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Alcohol consumption is common worldwide. In 2019, approximately 400 million people aged 15 and older had alcohol use disorders. Among them, 209 million had alcohol dependence. Despite these findings, there are varied cultural perceptions of alcohol use. Some cultures impose restrictions while others see alcohol as an integral part of social gatherings.

Understanding the immediate and long-term impacts of drinking alcohol helps you make informed decisions about your well-being. Potentially, it could also result in the prevention of adverse outcomes.

In this article, you will learn the short-term effects and long-term health consequences of drinking. You will also understand the emotional and psychological impact and get responsible drinking tips.

If you or your loved ones are struggling to keep alcohol under control, please talk to our team at Nirvana Recovery for professional help.

Short-Term Effects of Drinking Alcohol

Physical Immediate Effects

Immediate physical effects include the following:

Impaired Coordination: Alcohol affects the brain’s cerebellum, which handles movement, balance, and coordination. Alcohol interferes with the cerebellum’s information processing and effective muscle movement coordination. Thus, you may experience impaired coordination (ataxia). Symptoms include unsteady gait, a loss of balance, and difficulty with motor skills like grasping.
Slowed or Slurred Speech: Alcohol slows brain signals to muscles that are responsible for the control and coordination of muscles involved in speech. Thus, your speech may slow down, and you may struggle with forming and verbally expressing coherent thoughts.
Nausea and Vomiting: Alcohol relaxes muscles at the meeting point of your stomach and esophagus. As a result, stomach acid can flow into the esophagus. Alcohol also irritates and inflames the stomach lining, causing nausea and vomiting.
Dehydration: Alcohol increases urine production, causing overall fluid loss all over your body. Alcohol-induced vomiting and diarrhea also lead to significant fluid loss, causing dehydration.

Mental and Emotional Short-Term Effects

Short-term mental and emotional effects include the following:

Lowered Inhibitions: Alcohol impairs the prefrontal cortex, the brain region that handles self-control and judgment. Thus, you may take risks or become less cautious with behaviors you wouldn’t consider when sober.
Impaired Judgment: Besides affecting the brain area responsible for self-control and judgment, alcohol also interferes with regions that handle reasoning and decision-making. Therefore, you may make poor judgments or fail to act appropriately.
Mood Swings: Alcohol disrupts the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that handles mood. Alcohol can initially boost your mood, but the effect wears off quickly. Your cheerful feelings may soon turn to anger, sadness, or anxiety.
Increased Aggression: Since alcohol disrupts the functioning of the prefrontal cortex, you may struggle with controlling your behavior. Alcohol also impairs cognitive functions like memory, attention, and information processing. Therefore, you may easily misinterpret social situations, which can escalate minor conflicts.
Emotional Sensitivity: Alcohol interferes with the brain’s ability to regulate emotions. You may experience emotional reactions disproportionate to the situations that triggered them.

Long-Term Physical Effects of Alcohol Consumption

Effects on the Liver and Digestive System

Excessive or regular drinking can cause alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD), which is liver damage. Here are some stages of ARLD:

Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Excessive drinking for even just a few days can cause fat buildup in the liver. This disease is reversible if you stop drinking for a few months to years.
Cirrhosis: At this stage, your liver has become significantly scarred, though there may not be noticeable symptoms. It’s irreversible, but stopping drinking immediately can limit further damage.

Alcohol-induced pancreatitis can occur as a result of drinking heavily. Here’s how:

Alcohol can make the digestive juices in the pancreas thicker, clogging its tiny tubes
Alcohol can trigger the digestive juices to turn on too soon, which irritates and damages the pancreas

Cardiovascular Health Impacts

Here’s how alcohol affects your cardiovascular system:

Increased Blood Pressure: Binge drinking can increase systolic pressure by 4 to 7 points and diastolic pressure by 4 to 6 points. A 2-point increase (2 mmHg) can increase the risk of death from stroke by 10%.
Stroke: Heavy alcohol use can predispose you to the formation of blood clots or the growth, transmission, or spread of existing clots. These clots can block blood flow to the brain and cause a stroke.
Heart Disease: Regular heavy drinking can cause coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD is caused by a buildup of materials like fatty substances in the walls of arteries that are responsible for the blood supply to the heart.
Irregular Heartbeat: Chronic heavy alcohol drinking is linked with heartbeat rhythm irregularities (arrhythmias).

Immune System and Cancer Risks

Alcohol has the following effects on the immune system:

Decreased Number of White Blood Cells: Your body remains with fewer cells to fight infections.
Decreased Function of Immune Cells: Heavy drinking causes the immune system to fail to “remember” past infections. As a result, you develop an impaired ability to prevent the infections from happening again.

Alcohol increases the risk of developing the following cancers:

Mouth
Breast
Liver
Throat
Esophagus
Colon and rectum

Here’s how alcohol heightens the risks of different cancers:

It can damage your DNA. A damaged DNA can allow cells to grow out of control and become cancerous.
It can allow the cells in your mouth to absorb carcinogens, which are cancer-causing chemicals.
It increases the levels of estrogen, among other hormones. Estrogen is associated with breast cancer development in women.

