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The Impact of Alcohol Abuse: Causes, Effects, and Solutions

Categories: Alcohol Abuse Health Care Policy Social Justice

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Problem of Excess Alcohol Drinking in Society Essay

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Introduction

Causes of alcohol consumption, consequences, works cited.

For generations, alcohol has held an important place in the spiritual, emotional and social experience of people. For this reason, people drink as a form of relaxation, to mark important cultural events, and as a way of celebrating with friends (Heron 7). Taken in moderation, alcohol does not have any drastic effects on the drinker.

Problems only arise when alcohol is consumed in excess. Each year, nearly 80,000 lives are lost in the United States due to excessive use of alcohol (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention n.p.). It is estimated that in 2006, some $ 223.5 billion was lost due to excessive consumption of alcohol.

There are a number of reasons why people consume alcohol. People drink alcohol as a way of reducing associations in their minds. Alcohol weakens molecules separating neurons in the brains, thereby impairing communication. Consequently, an individual finds it hard to associate ideas. Psychologists also say that we drink as a way of escaping the self. Most people say that they drink alcohol in order to drown their sorrows. Since alcohol impairs communication, people momentarily forget their troubles.

Like other things in life, there are other underlying reasons that shape our drinking habits. For example, some people drink because they feel sad, angry, or lonely.

Others drink as a way of bonding with their friends and loved ones (Heron 8). Therefore, our drinking habits, whether in excess or in moderation, are shaped by hidden motivations. In the case of heavy drinkers, this behavior could be due to the need to address underlying problems, such as difficulty in dealing with low self-esteem, inability to handle strong emotions, and problems with relationships.

Peer pressure is yet another reason why people may start drinking alcohol (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention n.p.). For example, a teenager may start experimenting with alcohol while in college because his friends are also doing it. In this case, he feels compelled to experiment with alcohol so that he can belong with his peers. We also drink since alcohol has become culturally normalized.

The media aggressively promote alcohol consumption to an extent that it has now become culturally normalized. Alcohol is also readily available in supermarkets, bars, and discount stores. In fact, children under the age of 18 years can buy alcohol without some seller requesting to see their IDs first. For these reasons, consumption of alcohol has become normal and socially acceptable.

Effects of alcohol use

The effects of alcohol on the drinker are dependent on a number of factors. First, it depends on the body chemistry. This means that some people can get tipsy quite easily while others need larger quantities of alcohol to get drunk.

The effects of alcohol are also dependent on one’s weight, gender, and age (Masters 21). For example, women tend to get drunk by smaller quantities of alcohol compared with men. Effects of alcohol also depend on one’s weight. Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is the level of alcohol in the blood that causes one to get intoxicated, and is weight-dependent.

Thus, a man who weighs say, 200 pounds, may be less intoxicated than one who weighs 150 pounds even after both men have consumed the same quantity of alcohol. Among the elderly, the rate at which the liver metabolizes alcohol is slower in comparison with younger people. Other important factors to consider include quantity and type of alcohol consumed, drinking experience, and whether one had eaten or not, before taking alcohol.

The effects of alcohol use on one’s behavior also vary, depending on the amount of alcohol consumed. As one gets drunk, they are talkative, and more confident. As they become more intoxicated with alcohol, their speech is slurred, while their balance and coordination gets impaired. Their reflexes also slows down, and their exhibit unstable emotions.

Excessive consumption of alcohol is associated with immediate health risk that if not addressed, can lead to long-term health risks.

Immediate health risks

Excessive consumption of alcohol is linked violent behavior. Masters (23) reports that nearly 35% of the violent crimes are caused by individuals under the influence of alcohol. Moreover, excessive alcohol use also leads to cases of child neglect and maltreatment (The National Center on Addition and Substance Abuse 4).

Excessive use of alcohol also causes unintentional injuries such as falls, burns, traffic injuries, and drawings (Rehm et al. 41). Risky sexual behaviors such as sexual assault and engaging in unprotected sex are also some of the other immediate health risks of excessive alcohol use (Naimi et al. 1139).

