2/22/2020 23 Effects of Alcohol on Your Body

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The Effects of Alcohol on Your Body

Medically reviewed by Elaine K. Luo, MD on June 9, 2017 — Written by Ann Pietrangelo
and Kimberly Holland

Alcohol’s impact on your body starts from the moment you take your first
sip. While an occasional glass of wine with dinner isn’t a cause for
concern, the cumulative effects of drinking wine, beer, or spirits can take
its toll.

Read on to learn the effects of alcohol on your body.

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2/22/2020 23 Effects of Alcohol on Your Body

A glass a day may do little damage to your overall health. But if the habit
grows or if you find yourself having a hard time stopping after just one
glass, the cumulative effects can add up.

Digestive and endocrine glands

Drinking too much alcohol can cause abnormal activation of digestive
enzymes produced by the pancreas. Buildup of these enzymes can lead
to inflammation known as pancreatitis. Pancreatitis can become a long-
term condition and cause serious complications.

Inflammatory damage
The liver is an organ which helps break down and remove harmful
substances from your body, including alcohol. Long-term alcohol use
interferes with this process. It also increases your risk for chronic liver
inflammation and liver disease. The scarring caused by this inflammation
is known as cirrhosis. The formation of scar tissue destroys the liver. As
the liver becomes increasingly damaged, it has a harder time removing
toxic substances from your body.

Learn more about alcohol-related liver disease »

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Liver disease is life-threatening and leads to toxins and waste buildup in

your body. Women are at higher risk for developing alcoholic liver
disease. Women’s bodies are more likely to absorb more alcohol and
need longer periods of time to process it. Women also show liver damage
more quickly than men.
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Sugar levels
The pancreas helps regulate your body’s insulin use and response to
glucose. When your pancreas and liver aren’t functioning properly, you
run the risk of experiencing low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia. A
damaged pancreas may also prevent the body from producing enough
insulin to utilize sugar. This can lead to hyperglycemia, or too much sugar
in the blood.

If your body can’t manage and balance your blood sugar levels, you may
experience greater complications and side effects related to diabetes. It’s
important for people with diabetes or hypoglycemia to avoid excessive
amounts of alcohol.

Central nervous system

One of the easiest ways to understand alcohol’s impact on your body is
by understanding how it affects your central nervous system. Slurred
speech is one of the first signs you’ve had too much to drink. Alcohol can
reduce communication between your brain and your body. This makes
coordination more difficult. You may have a hard time balancing. You
should never drive after drinking.

As alcohol causes more damage to your central nervous system, you may
experience numbness and tingling sensations in your feet and hands.

Drinking also makes it difficult for your brain to create long-term

memories. It also reduces your ability to think clearly and make rational
choices. Over time, frontal lobe damage can occur. This area of the brain
is responsible for emotional control, short-term memory, and judgement, 
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in addition to other vital roles.
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Chronic and severe alcohol abuse can also cause permanent brain
damage. This can lead to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a brain disorder
that affects memory.

Dependency
Some people who drink heavily may develop a physical and emotional
dependency on alcohol. Alcohol withdrawal can be difficult and life-
threatening. You often need professional help to break an alcohol
addiction. As a result, many people seek medical detoxification to get
sober. It’s the safest way to ensure you break the physical addiction.
Depending on the risk for withdrawal symptoms, detoxification can be
managed on either an outpatient or inpatient basis.

Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:

anxiety

nervousness

nausea
tremors

high blood pressure

irregular heartbeat

heavy sweating

Seizures, hallucinations, and delirium may occur in severe cases of

withdrawal.

Digestive system
The connection between alcohol consumption and your digestive system
might not seem immediately clear. The side effects often only appear
after there has been damage. And the more you drink, the greater the
damage will become.
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Drinking can damage the tissues in your digestive tract and prevent your
intestines from digesting food and absorbing nutrients and vitamins. As a
result, malnutrition may occur.

Heavy drinking can also lead to:

gassiness

bloating

a feeling of fullness in your abdomen

diarrhea or painful stools

For people who drink heavily, ulcers or hemorrhoids (due to dehydration

and constipation) aren’t uncommon. And they may cause dangerous
internal bleeding. Ulcers can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated early.

People who consume too much alcohol may also be at risk for cancer.
People who drink frequently are more likely to develop cancer in the
mouth, throat, esophagus, colon, or liver. People who regularly drink and
use tobacco together have an even greater  cancer risk.

Circulatory system
Alcohol can affect your heart and lungs. People who are chronic drinkers
of alcohol have a higher risk of heart-related issues than people who do
not drink. Women who drink are more likely to develop heart disease than
men who drink.
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Circulatory system complications
ADVE RTISEMENT include:

high blood pressure

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irregular heartbeat

difficulty pumping blood through the body

stroke

heart attack

heart disease

heart failure

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Difficulty absorbing vitamins and minerals from food can cause anemia.
This is a condition where you have a low red blood cell count. One of the
biggest symptoms of anemia is fatigue.

Sexual and reproductive health

You may think drinking alcohol can lower your inhibitions and help you
have more fun in bed. But the reality is quite different. Men who drink too
much are more likely to experience erectile dysfunction. Heavy drinking
can also prevent sex hormone production and lower your libido.

Women who drink too much may stop menstruating. That puts them at a
greater risk for infertility. Women who drink heavily during pregnancy
have a higher risk of premature delivery, miscarriage, or stillbirth.

Women who drink alcohol while pregnant put their unborn child at risk.
Fetal alcohol syndrome disorders (FASD) is a serious concern. Other
conditions include:

learning difficulties

long-term health issues

increased emotional problems

physical development abnormalities

Skeletal and muscle systems

Long-term alcohol use may prevent your body from keeping your bones 
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strong. This habit may cause thinner bones and increase your risk for
fractures if you fall. And factures may heal more slowly.
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Drinking alcohol may also lead to muscle weakness, cramping, and

eventually atrophy.

Immune system
Drinking heavily reduces your body’s natural immune system. This makes
it more difficult for your body to fight off invading germs and viruses.

People who drink heavily over a long period of time are also more likely
to develop pneumonia or tuberculosis than the general population. About
10 percent  of all tuberculosis cases worldwide can be tied to alcohol
consumption. Drinking alcohol also increases your risk for several types of
cancer, including mouth, breast, and colon. Click here to learn the basics
of alcoholism. You can also read about the stages of alcoholism and
recognizing an addiction.

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