Long-Term Psychological and Neurological Effects

Cognitive Function and Brain Health

Here’s how alcohol affects the brain long-term:

Memory Impairment: Alcohol interferes with the hippocampus, a brain region responsible for the formation of new memories. It disrupts the ability to form new long-term memories. However, your previously established long-term memories and short-term memory may remain intact. However, as you consume more alcohol, its impact on your memory also increases.
Reduced Cognitive Performance: Heavy drinking can damage the ends of nerve cells or neurons, decreasing their communication ability. Both heavy and light to moderate drinking can also cause brain shrinkage or changes in its structure. As a result, you may experience challenges with memory, attention, problem-solving, and self-control.
Dementia Risk: Prolonged heavy drinking can speed up cognitive decline. You may experience challenges in learning and overall cognitive function. Ultimately, it can lead to a loss of cognitive function. Excessive drinking over several years can cause alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD), a disorder associated with various conditions, including dementia. A review suggests that alcohol use disorder can increase the risk of dementia.

Mental Health Consequences

Here are the long-term mental health consequences of alcohol use:

Anxiety: Regular consumption can cause lasting changes in brain chemistry. You may develop dependence as your brain starts to rely on alcohol for feelings of happiness or relaxation. Thus, you may become anxious whenever you’re sober. Chronic alcohol use can also damage neurotransmitter systems. Your brain may increase the production of stress hormones, resulting in chronic anxiety.
Mood Disorders: Changes in brain regions responsible for mood, like the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus, can cause mood disorders. Moreover, alcohol’s damage to neurotransmitter systems can disrupt the regulation of serotonin. Low serotonin can lead to depressive symptoms. However, high serotonin can lead to manic or hypomanic episodes in individuals with bipolar disorder.
Alcohol Dependence: Drinking excessive alcohol can make your brain less responsive to its effects. You will need more or more potent alcohol to get the same effects. Your emotions may also become blunted, making it hard to experience joy without drinking. Relying on alcohol to feel normal or happy can lead to dependence.

Social and Relationship Effects of Alcohol

Interpersonal Relationships and Family Dynamics

The following are ways alcohol affects relationships:

Relationship Strain: When you drink more than your partner or the rest of the family, tension and anxiety may develop. Your loved ones may feel that they take second place to your drinking or that you’re physically and emotionally absent.
Communication Breakdowns: You may experience reduced clarity and focus when communicating. Alcohol makes it difficult to think clearly, express yourself effectively, and understand other perspectives. Moreover, you may become more impulsive due to the reduced inhibitions associated with drinking.
Increased Conflicts and Isolation: Due to the many different ways that alcohol affects your life, such as financially, you may experience increased conflicts in your relationships. The increased aggression associated with alcohol can worsen these conflicts. Alcohol can also result in withdrawal from loved ones, causing isolation.

Professional and Financial Consequences

Professional and financial consequences of drinking include impacts on the following:

Job Performance: You may become unable to deliver the same standard of work you did when you were sober. It’s because alcohol makes it harder to concentrate, stay awake, or focus. Ultimately, tasks that used to be easy or manageable become challenging or impossible to accomplish.
Career Progression: Poor performance in the workplace makes career progression difficult or impossible. Your superiors may notice the mistakes you make or the other challenges you experience when completing tasks. You end up stuck in the same place or risk losing your position at work.
Financial Instability: A drink may seem affordable the first time you buy it. As you drink more, the cumulative drinks become a financial burden. You may find yourself misspending money on more or stronger drinks. Due to poor workplace performance and possible misconduct, you may also lose your job, worsening your financial instability.

Factors Influencing the Severity of Alcohol’s Effects

Amount and Frequency of Alcohol Consumption

Binge drinking involves taking four or more drinks (for women) and five or more drinks (for men) within about two hours. It can cause blackouts and an overdose due to the high amount of alcohol consumed within a short time. It also worsens the physical and psychological effects of alcohol, including liver damage, and engaging in risky behaviors.

Moderate drinking involves taking one drink or less (for women) and two drinks or less (for men) in a day. Drinking small amounts of alcohol across four or more days per week may have lower health impacts compared to drinking the same weekly amount within one or two days.

Individual Health Factors

Here’s how individual health factors influence drinking and its effects:

Genetics: The bodies of some people can break down alcohol more quickly than others. Thus, alcohol stays in the body for different durations and affects people differently.
Existing Medical Conditions: Alcohol can interfere with blood sugar control, making it harder to manage diabetes.
Age: Alcohol’s effects can increase with a person’s age. This is due to changes that include reduced body water content and slower metabolism. These changes increase blood alcohol concentrations and sensitivity to alcohol’s effects.
Gender: Women have less body water and a slower metabolism than men. Thus, alcohol is less diluted in women’s bodies, and they eliminate alcohol at a slower rate than men.
Medication Interactions: Some medicines can inhibit enzymes that metabolize alcohol, thus intensifying intoxication and prolonging its effects.