Long-term health risks

If the immediate health risks of excessive alcohol use are not addressed, the victim could suffer neurological impairments, in addition to suffering from various social problems. They are also likely to develop chronic illnesses. Some of the neurological problems attributed to long-term excessive alcohol use include stroke, dementia, and neuropathy (Corrao et al. 615).

Over time, too much of alcohol can also cause psychiatric problems like anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts (Booth and Feng 162). Excessive alcohol use is also linked to liver diseases such as cirrhosis, which is today one of the leading causes of lifestyle-related deaths in the United States (Heron (8).

There are various reasons why people consume alcohol, including peer pressure, to drown sorrows, and to bond with families and friends, among others. Excessive consumption of alcohol causes both immediate and long-term health effects, including violence, involvement in risky sexual behaviors, and neurological and psychiatric problems.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alcohol-Related Disease Impact (ARDI) , Atlanta, GA: CDC, 2012. Print.

Corrao, Giovanni, Vincenzo, Bagnardi and Antonella, Zambon. “A meta-analysis of alcohol consumption and the risk of 15 diseases.” Prev Med , 38(2004):613-619.

Heron, Melonie. “Deaths: Leading causes for 2004.” National vital statistics reports , 56.5(2007):1-96.

Masters, Ruth. Counseling Criminal Justice Offenders, London: Sage, 2003. Print.

Naimi, Timothy, Leslie Lipscomb, Robert Brewer and Brenda Gilbert. “Binge drinking in

the preconception period and the risk of unintended pregnancy: Implications for women and their children.” Pediatrics , 11.5(2003):1136-1141.

Rehm, Jurgen, Gerhard Gmel, Christopher Sempos and Maurizio Trevisan. Alcohol related morbidity and mortality. Alcohol Research and Health , 27.1(2003):39-51.

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Essay on Alcoholism

Students are often asked to write an essay on Alcoholism in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Alcoholism

Understanding alcoholism.

Alcoholism is a serious issue. It is a disease where a person cannot control their desire to drink alcohol. They keep drinking even when it causes harm.

Alcoholism can be caused by genetics, environment, and mental health. Some people are more prone to it because of their family history. Others might start drinking due to stress or depression.

The Effects

Alcoholism can lead to health problems like liver disease. It can also cause problems at work, school, or with relationships. It’s important to seek help if you or someone you know is struggling.

250 Words Essay on Alcoholism

Introduction.

Alcoholism, also known as alcohol use disorder (AUD), is a chronic disease characterized by an inability to control or abstain from alcohol use despite its negative consequences. It is a pervasive global issue with significant health, social, and economic implications.

Causes and Risk Factors

Impacts and consequences.

The impacts of alcoholism are far-reaching. Physiologically, it can lead to liver disease, cardiovascular problems, and neurological damage. Psychologically, it can result in depression, anxiety, and increased risk of suicide. Socially, it can disrupt relationships, lead to job loss, and contribute to social isolation.

Treatment and Prevention

Treatment for alcoholism typically involves a combination of medication, therapy, and support groups. Prevention strategies include education about the risks of excessive alcohol consumption, early intervention for at-risk individuals, and policies to limit alcohol availability.

Alcoholism is a complex disease with a multitude of contributing factors and consequences. Understanding its causes, impacts, and treatment options is key to addressing this pervasive issue. As future leaders, we must advocate for effective prevention strategies and accessible treatment services to combat alcoholism.

500 Words Essay on Alcoholism

Alcoholism, also known as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), is a chronic disease characterized by an inability to control or abstain from alcohol use despite its negative repercussions. It is a multifaceted disease, with complex interactions between genetic, environmental, and psychological factors.

Genetic Underpinnings of Alcoholism

Scientific research has established a strong genetic component to alcoholism. Certain genes can make individuals more susceptible to alcohol addiction, demonstrating that alcoholism is not merely a result of personal weakness or lack of willpower. It is estimated that genetics accounts for about 50% of the risk for AUD. However, having a genetic predisposition does not guarantee the development of alcoholism, indicating the significant role of environmental factors.

Environmental Factors and Alcoholism

The psychological impact of alcoholism.

