The long-term health effects of alcohol

[6 MIN READ] 

In this article:

• Alcohol impacts your health both in the short term and long term.

• In the short term, alcoholic drinks can interfere with your brain’s ability to form new memories, potentially leading to memory blackouts.

• In the long term, alcohol is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, liver disease and cognitive impairment.

• If you want to reduce the amount of alcohol you consume, addiction specialists can help. 

The many ways alcohol affects your health

Two or three drinks after a busy day may not seem like much. You might think that it’s not cause for alarm — and maybe even well deserved. But two or three each day can add up over the course of a week, and what started as not much drinking alcohol can suddenly become a big deal for your health. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), men should limit themselves to two drinks or fewer per day, and women should have no more than one drink per day. Once you start regularly drinking more than that, your body will suffer consequences.

Immediate effects of alcohol on your body 

When you drink alcohol, it rapidly enters your bloodstream, increasing your blood alcohol content (BAC) after about 10 minutes. Then, your liver starts processing the alcohol to break it down. “The problem is,” says Betty Anderson, M.D., an addiction medicine fellow at Providence, “the liver can only break down about one serving of alcohol per hour. So, if you are drinking more than a serving of alcohol an hour, your BAC will continue to rise.”

An increased BAC leads to several immediate effects:

• Euphoria: At low levels of BAC, you experience euphoria, or a “high.” This euphoria can make you feel relaxed and confident.
• Dehydration: Alcohol is a diuretic that increases how much you urinate. Even though you are consuming liquid, you end up peeing out even more than you drink. It’s important to drink at least one glass of water for every serving of alcohol.
• Memory blackouts: High levels of alcohol can interfere with your brain’s ability to form new memories, leading to periods where you cannot recall events.
• Violence/trauma: Heavy drinking is associated with an increased risk of homicide, suicide, sexual assault and domestic violence. In fact, 40% of domestic violence cases involve alcohol.
• Elevated blood pressure: Alcohol increases your blood pressure. Over time, this can lead to long-term effects on the heart, kidneys and brain.  

Short-term health impacts of alcohol

Beyond the immediate effects, alcohol can continue causing multiple short-term effects:

• Impaired judgment and coordination: As you continue to drink, alcohol affects your central nervous system, resulting in slowed reaction times and decreased motor skills. “It also inhibits your executive functioning,” says Dr. Anderson, “which is your judgment and ability to make sound decisions, and decreases your inhibitions.”
• Hangovers: After the intoxicating effects go away, you may experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, nausea, fatigue and dehydration.
• Poor sleep: Even drinking one or two servings of alcohol can worsen sleep quality, leaving you less rested and more fatigued. This happens regardless of whether you are hung over or not.
• Alcohol poisoning: When you drink a lot of alcohol in a short period of time, your liver may not be able to keep up. That can cause parts of your brain to shut down, leading to a higher risk of symptoms like nausea, vomiting, confusion and abdominal pain. Most people who experience alcohol poisoning — also called an alcohol overdose — need to go to the hospital for treatment, says Seth Workentine, M.D., an addiction medicine fellow at Providence.

“Unfortunately, the body can only get rid of alcohol at a certain rate, so the treatment for alcohol poisoning is largely supportive,” he says, like keeping you hydrated and comfortable while your body processes the toxins.

Long-term health risks of alcohol

Chronic alcohol use can have a major effect on several of your organs.

• Brain: “Continuous alcohol consumption can lead to cognitive impairments, including difficulties with learning and memory,” says Dr. Anderson. “Chronic heavy alcohol use is associated with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a neurodegenerative disorder caused by thiamine deficiencies. It may also increase the risk of or exacerbate mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety.”
• Heart: Long-term drinking is associated with an increased risk of health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, arrhythmias and stroke. Stopping alcohol can reverse some, but not all, types of alcohol-induced cardiac problems.
• Liver: The liver metabolizes alcohol, and excessive intake can lead to conditions such as fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis and, eventually, cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is when the liver becomes scarred, causing liver failure and sometimes the need for a liver transplant.
• Immune system: Alcohol impairs the immune system, leaving you susceptible to both viral and bacterial infections. “Chronic heavy drinkers are more likely to have pneumonia or tuberculosis,” says Dr. Anderson. “In fact, there are different vaccine guidelines depending on the amount of alcohol one consumes.” 

Drinking in moderation

For people who choose to drink in moderation, Dr. Workentine recommends two main things: staying hydrated (drinking a glass of water between drinks, for example) and making sure you’re eating.

“Often, the most negative outcomes of alcohol use come about because people aren’t eating while they drink,” Dr. Workentine says. “We need micronutrients from food to keep our nerves, liver and brain healthy and working as they should. Micronutrients can also help reduce the rate at which alcohol is absorbed into the body, which is always a good thing.”

Cutting back or cutting out alcohol

If you’re looking to reduce the amount of alcohol you use or eliminate it from your life, talk to your doctor. Providence also offers help through addiction medicine specialists and counselors. They’re trained to support people who want to break their alcohol dependence. They can also support those who may be considering cutting back on alcohol use but aren’t yet ready to take that first step.

“It’s easy for someone who doesn’t have a substance use disorder to cut back,” Dr. Workentine says. “For them, it’s often as simple as drinking more water and finding other enjoyable hobbies to keep them active, busy and engaged. Sometimes, that’s all people need. But it’s harder for someone who has an addiction. For anyone who is struggling in achieving their goal to reduce or abstain, there are trained professionals that can and want to help.”

Finding hope 

Recovering from alcohol’s negative effects, especially alcohol use disorder, can be a hard road, and it’s not always a straight line, Dr. Workentine says, but the main takeaway should be hope.

“We have a lot of good providers who care about their patients, a lot of good resources and a lot of good medications that work really well,” he says. “People don’t usually get anything they do in life right on the first try. It often takes a few tries. So don’t get down on yourself. Stay hopeful.”

Contributing caregivers

Betty Anderson, M.D., and Seth Workentine, M.D., are addiction medicine fellows at Providence.

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Related resources

Five tips to lower blood pressure without medication

Your comprehensive guide to heart health

Wellness Brief: Alcohol Use Disorder

This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your health care professional’s instructions.