Recognizing Signs of Problematic Alcohol Use

Behavioral Indicators

The following are behavioral signs that your alcohol use may be out of control:

Increased Reliance on Alcohol: If you rely on alcohol to feel happy or to function normally, you may have alcohol dependence.
Neglecting Responsibilities: When alcohol becomes a priority, most of your responsibilities no longer seem to matter. You may find yourself overly concerned about your next drink more than your basic responsibilities.
Risk-Taking Behaviors: Alcohol impairs your judgment and self-control system, increasing your likelihood of engaging in high-risk behaviors. You may do things that you wouldn’t otherwise consider.

Physical and Psychological Warning Signs

The following are physical and psychological warning signs of problematic alcohol use:

Withdrawal Symptoms: They include irritability, restlessness, tremors, sweating, headache, nausea, increased heart rate, and increased blood pressure.
Tolerance: You may notice that you need more or more potent alcohol to achieve the same effects that you used to get from smaller amounts. It’s because your body clears out alcohol faster, and your brain has become less sensitive to its effects.
Anxiety: After developing an alcohol dependence, you may feel tense or restless when you haven’t had a drink. Over time, alcohol interferes with the balance of calming neurotransmitters like GABA. You may experience chronic tension and feel overwhelmed by ordinary stressors when you haven’t had a drink.
Depression: Drinking may have overtaken your natural mood regulation if, when you’re sober, you notice persistent sadness, a feeling of emptiness, or a lack of interest in things you once enjoyed.

Practical Tips for Responsible Drinking

Setting Personal Limits

Here’s how to establish realistic, safe drinking boundaries and stick to recommended guidelines:

Understand “standard drinks.” In the US, one standard drink is equal to 1.5 ounces (a shot) of distilled spirits or liquor, 5 ounces of wine, 8 ounces of malt liquor, and 12 ounces of beer.
Know the recommended limits. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends two standard drinks or less for men and one standard drink or less for women in a day.
Create your limits. For example, no more than two drinks per day and 10 drinks per week.
To stick to your limits, use smaller glasses so you know how much you’ve had. Take one glass of water between each drink to slow your pace.

Hydration and Diet Considerations

Drink water before, during, and after drinking alcohol to replace the fluids your body will lose to dehydration.

Here are the benefits of having a nutritious diet before and when drinking alcohol:

It slows alcohol absorption. Take a meal rich in healthy fats like avocado, protein like beans, and complex carbohydrates like whole grains.
It reduces or prevents gastrointestinal irritation. Food coats the stomach lining, reducing the risk of gastritis.
It helps sustain blood sugar, as alcohol disrupts your liver’s glucose regulation.

Follow these mindful drinking strategies:

Experience each drink by taking it slowly. Don’t chug.
Track your drinking. When you’re near your limit, switch to a non-alcoholic drink.
Create mindful pauses. After a drink, take a short walk for fresh air.

Choose Wellness with Nirvana’s Guidance

Nirvana Recovery is dedicated to supporting you in understanding and managing your alcohol use responsibly. As you drink, we want you to understand what each sip does to your body and how you can ensure the least possible damage.

We provide resources in our different programs, like the intensive outpatient program. Our professional team also provides expert guidance for any alcohol-related issue and offers personalized support for your unique needs.

At Nirvana, we help our readers achieve a balanced, healthier lifestyle. We believe in the meeting point of the body, mind, and spirit, and provide holistic care to those who walk through our doors. Reach out to our team at Nirvana Recovery today for more information on how we can help you.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Are the Practical Steps to Reduce Alcohol Consumption?

Here are practical steps:

Start with a plan before you drink. Set a personal limit on how much you’re going to take. Start with a reasonable limit that you can stick to.
Set a budget. Set aside a reasonable amount of money to spend on alcohol and don’t exceed it.
Let your loved ones know so that they understand it’s important to you. Some of them may offer you support and provide helpful suggestions.
Take it a day at a time. Reduce your consumption a little each day. Count every day you meet your limit as a success.
Try a smaller one. Go for smaller glasses. Try a small glass of wine instead of a large one. Take bottled beer instead of pints.
Go for lower-strength drinks. Swap strong drinks like distilled spirits for beers. Swap strong beers or wines for less strong ones.
Set aside several days a week as “recovery” or “alcohol-free” days. Don’t have a drink these days, not even half your standard drink.

How Does Nirvana Support Individuals Who Want to Manage or Reduce Alcohol Consumption?

Nirvana Recovery walks the recovery journey with these individuals. We provide the following treatment programs that support recovery:

In these programs, we use the following approaches to reduce alcohol consumption:

Medication-Assisted Treatment: We combine FDA-approved medications with counseling and behavioral therapies.
Individual Counseling: We provide one-on-one sessions with experienced therapists.
Group Counseling: We provide a community for sharing experiences, strengths, and hope.

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Effects of Drinking Alcohol