Alcoholism inflicts significant psychological damage. It can lead to a range of mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and increased risk of suicide. Furthermore, alcoholism can negatively impact cognitive functions, impair judgment, and lead to behavioral changes. It is also closely linked to social problems, such as domestic violence, child abuse, and other forms of crime.

Treatment and Recovery

Alcoholism is a treatable disease, with various therapeutic strategies available. These include behavioral treatments, medications, and mutual-support groups. Behavioral treatments aim to change drinking behavior through counseling, while medications can help to manage withdrawal symptoms and prevent relapse. Mutual-support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous provide a supportive community for individuals recovering from alcoholism.

Prevention is Better than Cure

Alcoholism is a complex, multifaceted disease that requires a comprehensive approach for its prevention and treatment. Understanding its genetic, environmental, and psychological dimensions can inform effective strategies to combat this pervasive public health issue. While alcoholism is a serious disease, recovery is possible with the right support and treatment. Therefore, it is essential to foster a supportive environment for those struggling with this disorder, free from stigma and judgment.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

Happy studying!

How Does Alcohol Affect Society?

Financial Cost
Aggression and Violence
Impact on the Family

Alcohol is the most commonly used drug among U.S. adults. Alcohol use is associated with a wide range of health risks and other problems for individuals. But the costs of alcohol don't just affect the person drinking.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), excessive alcohol use costs the U.S. almost a quarter trillion dollars a year. Economic costs are one part of the toll, but there are also other societal issues that are tied to alcohol use.

At a Glance

The real-world impact of alcohol abuse reaches far beyond the financial costs. When a loved one has a problem with alcohol, it can affect their marriage and their extended family. There's also a larger impact on the community, schools, the workplace, the healthcare system, and society as a whole.

How Alcohol Affects Society

Alcohol use can affect society in terms of:

Economic costs linked to increased healthcare expenses, lost productivity, and legal costs
Health consequences caused by health problems caused by alcohol as well as accidents, injuries, and violence connected to alcohol use
Legal consequences , including increased crime, drunk driving accidents, and other issues related to law enforcement and criminal justice
Family effects , including child abuse, neglect, intimate partner violence, and substance use problems in children
Educational costs associated with worse academic performance and achievement

Such costs are often linked to those who have alcohol use disorders. According to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 29.5 million people over the age of 12 (10.6% of the population) had an alcohol use disorder in the past year. Estimates suggest that approximately 13.9% of people in the United States will meet the criteria for severe alcohol use disorder in their lifetimes.

However, it's not necessarily people with alcohol addiction having the biggest impact on these figures. It's estimated that 77% of the cost of excessive alcohol consumption in the U.S. is due to binge drinking , and most binge drinkers are not alcohol dependent.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism states that 140,000 people die each year due to alcohol-related causes. Alcohol is the fourth leading preventable cause of death in the U.S.

Financial Costs of Alcoholism

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the cost of excessive alcohol use in the U.S. alone reaches $249 billion annually. Around 77% of that is attributed to binge drinking , defined as four or more alcoholic beverages per occasion for women or five or more drinks per occasion for men.

The CDC estimates that 40% of the cost of binge drinking is paid by federal, state, and local governments.

The CDC suggests that the most significant economic costs of alcohol use are due to the following:

Lost workplace productivity (72% of the total cost)
Healthcare expenses (11% of the total cost)
Criminal justice expenses (10% of the total cost)
Motor vehicle crash expenses (5% of the total cost)

The CDC estimates that these figures are all underestimated because alcohol's involvement in sickness, injury, and death is not always available or reported. These figures also do not include some medical and mental health conditions that are the result of alcohol abuse.

Also not included in these figures are the work days that family members miss due to the alcohol problems of a loved one.

Healthcare Expense of Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol consumption is a risk factor in numerous chronic diseases and conditions, and alcohol plays a significant role in certain cancers, psychiatric conditions, and numerous cardiovascular and digestive diseases. Additionally, alcohol consumption can increase the risk of diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.

An estimated $28 billion is spent each year on alcohol-related health care.

