Excessive drinking also commonly causes vision changes, such as blurred vision, double vision, or difficulty focusing. Alcohol increases the production of stomach acids and can lead to reflux (stomach acids backing up into the esophagus and the throat). Alcohol also irritates the stomach lining, leading to inflammation (gastritis), which can make you feel nauseated and throw up. As the body adapts to the presence of the drug, dependency and addiction can result. If consumption stops suddenly, the person may experience withdrawal symptoms. Since the liver can only process the equivalent of one drink at a time, the body may remain saturated with the alcohol that has not yet left the body.
Each of those consequences can cause turmoil that can negatively affect your long-term emotional health. It could be that it messes with the part of your brain that processes sound. Or it might damage the nerves and tiny hairs in your inner ear that help you hear. However it happens, drinking means you need a sound to be louder so you can hear it. Drinking heavily for a long time has been linked to hearing loss.
People who drink heavily over a long period of time are also more likely to develop pneumonia or tuberculosis than the general population. The World Health Organization (WHO) links about 8.1 percent of all tuberculosis cases worldwide to alcohol consumption. The connection between alcohol consumption and your digestive system might not seem immediately clear. The side effects often only appear after the damage has happened. Some of these effects, like a relaxed mood or lowered inhibitions, might show up quickly after just one drink.
How Long Does It Take for Short-Term Effects of Alcohol to Appear?
- Drinking too much or too quickly can lead to alcohol poisoning.
- It also makes heartburn more likely because it relaxes the muscle that keeps acid out of your esophagus, the tube that connects your mouth and stomach.
- Eventually, you can develop permanent and irreversible scarring in your liver, which is called cirrhosis.
Your heart can’t pump blood as well, and that impacts every part of your body. One of the best-known effects of drinking alcohol is lowered inhibitions. Alcohol disrupts the brain’s prefrontal cortex—the area responsible for judgment and self-control.
Tips for Reducing Alcohol Consumption
This condition can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the number of symptoms you have. These symptoms indicate that alcohol is seriously affecting your body Drunk People Feel Soberer around Heavy Drinkers and vital functions like memory and awareness. If you notice someone experiencing these symptoms, it’s important to get them to stop drinking to prevent symptoms from worsening and becoming life-threatening.
Every person has their own reasons for drinking or wanting to reduce their alcohol consumption. Depending on how much you have been drinking, your body may experience physical and psychological changes as you reduce your intake, known as withdrawal. Talk to a healthcare provider if you are concerned about your drinking or that of a loved one. Professional treatments and support can help you overcome alcohol misuse and alcohol use disorder and improve your overall health and well-being. Alcohol is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, contributing to approximately 178,000 deaths annually.
Young men and women in this age group are also at risk of drinking-related injury, property damage, date rape, and unsafe sex while under the influence of alcohol. Heavy drinking, including binge drinking, is a high-risk activity. For example, any amount of drinking increases the risk of breast cancer and colorectal cancer. The evidence for moderate alcohol use in healthy adults is still being studied. But good evidence shows that drinking high amounts of alcohol are clearly linked to health problems. Excessive alcohol use can harm people who drink and those around them.
What Parts of the Body Does Alcohol Affect?
If you see signs of alcohol poisoning in yourself or someone else, call 911 right away. Only professional medical help can prevent lasting brain damage or death. If you drink too much alcohol too quickly, your liver can’t remove it fast enough. This causes the amount of alcohol in the blood, also known as blood alcohol concentration (BAC), to rise. Loss of coordination (ataxia) is a common short-term effect of alcohol and is linked to how alcohol affects the brain’s cerebellum. The cerebellum is the brain’s control center for movement, balance, and coordination.
Deciding about drinking
They also help fend off inflammation and support healthy metabolism. In reality, there’s no evidence that drinking beer (or your alcoholic beverages of choice) actually contributes to belly fat. Certain factors may increase your chances of experiencing alcohol use disorder.
While casual to moderate drinking may be a part of life for some, excessive or chronic alcohol consumption can significantly impact your body and long-term health. When you consume alcohol, the effects of alcohol on the hippocampus make the formation of long-term memories less likely. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, and 1.5 ounces of 80-proof alcohol constitute one drink. In people assigned female at birth, consuming more than four drinks in one sitting is considered binge drinking. However, there may be legal, financial, or relational consequences for drinking heavily.
