In fact, your overall diabetes risk tends to drop with moderate alcohol consumption. However, when it comes to heavy drinking and binge drinking, your risk rises (53, 54, 55, 56). Light to moderate drinking is linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, while heavy drinking appears to increase the risk (37, 38, 39, 40). Heavy drinking and beer are linked to increased weight gain, while light to moderate drinking and wine are linked to reduced weight gain. For example, light to moderate drinking is linked to reduced weight gain, whereas heavy drinking is linked to increased weight gain (32, 33, 34). Consuming moderate amounts of alcohol may offer some health benefits.
- It’s produced by yeasts that digest sugar in certain carb-rich foods, such as grapes — used to make wine — or grains — used to make beer.
- Depending on how much you have been drinking, your body may experience physical and psychological changes as you reduce your intake, known as withdrawal.
- NIAAA can help people find information and resources about AUD and treatments that might work best for them.
- While alcohol intoxication is only temporary, chronic alcohol abuse can impair brain function permanently.
Alcohol’s physical effects on the body
These effects are only temporary, but chronic alcohol abuse may cause permanent changes in your brain, often leading to impaired brain function (9, 10, 11). In heavy drinkers, binge drinking may cause your liver to become inflamed. In worst-case scenarios, liver cells die and get replaced with scar tissue, leading to a serious condition called cirrhosis (3, 6, 7). This article discusses the long-term effects of alcohol, including the risks to your physical health and mental well-being. From a glass of wine with dinner to a night out with friends or a celebratory toast, alcohol consumption is deeply ingrained in many social practices and cultural traditions worldwide.
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If your pattern of drinking results in repeated significant distress and problems functioning in your daily life, you likely have alcohol use disorder. However, even a mild disorder can escalate and lead to serious problems, so early treatment is important. Alcohol widens your blood vessels, making more blood flow to your skin. The heat from that extra blood passes right out of your body, causing your temperature to drop. On the other hand, long-term heavy drinking boosts your blood pressure. It makes your body release stress hormones that narrow blood vessels, so your heart has to pump harder to push blood through.
Risks, Dangers, and Effects of Alcohol on the Body
Fatty liver gradually develops in 90% of those who drink more than a 1/2 ounce (15 ml) of alcohol per day (4, 5). On the one hand, moderate amounts have been linked to health benefits. Excess alcohol use can also impair nutrient absorption in the small intestine and increase the risk of malnutrition. In some people, the initial reaction may feel like an increase in energy. But as you continue to drink, you become drowsy and have less control over your actions. Alcohol use disorder can include periods of being drunk (alcohol intoxication) and symptoms of withdrawal.
Alcohol use: Weighing risks and benefits
For example, any amount of drinking increases the risk of breast cancer and colorectal cancer. In the United States, moderate drinking for healthy adults is different for men and women. It means on days when a person does drink, women do not have more than one drink and men do not have more than two drinks. But more recent research suggests there’s really no “safe” amount of alcohol since even moderate drinking can negatively impact brain health.
Recommendations for alcohol intake are usually based on the number of standard drinks per day. As a rule of thumb, if alcohol is adversely affecting your quality of life, you may have a problem with alcohol dependence or alcoholism. The cells lining your mouth and throat are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of alcohol. Characterized by abnormally high blood sugar, type 2 diabetes is caused by a reduced uptake of glucose, or blood sugar, by your cells — a phenomenon known as eco sober house insulin resistance. The first of these to appear is fatty liver, characterized by increased fat inside liver cells.
This could help explain why women are more likely to have negative effects from alcohol. Binge drinking is behavior that raises blood alcohol levels to 0.08%. That usually means four or more drinks within two hours for women and five or more drinks within two hours for men. Heavy drinking, including binge drinking, is a high-risk activity.
While alcohol intoxication is only temporary, chronic alcohol abuse can impair brain function permanently. However, moderate drinking may have benefits for brain health — especially among older adults. Alcohol doesn’t just affect the mind; it also affects the body.