Alcohol-Related Aggression and Violence

Along with unintentional injury, alcohol plays a significant role in intentional injuries as a result of aggression and violence. Alcohol has been linked to physical violence by a variety of research studies.

On top of the healthcare cost of alcohol-related intentional violence in the United States, the estimated annual cost to the criminal justice system is another $25 billion.

Impact of Alcoholism on the Family

The social impact of alcohol abuse is a separate issue from the financial costs involved, and that impact begins in the home, extends into the community, and often affects society as a whole, much like the financial impact does.

Research on the effects of alcohol abuse on families shows that alcohol abuse and addiction play a role in intimate partner violence, cause families' financial problems, impair decision-making skills, and play a role in child neglect and abuse.

Long-term alcohol use leads to changes in the brain that affect decision-making, emotional processing, and self-control, making people who drink more susceptible to aggression and violence. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, alcohol makes intimate partner violence more frequent and severe.

As with the financial costs of alcohol abuse, studies have found occasional binge drinking can also affect families. Research suggests that the risk of intimate partner violence rises not only in the context of frequent drinking but also when a partner has consumed a large volume of drinks in one sitting.

If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database .

Alcohol Abuse and Children

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are one of the most common direct consequences of parental alcohol use in the United States, caused by alcohol consumption by the mother during pregnancy. Children with FAS display various symptoms, many of which are lifelong and permanent.

Children who grow up in a home with a loved one dealing with alcohol addiction may be affected as well; they are at significant risk of developing alcohol use disorders themselves.

Growing up in a home where at least one parent has a severe alcohol use disorder can increase a child's chances of developing psychological and emotional problems.

The Bottom Line

Alcohol's effects go beyond it's effects on individual health and well-being; it also has steep economic and societal costs. The excess use of alcohol leads to billions in lost productivity and healthcare costs. It also has a heavy strain on families, communities, and society as a whole. Increased violence, injuries, accidents, child abuse, and intimate partner violence are all linked to alcohol use.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Excessive drinking is draining the U.S. economy .

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) in the United States: Age groups and demographic characteristics .

Grant BF, Goldstein RB, Saha TD, et al. Epidemiology of DSM-5 Alcohol Use Disorder: Results From the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions III . JAMA Psychiatry. 2015;72(8):757-766. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.0584

Esser MB, Hedden SL, Kanny D, Brewer RD, Gfroerer JC, Naimi TS. Prevalence of Alcohol Dependence Among US Adult Drinkers, 2009-2011 . Prev Chronic Dis. 2014;11:E206. doi:10.5888/pcd11.140329

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol-related emergencies and deaths in the United States .

Rehm J. The Risks Associated With Alcohol Use and Alcoholism . Alcohol Res Health . 2011;34(2):135-143.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The cost of excessive alcohol use .

Wilson IM, Graham K, Taft A. Alcohol interventions, alcohol policy and intimate partner violence: a systematic review . BMC Public Health. 2014;14:881. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-881

Lander L, Howsare J, Byrne M. The impact of substance use disorders on families and children: From theory to practice . Soc Work Public Health . 2013;28(3-4):194-205. doi:10.1080/19371918.2013.759005

Sontate KV, Rahim Kamaluddin M, Naina Mohamed I, et al. Alcohol, aggression, and violence: From public health to neuroscience . Front Psychol . 2021;12:699726. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.699726

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. Who facts on: Intimate partner violence and alcohol .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Basics about FASDS .

Moss HB. The impact of alcohol on society: A brief overview . Soc Work Public Health. 2013;28(3-4):175-177. doi:10.1080/19371918.2013.758987

Sacks JJ, Gonzales KR, Bouchery EE, Tomedi LE, Brewer RD. 2010 National and State Costs of Excessive Alcohol Consumption . Am J Prev Med . 2015;49(5):e73-e79. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2015.05.031

By Buddy T Buddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.

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Alcohol is a toxic and psychoactive substance with dependence producing properties. In many of today’s societies, alcoholic beverages are a routine part of the social landscape for many in the population. This is particularly true for those in social environments with high visibility and societal influence, nationally and internationally, where alcohol frequently accompanies socializing. In this context, it is easy to overlook or discount the health and social damage caused or contributed to by drinking.

