking causes alterations in the neurons, how to wean off prozac such as reductions in their size. Binge drinking is drinking enough alcohol to raise one’s BAC to 0.08% or above.
How Alcohol Use Disorder Is Treated
The relationship between alcohol consumption and HIV infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is different from that with other infectious diseases. To become infected with HIV, people must exchange body fluids, in most cases either by injecting drugs with a contaminated needle or, more commonly in low-income societies, engaging in unsafe sex. Researchers frequently have pointed out that personality characteristics, such as a propensity for risk-taking, sensation-seeking, and sexual compulsivity, may be involved in the risk of HIV infection. Indeed, a recent consensus meeting determined that there is not yet sufficient evidence to conclude that alcohol has a causal impact on HIV infection (Parry et al. 2009). Thus, AUDs account for 18.4 million years of life lost to disability (YLDs), or 3.5 percent of all YLDs, in low- and middle-income countries and for 3.9 million YLDs, or 5.7 percent of all YLDs, in high-income countries.
From the first sip, alcohol impacts the body—even if you don’t realize it. Any amount of alcohol can diminish your judgment and functioning, and even low or moderate alcohol use can have harmful effects on different organs. Many people assume the occasional beer or glass of wine at mealtimes or special occasions doesn’t pose much cause for concern. But drinking any amount of alcohol can potentially lead to unwanted health consequences. Recognizing the early signs and risk factors for AUD can help you seek early treatment and intervention to break alcohol misuse patterns. They may also use blood tests to assess your overall health, paying special attention to areas of the body most impacted by alcohol, including the brain and other parts of the nervous system, as well as the heart and liver.