Five Ways Drinking Too Much Alcohol Harms Your Body
1. Drinking Too Much Can Lead to Getting Sick More Often
Drinking alcohol to excess has a direct and inhibitive effect on the body’s immune system, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol overwhelms many of the body’s core and critical functions, including its immune response, increasing the drinker’s susceptibility to communicable diseases. Individuals who frequently drink alcohol are more likely to contract pneumonia and tuberculosis.
Furthermore, this effect on the immune system does not occur only when one is drinking—the immune system can remain inhibited for up to 24 hours after consuming alcohol. That means, if an individual is exposed to viruses, pathogens or bacteria, within 24 hours of getting drunk, they are more likely to get sick.
2. Alcohol Can Cause Infertility in Men
A considerable body of research points to a connection between alcohol consumption and infertility in men. According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, drinking to excess affects all male reproductive system regions, potentially causing impotence and infertility.
Alcohol also interferes with hormone production in men. When a man drinks too much or too often, alcohol adversely affects Leydig cells, the cells responsible for producing testosterone. It affects Sertoli cells, the cells that play a crucial role in sperm maturation. Alcohol also hampers the hormones within the pituitary gland, significantly diminishing reproductive function.
3. Alcohol Can Harm the Cardiovascular System
There is a long record of research into the effects of alcohol consumption on cardiovascular health. Alcohol misuse has been linked directly to diseases like:
- Hypertension
- Coronary heart disease
- Stroke
- Peripheral arterial disease
- Cardiomyopathy
- Arrhythmias
Excessive drinking can cause high blood pressure and increased heart rate. Alcohol consumption can weaken the heart muscles and cause irregular heartbeat. These factors contribute to elevated risk for several types of heart disease, including the ones listed above.
4. Alcohol Has a Harsh Effect on the Digestive System
Alcohol consumption also has a pronounced harmful effect on the digestive system, especially the liver. Quoting researchers Bishehsari et al. in the journal Alcohol Research, “Through multiple pathways, alcohol induces gut inflammation, which in turn promotes broad-spectrum pathologies both inside and outside the GI tract. In fact, many alcohol-related disorders, including cancers, liver disease, and neurological pathologies, may be exacerbated or directly affected by this alcohol-induced gut inflammation.”
“Through multiple pathways, alcohol induces gut inflammation, which in turn promotes broad-spectrum pathologies both inside and outside the GI tract...”
Alcohol consumption poses risks to the liver and stomach. Drinking to excess can contribute to a range of liver diseases, including steatosis, alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. As for the stomach, alcohol affects acid production, diminishing the stomach’s ability to produce acid and destroy harmful bacteria that enter the stomach.
Excessive drinking can also harm the mouth, throat, esophagus, and intestines. According to one report, heavy drinking increases the risk of colorectal cancer considerably. People who drink excessively are 52% more likely to develop colorectal cancer than those who do not drink to excess.
5. Alcohol Harms the Central Nervous System
Perhaps most concerning is the effect that alcohol consumption has on the brain and the central nervous system. The central nervous system is the control center of the body and drinking to excess puts this center at risk.
According to researcher Sukhes Mukherjee, “Alcohol can affect several parts of the brain, but, in general, contracts brain tissues, destroys brain cells, as well as depresses the central nervous system. Excessive drinking over a prolonged period of time can cause serious problems with cognition and memory. Alcohol interacts with the brain receptors, interfering with the communication between nerve cells, and suppressing excitatory nerve pathway activity. Neuro-cognitive deficits, neuronal injury, and neurodegeneration are well documented in alcoholics.”
“Alcohol can affect several parts of the brain, but, in general, contracts brain tissues, destroys brain cells, as well as depresses the central nervous system...”
When people drink too much for too long, they may develop severe cognitive impairment, memory loss and behavioral problems. As a result, they may become physically abusive, placing themselves and others in danger.
Treatment for Alcohol Abuse and Addiction
Alcohol addiction is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and the world. In the U.S., alcohol claims about 95,000 lives each year, placing it as the third-leading cause of preventable death after tobacco and poor diet and physical inactivity.
Globally, alcohol is responsible for about 3.3. million deaths, a number that reflects about 6 percent of all global fatalities each year. Alcohol also contributes to more than 200 diseases and injury-related health conditions.
The future is grim for those who become addicted to alcohol unless they get help.
Alcohol abusers cannot usually stop drinking on their own. They need professional help to address the underlying issues, the psychological, behavioral, physical, emotional and spiritual reasons for their alcohol misuse.
Sources:
- https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohols-effects-body
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15706796/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5513687/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5513683/
- https://www.austingastro.com/2018/08/17/how-alcohol-affects-your-digestive-system/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23713737/
- https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
- https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh26-4/274-281.htm
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