Alcohol consumption contributes to 2.6 million deaths each year globally as well as to the disabilities and poor health of millions of people. Overall, harmful use of alcohol is responsible for 4.7% of the global burden of disease.

Harmful use of alcohol is accountable for 6,9 % and 2.0% of the global burden of disease for males and females respectively. Alcohol is the leading risk factor for premature mortality and disability among those aged 20 to 39 years, accounting for 13% of all deaths in this age group. Disadvantaged and especially vulnerable populations have higher rates of alcohol-related death and hospitalization.

Alcohol as an intoxicant affects a wide range of structures and processes in the central nervous system and increases the risk for intentional and unintentional injuries and adverse social consequences. Alcohol has considerable toxic effects on the digestive and cardiovascular systems. Alcoholic beverages are classified as carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and increase the risk of several cancer types. Alcohol as an immunosuppressant increases the risk of communicable diseases, including tuberculosis and HIV.

Both the volume of lifetime alcohol use and a combination of context, frequency of alcohol consumption and amount consumed per occasion increase the risk of the wide range of health and social harms. The risks increase largely in a dose-dependent manner with the volume of alcohol consumed and with frequency of drinking, and exponentially with the amount consumed on a single occasion. Surrogate and illegally produced alcohols can bring an extra health risk from toxic contaminants.

Since any alcohol use is associated with some short-term and long-term health risks, it is difficult to define universally applicable population-based thresholds for low-risk drinking.

WHO works with Member States and partners to prevent and reduce the harmful use of alcohol as a public health priority. The 2010 WHO Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol and the 2022 WHO Global action plan are the most comprehensive international alcohol policy documents, endorsed by WHO Member States, that provides guidance on reducing the harmful use of alcohol at all levels. WHO’s approach aligns with and furthers work towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically target 3.5 on substance abuse, including harmful use of alcohol, and target 3.4 on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and promoting mental health and well-being.

WHO has identified that the most cost-effective actions to reduce the harmful use of alcohol include increasing taxes on alcoholic beverages, enforcing restrictions on exposure to alcohol advertising, and restrictions on the physical availability of retailed alcohol. In addition, enforcing drink driving countermeasures and securing access to screening, brief interventions, and treatment are effective and ethically sound interventions. The most cost-effective interventions are at the focus of WHO-led SAFER initiative aimed at providing support for Member States in reducing the harmful use of alcohol.

WHO’s work provides special attention to reducing harm to people other than the drinker and to populations that are at particular risk from harmful use of alcohol, such as children, adolescents, women of child-bearing age, pregnant and breastfeeding women, indigenous people and other minority groups or groups with low socioeconomic status.

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Alcohol and the brain: an overview.

Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways and can affect the way the brain looks and works. Alcohol makes it harder for the brain areas controlling balance, memory, speech, and judgment to do their jobs, resulting in a higher likelihood of injuries and other negative outcomes. Long-term heavy drinking causes alterations in the neurons, such as reductions in their size. Below are a few key topics related to alcohol and the brain.

The Adolescent Brain

Adolescent brains are more vulnerable to the negative effects of alcohol than adult brains. Misuse of alcohol during adolescence can alter brain development, potentially resulting in long-lasting changes in brain structure and function.

Alcohol-Induced Blackouts

Alcohol misuse can cause alcohol-induced blackouts . Blackouts are gaps in a person’s memory of events that occurred while they were intoxicated. These gaps happen when a person drinks enough alcohol that it temporarily blocks the transfer of memories from short-term to long-term storage—known as memory consolidation—in a brain area called the hippocampus.

Alcohol Overdose

Continuing to drink despite clear signs of significant impairments can result in an alcohol overdose . An alcohol overdose occurs when there is so much alcohol in the bloodstream that areas of the brain controlling basic life-support functions—such as breathing, heart rate, and temperature control—begin to shut down. Symptoms of alcohol overdose include mental confusion, difficulty remaining conscious, vomiting, seizure, trouble breathing, slow heart rate, clammy skin, dulled responses (such as no gag reflex, which prevents choking), and extremely low body temperature. Alcohol overdose can lead to permanent brain damage or death.

