Binge drinking is behavior that raises blood alcohol levels to 0.08%. That usually means four or more drinks within two hours for women and five or more drinks within two hours for men. Drinking alcohol is so common that people may not question how even one beer, cocktail, or glass of wine could impact their health.
- Too much alcohol can also shut down parts of your brain that are essential for keeping you alive.
- Drink for drink, women accumulate more alcohol in their bloodstreams than men do.
- The pancreas is essential for breaking down enzymes and starches (like those in alcohol).
- Drinking any amount or type of alcohol has a wide range of short- and long-term effects on your physical and mental health.
To keep it all going smoothly, you need them in the right balance. For example, some studies suggest that moderate alcohol drinking can affect fertility for some women. Research also shows that heavy drinking by men may lower testosterone levels and affect the making of sperm. Subjects who reported that they exercised 3 times or more per week were defined as regular exercisers. However, persons who consume alcohol in excessive amounts suffer from poor sleep quality and patients with alcohol use disorders commonly report insomnia.
It also has resources to help those looking to change their drinking habits. Excessive alcohol use can harm people who drink and those around them. You and your community can take steps to improve everyone’s health and quality of life.
A comprehensive 2015 review found that alcohol use is one of the leading contributors to pancreatitis because it causes the pancreas to produce toxic substances. According to the experts, there is no safe level of drinking during pregnancy. Women who are trying to get pregnant or who already are pregnant should not drink. In the United States, people younger than age 21 are not legally able to drink alcohol. And drinking raises the risk of problems in the digestive system.
Brain/Memory
Alcohol is a part of cultural traditions all around the world…and it’s also a drug that chemically alters the body. 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. “Some people think of the effects of alcohol as only something to be worried about if you’re living with alcohol use disorder, which was formerly called alcoholism,” Dr. Sengupta says. Normally, this organ makes insulin and other chemicals that help your intestines break down food. Along with toxins from alcohol, they can cause inflammation in the organ over time, which can lead to serious damage.
Other chronic diseases
Because women tend to have less water in their bodies than men, if a woman and a man of the same weight drank the same amount of alcohol, the woman’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) would likely be higher. This could help explain why women are more likely to have negative effects from alcohol. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has information on how alcohol impacts your health.
Conditions
Alcohol use can increase the risk of cardiovascular problems, cognitive decline, liver disease, mental health conditions, and more. Just one or two alcoholic drinks can impair your balance, coordination, impulse control, memory, and decision-making. Too much alcohol can also shut down parts of your brain that are essential for keeping you alive. Over the long term, alcohol can increase your risk of more than 200 different diseases, including in the liver and pancreas, and certain cancers. These powerful chemicals manage everything from your sex drive to how fast you digest food.
If alcohol continues to accumulate in your system, it can destroy cells and, eventually, damage your organs. It’s always best to connect with your doctor before quitting alcohol. Drinking alcohol can lower your inhibitions, so you might assume alcohol can ramp up your fun in the bedroom. Ulcers can cause dangerous internal bleeding, which can sometimes be fatal without prompt diagnosis and treatment. Alcohol use can also lead to more lasting concerns that extend beyond your own mood and health. Dehydration-related effects, like nausea, headache, and dizziness, might not appear for a few hours, and they can also depend on what you drink, how much you drink, and if you also drink water.
What Parts of the Body Does Alcohol Affect?
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.
Experts recommend avoiding excessive amounts of alcohol if you have diabetes or hypoglycemia. Alcohol disrupts the communication between the brain and sensory organs (e.g., eyes and ears), leading to changes in vision, hearing, and perception of the sounds and sights around you. By promoting the release of these feel-good neurotransmitters, alcohol temporarily amplifies feelings of joy and lightheartedness. However, when researchers evaluate these potential factors, the risks outweigh any benefits. Alcohol influences neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.
Symptoms can vary from person to person, so it’s best to exercise caution and seek medical help if someone you are with shows signs of extreme alcohol intoxication. Alcohol slows signals from the brain to the muscles responsible for the coordination and control of muscles involved aa vs na in speech, leading to a noticeable slowing down or slurring of words when intoxicated. Impulsive behaviors can include making poor financial decisions (e.g., spending rent money on a round of drinks for your friends) or engaging in risky sexual behaviors (e.g., condomless sex). By Geralyn Dexter, PhD, LMHCDexter has a doctorate in psychology and is a licensed mental health counselor with a focus on suicidal ideation, self-harm, and mood disorders. To avoid driving after consuming alcohol, it’s helpful to designate a nondrinking driver, or to use public transportation. No one should ever ride in a car with a driver who has been drinking.
