Health Effects

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Alcohol, especially if drunk at a young age, can have short-term and long-term effects on one's body, lifestyle, and mental health. Here are some of the main effects of alcohol on various parts of the body:

The Heart

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart muscle is weakened, is caused by long-term heavy drinking. Symptoms include breathing difficulties, fatigue, swollen legs, and heart failure.

An arrhythmias is an irregular heart rate. It can be caused by both binge drinking and long-term drinking.

Strokes, during which blood cannot reach the brain, are caused by both binge drinking and long-term drinking. Binge drinkers are about 39 percent more likely to suffer from a stroke than non-binge drinkers.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can be caused by chronic alcohol use and binge drinking.

The Liver

Liver disease, which is often caused by chronic drinking, is one of the leading causes of illness and death in the US. More than 2 million Americans suffer from liver disease caused by alcohol.

Alcoholic hepatitis, or an inflammation of the liver, can cause fever, nausea, abdominal pain, excessive bleeding, and clotting difficulties. About one in five heavy drinkers will develop alcoholic hepatitis.

Cirrhosis, or a deterioration of the liver, prevents the liver from managing infections and absorbing nutrients. It can lead to type 2 diabetes or liver cancer. One in four heavy drinkers will develop cirrhosis.

The Brain

Alcohol can cause neurotransmitters to delay information, which can trigger mood and behavioral changes, such as depression, agitation, memory loss, and seizures.

Long-term, heavy drinking can cause reductions in brain cell's size, which causes brain mass to shrink and the inner cavity to grow. These changes may affect motor coordination, temperature regulation, sleep mood, learning, and memory.

Alcohol can also become an addictive substance. Featured to the right is Dr. Samuel Ball of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University discussing how the substance becomes addicting and other negative effects alcohol has on the brain.

The Developing Brain

Alcohol adversely affects people who are in their early 20s and younger because their brains are still developing.

Alcohol is classified as a depressant, which slow the brain down. Teenagers experience greater loss of cognitive functions, including diminishing abilities to process information, make decisions, and form ideas. This makes them more vulnerable to impulsive actions, such as violent outbursts and unsafe sexual activity.

Excessive alcohol use can permanently kill brain cells in multiple areas of the brain. Adolescents can experience permanent damage for a much lower amount of alcohol consumption than adults. Brain damage can occur in teenagers who drink only half as much as the average adult.

Teenage brains are also more susceptible to developing an addiction to alcohol. Alcoholism is more severe and harder to treat for teenagers.

The Pancreas

Pancreatitis, or an inflammation of the pancreas, can be caused by excessive drinking. Chronic pancreatitis slowly destroys the pancreas and can lead to pancreatic cancer, diabetes, or death.

The Immune System

Chronic alcohol consumption reduces white blood cells' abilities to engulf harmful bacteria.

Excessive drinking may disrupt the production of cytokines. Too many cytokines can damage tissues, while too little cytokines can increase chances of getting infections.

Chronic alcohol consumption suppresses the development of T-cells, which increases vulnerability to bacteria, viruses, and cancerous cells.

Cancer Risks

According to the National Cancer Institute, alcohol is a risk factor for mouth, esophagus, pharynx, larynx, liver, and breast cancers. At least 7 out of to people with mouth cancer drink heavily. About 11 percent of all breast cancer cases are attributed to alcohol.

References

“Alcohol's Effects on the Body.” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/alcohols-effects-body.

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