How alcohol affects your body

Like all drugs, alcohol can damage your body, especially if you drink heavily every day or in binges. Even small amounts of alcohol are linked to the development of certain diseases, including a number of cancers, and alcohol can affect your body in many ways.

Some effects are immediate and last only a short while; others build up over time and can significantly affect your physical and mental health and your quality of life. How much harm alcohol causes depends on how much you drink, your pattern of drinking and even the quality of the alcohol. Your body size and composition, age, drinking experience, nutritional status, metabolism, genetics and social factors all play a part.

Short-term effects#

The short-term effects of a single occasion of drinking too much alcohol can include:

• lowered inhibitions
• interpersonal conflict
• falls and accidents
• altered behavior, including risky or violent behavior
• hangover
• alcohol poisoning

The severity of these effects usually depends on how much a person drinks, but factors such as hydration and food consumption also play a role.

Hangover#

A hangover is a set of unpleasant symptoms that usually follows drinking too much alcohol. Most people can recognize the signs and treat the symptoms themselves. Generally, the more you drink the more likely you are to experience a hangover, but there is no way to predict how much you can drink and still avoid one. Some people get a hangover from a single drink.

When you drink, alcohol triggers a number of reactions in your body that can contribute to a hangover, including:

• frequent urination and dehydration
• an inflammatory response from your immune system
• irritation of the stomach lining
• a drop in blood sugar
• an expansion of blood vessels

Depending on what and how much you drank, a hangover may include thirst, headache, muscle aches, diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, weakness, trembling, rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, dry mouth and eyes, poor concentration, increased sensitivity to light and sound, a sense that the room is spinning, mood disturbances such as anxiety or irritability, and poor or restless sleep.

Most hangovers start once your blood alcohol level begins to return towards zero. They generally last up to 24 hours and go away on their own. A hangover is more likely, or may be more severe, if you:

• drink dark-colored alcohols, such as brandy, rum or whiskey
• drink on an empty stomach (so it is a good idea to eat before and while you drink)
• use other drugs while drinking (nicotine is known to make a hangover worse)
• sleep poorly after drinking, which may in turn worsen the hangover

Pacing yourself (aiming for one drink or less every hour) and drinking water between alcoholic drinks may reduce the severity of a hangover. Hangovers pass with time, but these tips may help ease symptoms:

• Sip water or fruit juice to stay hydrated.
• Eat something. Plain or bland foods, such as soup or toast, may be easier on a fragile stomach.
• Take a pain reliever. A standard dose of an over-the-counter pain reliever such as paracetamol may ease a headache, but aspirin can irritate your stomach.
• Sleep it off.

If you are regularly experiencing hangovers, or hangovers are affecting your relationships, work or life in general, talk to your doctor about cutting back your drinking.

Alcohol poisoning#

Sometimes heavy drinking results in the much more serious effect of alcohol poisoning, which is a life-threatening emergency. Call your local emergency number (for example 911 in the US and Canada, 112 across the EU and many countries, 999 in the UK, or 000 in Australia) for emergency care if you see these signs in someone who has been drinking:

• confusion
• vomiting
• seizures
• slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths a minute) or irregular breathing (a gap of more than 10 seconds between breaths)
• blue-tinged or pale skin
• low body temperature (hypothermia)
• difficulty staying conscious, passing out, and being unable to be woken

If someone is unconscious and cannot be woken, they could be at risk of dying. If you suspect someone has alcohol poisoning, seek immediate medical attention even if you do not see all of these signs.

Long-term effects#

It was once believed that only drinking above a certain daily average caused long-term harm, but current research indicates that any level of alcohol consumption can increase the risk of developing chronic disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that in 2016, 5.3 per cent of all deaths globally were caused by alcohol consumption. Worldwide, more men die as a result of alcohol than women.

Over the long term, alcohol can affect all aspects of a person’s life, including their physical and mental health, work, finances and relationships. Common alcohol-related harms include:

• road and other accidents
• domestic and public violence, crime and family breakdown
• cardiovascular disease
• cancers, including of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colorectum and female breast
• diabetes
• nutrition-related conditions, such as folate deficiency and malnutrition
• overweight and obesity
• risks to unborn babies
• liver diseases, including cirrhosis
• mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, and interference with antidepressant medication
• alcohol tolerance, dependence or addiction
• long-term cognitive impairment
• self-harm and suicide

Binge drinking#

Binge drinking generally means drinking heavily over a short period of time with the intention and result of becoming severely intoxicated (drunk). In the short term, it can cause a hangover, alcohol poisoning or any of the other short-term effects above, such as accidents and violence. In the long term, it can contribute to any of the long-term effects of alcohol, such as heart disease, cancer, liver cirrhosis and diabetes.

How to avoid or reduce the effects#

The best way to avoid the effects of alcohol on your body is to not drink. This is especially important if you are trying to get pregnant, or you are pregnant or breastfeeding, as no safe level of alcohol use has been identified.

If you choose to drink, low-level drinking is better for your body than heavy or binge drinking. The lifetime risk of harm from alcohol rises the more you drink, so commonly recommended limits advise keeping both your weekly total and the amount you drink on any single occasion low. The less you choose to drink, the lower your risk of alcohol-related harm. For some people, not drinking at all is the safest option.

It is also worth monitoring your alcohol intake as part of a healthy diet, as alcohol can contribute to weight gain and obesity depending on how much and what type you drink, along with individual and other factors.

Key points#

• Most people can recognize the signs of a hangover and treat the symptoms themselves.
• Hangovers are more likely, or may be more severe, if you drink dark-colored alcohols such as brandy, rum or whiskey.
• Hangovers usually pass with time, but staying hydrated by sipping water or fruit juice may help ease symptoms.
• If someone is unconscious and cannot be woken, they could be at risk of dying.
• Common alcohol-related harms include self-harm and suicide.

Where to get help#