The Effects of Alcohol on the Body

ByEditorial Staff

Alcohol affects nearly all parts of your body. While drinking in moderation may not cause lasting harm for most adults, regular or heavy drinking can damage your organs, weaken your immune system, and increase your risk of disease. Here’s how alcohol impacts different parts of your body:

Brain and Nervous System

Alcohol reaches your brain quickly. Even small amounts can affect how you think, feel, and move. You may notice:

  • Slurred speech
  • Poor coordination
  • Slower reaction times
  • Changes in mood or behavior

Heavy or long-term drinking can shrink brain tissue and lead to memory loss, confusion, and problems with judgment. In severe cases, it can cause permanent brain damage.

Heart and Blood Vessels

Drinking too much alcohol increases your likelihood of heart problems, including:

  • High blood pressure
  • Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
  • Cardiomyopathy (weakened heart muscle)
  • Stroke
  • Heart failure

While some studies suggest small amounts of red wine may support heart health, the risks of heavy drinking far outweigh any benefit.

Liver

The liver breaks down (metabolizes) most of the alcohol you drink.1 Over time, alcohol can harm liver cells and seriously lead to:

  • Fatty liver (build-up of fat in liver cells)
  • Alcoholic hepatitis (inflammation)
  • Fibrosis (scarring)
  • Cirrhosis (severe, permanent damage)

Liver damage can go unnoticed for years. Symptoms often appear only after serious harm has occurred. Alcohol, in particular, causes about 4 out of 5 deaths from liver disease.2

Digestive System

Some evidence suggests that alcohol irritates the stomach lining and increases acid production.3 This can lead to:

The pancreas helps with digestion and blood sugar control. Long-term alcohol use can cause permanent damage.

Kidneys

Alcohol makes your kidneys work harder. It also reduces the release of an important hormone that helps your body hold onto fluids. As a result, you may become dehydrated more easily, especially after heavy drinking.

Immune System

Drinking weakens your body’s defenses. Even one night of heavy drinking can reduce your ability to fight infections for up to 24 hours. Over time, regular alcohol use makes you more likely to get illnesses like pneumonia or tuberculosis.

Reproductive System

Studies found that alcohol can decrease testosterone levels and lessen sperm quality in men.4 It may disrupt hormone levels in women and affect fertility. During pregnancy, alcohol increases the chance of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), which can cause lifelong physical and mental problems in the child.5 In fact, no amount of alcohol is deemed safe for pregnant women.

Skin

Alcohol can cause the skin to flush due to widened blood vessels. Over time, drinking may lead to:

  • Dry, dull skin
  • Puffiness, especially around the eyes
  • Broken capillaries (tiny blood vessels) on the face

In people with skin conditions like rosacea, alcohol can worsen flare-ups.

Mental Health

Alcohol can affect your mood. It may feel relaxing at first, but it is a depressant. Regular use can contribute to:

Alcohol misuse also increases the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Cancer Risk

Numerous scientific evidence suggest that consuming alcohol raises the odds of several types of cancer, including:

  • Mouth
  • Throat
  • Esophagus
  • Liver
  • Breast
  • Colon and rectum

The more alcohol you drink, the higher your risk. Even moderate alcohol intake has been linked to cancer, especially breast cancer in women.6

Final Thoughts

Alcohol affects your entire body. Some effects show up quickly, like changes in mood or coordination. Others, like liver damage or cancer risk, build up over time.

If you drink, do so in moderation — that’s up to one drink a day for women and up to two for men. If you’re concerned about your drinking, talk to your doctor. Support and treatment are available, and it’s never too late to take care of your health.

References:

  1. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/alcohol-metabolism ↩︎
  2. https://www2.hse.ie/living-well/alcohol/health/effects-on-your-body/the-liver/ ↩︎
  3. https://www2.hse.ie/living-well/alcohol/health/effects-on-your-body/the-stomach/ ↩︎
  4. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6761906/ ↩︎
  5. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/understanding-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorders ↩︎
  6. https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/alcohol-cancer/index.html ↩︎
Editorial Staff

The editorial staff at Mayor Boss is a team of expert writers who are passionate about health and wellness. They are dedicated to creating well-researched, highly detailed content that is easy to read and trustworthy. You can count on them to provide you with authentic and up-to-date information.