How alcohol affects health

Alcohol is one of the most accepted psychoactive substances, its production and distribution is legal and culturally accepted around the world. The use of alcohol is so common that people usually don’t question the effects regular drinking might have on their health. Alcohol is a depressor which can cause addiction if consumed too much and influence behavior, relationships, decision making and many aspects of physical health.

For more information about the misuse of psychoactive substances and addiction read: https://helpmedix.com/en/news/257-the-misuse-of-psychoactive-substances

What amount of alcohol is safe?

No amount of alcohol is safe or in any way healthy. One shouldn’t think that the negative effects of alcohol begin only if it is consumed every day, binge drinking can be harmful in the same manner. Some of the more serious risks that can develop from alcohol use (like the development of some cancers) can become significant even if drinking less than one drink per day. Some people should never drink any alcohol; if you are underage, have certain medical conditions, or are pregnant, you shouldn’t drink at all.

Consuming alcohol during pregnancy can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome in the child, this can cause a wide specter of neurodevelopmental problems.

What are the short-term effects of alcohol?

Even a few alcoholic drinks can affect your balance, coordination, impulse control and decision making. This significantly increases risk of injury. Consuming larger amounts of alcohol can lead to certain parts of the brain turning off which are key in basic functions like staying awake or lead to alcohol poisoning which can seriously endanger your life.

In the short term, alcohol can lead to:

• Dizziness
• Bad decision making
• Loss of coordination
• Vomiting
• Loss of memory
• Accidental injury
• Purposefull injury
• Poisoning
• Exhaustion
• Headaches
• Hangovers

What are the long-term effects of alcohol?

Long term alcohol consumption can lead to serios physical and mental consequences. Alcohol can cause addiction, alcoholism affects not only the person but those closest to them as well. Alcohol addiction is often paired with other mental disorders such as anxiety or depression, in these situations’ alcohol worsens the mental state and significantly increases the risk of suicide.

Alcohol has varying long term effects on different parts of the organism:

• The brain: it affects concentration, decision making, mood and memory. It increases the risk of a stroke or development of dementia.
• Heart: it can cause cardiomyopathy (stretching of the heart muscle, often leads to a transplant), arrhythmia (irregular palpitations), heart attack, high blood pressure.
• Liver: it damages the liver, leads to different inflammations (steatosis or fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis and cirrhosis).
• Pancreas: alcohol causes the secretion of toxic substances by the pancreas which can lead to pancreatitis which is an inflammation of the pancreas which causes swelling and pain, and it can be fatal, it prevents secretion of enzymes and hormones which promote healthy digestion.
• Cancer: long term use of alcohol can cause cancers of the head and neck, the oral cavity, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer (very significant risk increase) and colorectal cancer.
• Immune system: regular alcohol use can damage the immune system causing higher risk of different diseases. This leads to diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis being more prevalent in individuals who consume too much alcohol. Consuming too much alcohol on a single ocasion can significantly damage the immune system in the next 24 hours.

Alcohol’s effects on the body | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). (n.d.). https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohols-effects-body

Alcohol’s health effects: What you need to know | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine. (n.d.). NIH MedlinePlus Magazine. https://magazine.medlineplus.gov/article/alcohols-health-effects-what-you-need-to-know

*This text is intended for informational purposes only. If you experience any symptoms, it is recommended that you seek advice from your doctor or a qualified healthcare professional.*

*Image taken from the site: https://pixabay.com/photos/wine-bar-alcohol-liquor-drinks-8346641/*