Health Risks of Alcohol: Problems Caused By Chronic Heavy Drinking

Its consequences ripple through families, workplaces, communities, and the economy, creating challenges that affect every level of society. With nearly 29.5 million Americans affected by AUD annually, the societal burden of alcoholism is staggering. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, and 1.5 ounces of 80-proof alcohol constitute one drink. In people assigned female at birth, consuming more than four drinks in one sitting is considered binge drinking. However, there may be legal, financial, or relational consequences for drinking heavily. Alcohol use can exacerbate mental health conditions, like anxiety and depression, or lead to their onset.

Health risks of alcohol use

• In the case of an ischemic stroke, this is caused by blockage of a blood vessel that prevents the blood from reaching neighboring brain areas.
• The short-term effects of alcohol develop quickly—within minutes after your first drink—impacting mood, coordination, speech, memory, and behavior.
• Alcohol can cause both short-term effects, such as lowered inhibitions, and long-term effects, including a weakened immune system.
• Your BAC increases to the point that it disrupts areas of the brain controlling essential functions like heart rate, breathing, and temperature control.

For stomach and lung cancer, carcinogenicity was judged as possible but not established. For all sites where alcohol’s causal role in cancer is established, there is evidence of a dose-response relationship, with relative risk rising linearly with an increasing volume of alcohol consumption (Corrao et al. 2004). In fact, recent studies (Rehm and Parry 2009; Rehm et al. 2009a) found that the overall impact of alcohol consumption on infectious diseases is substantial, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The following sections will look at these disease categories individually.

Key Components of Professional Alcohol Treatment Programs:

The alcohol also impairs the cells in your nervous system, making you feel lightheaded and adversely affecting your reaction time and co-ordination. People from lower socio-economic groups suffer more harm from alcohol than those from higher socio-economic groups, despite consuming either the same amount of alcohol or less. For more information on where to get help for problematic alcohol use, please visit the problematic substance use resource page. In the case of an ischemic stroke, this is caused by https://ecosoberhouse.com/ blockage of a blood vessel that prevents the blood from reaching neighboring brain areas. In the case of a hemorrhagic stroke, rupture of a blood vessel and bleeding into the brain occurs, which prevents normal blood supply to other brain regions. By contrast, another 2023 study found similar rates of death between nondrinkers and light to moderate drinkers.

• Alcohol’s impact on neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA can also contribute to mood changes the day after drinking.
• This means a person’s alcohol withdrawal programme needs to be carefully planned, with close monitoring of its effects.
• But more recent research suggests there’s really no “safe” amount of alcohol since even moderate drinking can negatively impact brain health.

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As the body adapts to the presence of the drug, dependency and addiction can result. If consumption stops suddenly, the person may experience withdrawal symptoms. The body absorbs alcohol relatively quickly, but it takes longer to get the alcohol out of the body. Consuming several drinks in a short time causes the alcohol builds up in the body. Alcohol consumption contributes to 2.6 million deaths each year globally as well as to the disabilities and poor health of millions of people.

Disease and Injury Conditions Associated With Alcohol Use

If alcohol continues to accumulate in your system, it can destroy cells and, eventually, damage your organs. Your liver detoxifies and removes alcohol from your blood through a process known as oxidation. When your liver finishes that process, alcohol gets turned into water and carbon dioxide. Dr. Sengupta shares some of the not-so-obvious effects that alcohol has on your body. More information about alcohol and cancer risk is available in the Surgeon drug addiction treatment General’s advisory. For more information about alcohol’s effects on the body, please visit the Interactive Body feature on NIAAA’s College Drinking Prevention website.

Psychological effects

• Alcohol has a suppressing effect on the brain and central nervous system.
• The pancreas helps regulate how your body uses insulin and responds to glucose.
• Women who drink heavily are at higher risk of developing breast cancer and osteoporosis.
• Many of the symptoms are the result of dehydration, but some chemicals in alcoholic drinks can cause a reaction in the blood vessels and the brain that make symptoms worse.
• Knowing what counts as one standard drink can help you figure out how much alcohol you drink and whether it would be considered excessive.

Depending on how much you have been drinking, your body may experience physical and psychological changes as you reduce your intake, known as withdrawal. For example, a usually shy and quiet person may become increasingly chatty, socially confident, and outgoing when drinking alcohol. Lowered inhibitions can also lead to poor decision-making and increase the risk of engaging in risky behaviors. Alcohol’s impact on neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA can also contribute to mood changes the day after drinking. Once the effects of alcohol wear off, glutamate (a neurotransmitter) levels increase, which can lead to feelings of depression and anxiety, or “hangxiety” (hangover and anxiety), the consequences of alcohol day after drinking. The physical effects of alcohol consumption will also depend on your blood alcohol content (BAC).

• Your gut microbiome is a hotbed of bacteria that help keep your digestive system happy and healthy.
• In people assigned male at birth, alcohol consumption can decrease testosterone production and sperm quality.
• Besides long-term health complications, excessive alcohol use increases your risk of developing certain cancers.
• Its economic costs, public health impacts, and social consequences underscore the urgent need for a comprehensive response.
• 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.