So, you may wake up more throughout the night and feel groggy the next day. Alcohol also relaxes the muscles in the throat causing snoring and sleep apnea to be worse,” Dr. Hildahl says. Seizures, hallucinations, and delirium may occur in severe cases of withdrawal. A weakened immune system has a harder time protecting you from germs and viruses. Difficulty absorbing vitamins and minerals from food can cause fatigue and anemia, a condition where you have a low red blood cell count.
Alcohol withdrawal
- Within minutes of consuming alcohol, it is absorbed into the bloodstream by blood vessels in the stomach lining and small intestine.
- This shows how consuming large amounts of alcohol can negatively affect a healthy digestive system.
- Additionally, articles published within Cureus should not be deemed a suitable substitute for the advice of a qualified health care professional.
- “Quitting alcohol improves your overall health and metabolic profile.
- Excessive alcohol consumption can cause inflammation throughout the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract).
This affects how the brain works, including memory and decision-making. Long-term alcohol abuse can https://ecosoberhouse.com/ shrink the brain, harm blood vessels, and cause problems with thinking. It also increases the risk of mental health issues like depression and may lead to lasting brain damage. Heavy drinking can affect the liver, which is our body’s natural detoxifying organ.
Alcohol Poisoning
In people assigned female at birth, alcohol use can interfere with regular ovulation and menstrual cycles and make it difficult to get pregnant. Alcohol use can cause sexual dysfunction, such as difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection and decreased sexual sensations. The impact alcohol has on the reproductive system extends beyond Long term Effects of Alcohol on the Body these temporary effects.
Alcohol’s physical effects on the body
Chronic and excessive alcohol use disrupts the balance of bacteria in the gut microbiome (dysbiosis). Over time, this imbalance triggers chronic gastrointestinal inflammation, leading to a higher risk of gastrointestinal diseases. 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. Whether it’s early on in health class, through family experiences, or in sporadic doctor visits, many of us learn that excessive drinking is ‘bad for you’ at a young age.
Alcohol flush and respiratory reactions
Drinking alcohol can raise blood pressure due to the alcohol itself, and also the sugar and calories that are often in alcoholic drinks. Up to 16% of all individuals with consistent medical high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, are diagnosed due to heavy drinking. When we think about the effects of alcohol on the what is alcoholism body, the liver, brain, and heart often come to mind.
- These cells are then replaced with scar tissue, leading to the condition called cirrhosis.
- Memory and decision-making are also severely affected, which means that people living with this condition need help from trusted family or friends to manage home, finances, transportation, and more.
- Repeated episodes of aspiration can lead to serious conditions like aspiration pneumonia, which causes inflammation and infection in the lungs.
- Plus, alcohol consumption during pregnancy carries the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome, which affects the healthy development of the fetus and can cause long-term cognitive impairment.
Cancer
- Alcohol also relaxes the muscles in the throat causing snoring and sleep apnea to be worse,” Dr. Hildahl says.
- By Lindsay CurtisCurtis is a writer with over 20 years of experience focused on mental health, sexual health, cancer care, and spinal health.
- Studies show that people with unhealthy drinking habits have a higher risk of developing a nightmare disorder and sleep apnea.
- The liver also processes toxins such as alcohol and can be seriously damaged by long-term heavy drinking.
- Alcohol, however, inhibits this function of the pancreas, which leads to high blood sugar or hyperglycemia.
- Alcohol can lead to a quicker decrease in mental functioning among women compared to men.
The changing lifestyle and also many people turning to prolonged alcohol intake for many years are contributing to the increased number of liver cirrhosis patients in the modern world. In liver cirrhosis patients, there occurs an increased severity of fibrosis due to the loss of parenchyma and fibrous scar proliferation 17. Alcohol intake has a prominently bigger impact on the mortality of liver cirrhosis when compared with the morbidity 19. A systemic review and meta-analysis suggests that women might be at a higher risk as far as developing liver cirrhosis is concerned even with little consumption of alcohol, as compared to men 20. It rents a small space but insists on rearranging the whole house — the liver, the brain, the heart, as well the digestive and reproductive systems.
