What is the Effect of Alcohol On Our Health?

This is a guest post by Matthew Boyle.

Most people accept that drinking is not a healthy activity and that binge drinking is potentially life-threatening.

Few people know about the links between alcohol use and severe health problems such as high blood pressure, the risk of cancer, and dementia.

Here are the most common, evidence-based negative effects of alcohol consumption. 

• Cirrhosis and liver failure
• Higher blood pressure
• Higher risk for certain cancers
• Alcohol poisoning
• Higher risk of injury and fatality
• Higher risk of depression, anxiety, and addiction
• Lapses in judgment and risky behavior

Excessive alcohol abuse causes physical problems. It can also cause mental distress and problems for people close to the alcoholic. These include passing on addiction to children, physical and emotional violence against spouses or family members, and the development of codependent tendencies.

The Positive Effects of Alcohol

Alcohol is overwhelmingly negative when consumed in excess. Yet, there are actually some minor health benefits associated with moderate drinking. Moderate drinking can also help people loosen up in social situations, relieve stress, and promote well-being.

Having the occasional drink is not advised for anyone in recovery. For those who can handle the occasional drink, there could be some positive benefits. Multiple studies on alcohol have shown that moderate drinking is linked to lower risk for:

• Heart attacks
• Gallstones
• Diabetes
• Stroke, death from cardiovascular disease

Although studies have found a minor correlational link between consuming alcohol and these health benefits, they should not be taken as direct benefits. The links are entirely correlative, meaning there is no evidence that alcohol is the causative factor.

For this reason, doctors recommend that anyone who doesn’t drink shouldn’t start now. Moderate drinkers should not increase their intake of alcohol.

What are the Safe Limits of Alcohol?

Moderate alcohol consumption, as outlined by the US Department of Health and Human Services, is one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. The lower recommendation for women is due to the fact that, on average, women are smaller than men.

Also, they produce less of the alcohol deconstructing enzyme ADH. Women also have more body fat, which retains more alcohol. The definition of a drink is roughly:

• 12 ounces of beer (One Can)
• 5 ounces of wine (One Glass)
• 1.5 ounces of hard liquor (One Shot)

So how much is too much? You might be hard-pressed to find a moderate drinker who limits themselves to one drink per day.

Is Moderate Drinking Alright?

A new study from the UK examined nearly 600,000 moderate drinkers and tracked their health conditions over time. The results showed that regardless of gender, higher alcohol consumption was linked to a higher risk of stroke, aneurysm, heart failure, and death.

Compared to non-drinkers, people who drank 7 to 14 drinks per week experienced an average of six months shorter life expectancy. Those who drank twice that amount had a 1 to 2 year shorter life expectancy, while anyone who drank more than 25 drinks per week had a lowered expectancy of 4 to 5 years.

Another recent study on drinking and mortality found that light drinkers (1 to 3 drinks per week) had the lowest rates of cancer and death compared to non-drinkers, but by an extremely small margin.

The bottom line is that drinking has been shown to have a minor correlative relationship with positive health benefits. It also has overwhelmingly direct evidence linking it to negative health effects.

There is also the chance of getting addicted to alcohol, which increases the possibility of negative health effects developing even more.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, alcohol can have devastating effects on the human body and brain. Users should never go over the limits of moderate drinking unless they want to risk the potentially fatal effects and long-term detriments to their health.

Here is an HBO documentary on risky drinking.

Matthew Boyle is the Chief Operating Officer of Landmark Recovery, a drug and alcohol rehab center, and has worked in the healthcare space for 7 years, with a new emphasis on recovery. Before his ventures into healthcare, Matthew graduated from Duke University in 2011, Summa Cum Laude, with a Bachelor of Arts. After Duke Matthew went on to work for Boston Consulting Group, he realized where his true passion lies within Recovery. His vision is to save a million lives in 100 years through a unique approach to recovery that fosters a supportive environment built on trust, treatment, and intervention.