And the balance of risk and benefit likely varies from person to person, based on individual factors such as genetics and lifestyle factors. “The good news is that earlier stages of steatotic liver disease are usually completely reversible in about four to six weeks if you abstain from drinking alcohol,” Dr. Sengupta assures. Drinking also makes symptoms of mental health conditions worse. When you have a drinking problem and a mental health condition, it’s called a dual diagnosis.
Over the long term, alcohol can increase your risk of more than 200 different diseases, including in the liver and pancreas, and certain cancers. In addition to its effects on the brain, alcohol also affects the peripheral nervous system, which comprises the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. These limitations make it hard to know how much to rely on studies that find health risks (or benefits) to alcohol consumption. Alcohol misuse at an early age increases the risk of developing AUD.
Moderate alcohol use
- If you choose to drink alcohol, the key is to keep your drinking at low to moderate levels.
- That can lead to pancreatitis, which is inflammation of the pancreas.
- Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic brain disorder that makes it difficult to control alcohol use, even when it’s causing problems.
- Drinking alcohol is a health risk regardless of the amount.
- Alcohol misuse over time can lead to pancreatitis, which can impair the production of digestive enzymes and can affect hormones that regulate blood sugar level.
- People who choose not to drink make that choice for the same reasons.
Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. By contrast, another 2023 study found similar rates of death between nondrinkers and light to moderate drinkers.
The cost of excessive drinking impacts everyone
You and your community can take steps to improve everyone’s health and quality of life. It’s important to remember that the only way to guarantee that drinking alcohol will not harm you at all is to not drink at all. Drinking has a greater effect on women because they typically weigh less.
What does alcohol do to your body?
Drinking alcohol is so common that people may not question how even one beer, cocktail, or glass of wine could impact their health. Alcohol is a part of cultural traditions all around the world…and it’s also a drug that chemically alters the body. Drinking moderately if you’re otherwise healthy may be a risk you’re willing to take. But heavy drinking carries a much higher risk even for those without other health concerns. Be sure to ask your healthcare professional about what’s right for your health and safety. For example, any amount of drinking increases the risk of breast cancer and colorectal cancer.
These disruptions can change mood and behavior and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination. More information about alcohol’s effects on the brain is available on NIAAA’s topic page on Alcohol and The Brain. The less alcohol you drink, the lower your risk for these health effects, including several types of cancer. Excessive alcohol use is a term used to describe four ways that people drink alcohol that can negatively impact health. Drinking alcohol can cause unique problems for older adults and people who are pregnant or who have other health conditions.
Alcohol use: Weighing risks and benefits
You can expect to hear about more research, debate, and controversy in the near future regarding the potential risks and benefits of drinking, and how much — if any — is ideal. For example, a 2018 study found that light drinkers (those consuming one to three drinks per week) had lower rates of cancer or death than those drinking less than one drink per week or none at all. Your body breaks alcohol down into a chemical called acetaldehyde, which damages your DNA.
- Binge drinking is behavior that raises blood alcohol levels to 0.08%.
- Excessive alcohol use is a term used to describe four ways that people drink alcohol that can negatively impact health.
- And prolonged alcohol use can lead to mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.
- With continued alcohol use, steatotic liver disease can lead to liver fibrosis.
After more analysis of the research, that doesn’t seem to be the case. In general, a healthy diet and physical activity have much greater health benefits than alcohol and have been more extensively studied. In many cases, even moderate drinking (defined below) appears to increase risk. Despite this, less than half of the US public is aware of any alcohol-cancer connection. Changing the labels as suggested by the Surgeon General will require congressional action that may never happen. Heavy alcohol use can disturb the endocrine system, disrupting the hormones that help maintain the body’s stability and health.
For example, it may be used to define the risk of illness or injury based on the number of drinks a person has in a week. Many people drink alcohol as a personal preference, during social activities, or as a part of cultural and religious practices. People who choose not to drink make that choice for the same reasons. Knowing your personal risk based on your habits can help you make the best decision for you. For millions of people, it’s a regular part of the dining experience, social and sports events, celebrations, and milestones. And the alcoholic beverage industry is a major economic force, responsible for more than $250 billion in sales annually in the US.
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. The cost of excessive alcohol use impacts everyone, whether they drink or not. Knowing what counts as one standard drink can help you figure out how much alcohol you drink and whether it would be considered excessive. As of 2021, 29.5 million people aged 12 and older had an alcohol use disorder in the past year. In the United States, people younger than age 21 are not legally able to drink alcohol.
Current research points to health risks even at low amounts of alcohol consumption, regardless of beverage type. Keep reading for more information on how alcohol can affect your body. Heavy drinking drinking too much alcohol can harm your health learn the facts can cause all kinds of problems, from stomach and sexual problems to stroke and liver disease. It can also lead to problems at work, school, or home and to drunk driving and violence.
Nutrition and healthy eating
It’s very important to treat all mental health conditions, such as depression. You may drink less when mental health conditions are treated. Assessing the risks and benefits of alcohol consumption remains an active area of research that may lead to major changes in official guidelines or warning labels. Drinking too much alcohol can weaken the immune system, making the body a much easier target for disease. Drinking a lot on a single occasion slows the body’s ability to ward off infections–even up to 24 hours later.
It also has resources to help those looking to change their drinking habits. During pregnancy, drinking may cause the unborn baby to have brain damage and other problems. Heavy drinking also may result in alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
No matter how severe the problem may seem, evidence-based treatment can help people with AUD recover. If you are on any medications, talk to your health care provider about how alcohol may affect them. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can lead to symptoms of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). FASD can cause a range of neurodevelopmental and physical effects in the child after birth. Heavy drinking also has been linked to intentional injuries, such as suicide, as well as accidental injury and death. Drinking alcohol is a health risk regardless of the amount.
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