Alcohol Use Disorder

As individuals continue to drink alcohol over time, progressive changes can occur in the structure and function of their brains. These changes can compromise brain function and drive the transition from controlled, occasional use to chronic misuse, which can be difficult to control and lead to alcohol use disorder (AUD). Individuals with moderate to severe AUD may enter a cycle of alcohol addiction . The extent of the brain’s ability to return to normal following long-term sobriety is not fully understood, but a growing number of studies indicate that at least some AUD-induced brain changes—and the changes in thinking, feeling, and behaving that accompany them—can improve and possibly reverse with months of abstinence from drinking. (More detail about the neuroscience of AUD is provided in the Neuroscience: The Brain in Addiction and Recovery section of The Healthcare Professional’s Core Resource on Alcohol .)

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause brain damage, leading to a range of developmental, cognitive, and behavioral problems, which can appear at any time during childhood. Alcohol can disrupt fetal development at any stage during a pregnancy—including at the earliest stages and before a woman knows she is pregnant.

For more information about alcohol and brain health , please visit the Alcohol and the Brain topic page.

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Negative Effects of Alcohol Essay, with Outline

Published by gudwriter on January 4, 2021 January 4, 2021

Effects of Alcoholism Essay Outline

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Financial Impact

Alcohol drinkers may suffer other economic consequences such as low wages, loss of employment, increased medical expenses, and legal expenses.
In some countries, alcoholics lose their eligibility for loans.
In Cameroon, the cost of a single beer is more than the minimum daily wage of most individuals.
In India and Malaysia, alcoholics are faced with challenges such as debt, illnesses, and injuries.
Alcohol is closely related to poverty.

Social Impact

The people that are most affected by alcoholism are the immediate family members.
Impairment of an individual’s performance as a parent, partner and how he or she contributes to the normal functioning of a household.
Heavy drinkers are known to have impaired judgement that can lead to one becoming violent.
The social impact of alcoholism can be related to its physical effects.
For example, for a heavily drinking mother, an unborn child may suffer from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Read on essays examples on topics such as abortion .
Parental drinking may lead to child abuse among other negative consequences on a child .

Psychological Impact

One of the most significant psychological impact is an increase in suicidal tendencies.
Alcohol has a negative impact on the brain explained through a form of liver damage referred to as hepatic encephalopathy.
The effects of hepatic encephalopathy includes; altered sleep pattern, changes in mood and personality, depression, anxiety and other psychiatric conditions.
There are also cognitive effects such as a reduction in attention and issues with coordination.

Effects of Drinking Alcohol

Alcoholism is a common problem in many communities. It is persistent in many societies since alcohol consumption is considered as an attractive leisure activity by many. While this may be and actually is the case, alcohol has a negative impact on health. Its effects also often spill over to people who do not consume it when it gets to a level of addiction whereby many have to turn to relatives and loved ones to source for money with which to sustain their wasteful spending on alcoholism. Although praised by many as a way to pass time and relax, alcohol can affect an individual financially, socially, and psychologically.

The financial impact of alcohol is significant especially to the poor. In any session of alcohol consumption, heavy drinkers tend to spend a lot. Sometimes, alcohol drinkers may suffer other economic consequences such as low wages, loss of employment, increased medical expenses, and legal expenses. In some countries, alcoholics lose their eligibility for loans. In Sri Lanka for instance, a report revealed that at least 7% of men spent much on alcohol than they actually earned. In Cameroon, the cost of a single beer is more than the minimum daily wage of most individuals (Tamfuh, 2016). In India and Malaysia, alcoholics are faced with such serious challenges as debt, illnesses, and injuries (Armitage et al., 2015). Exacerbation of poverty and burden on women is another common occurrence facing most alcoholics. A majority of alcoholic men are faced with the constant need to source for extra income through such activities as stealing to sustain their behavior of alcoholism. In the long-run, their families end up in unimaginable debts and suffering.

Here, the people that are most affected by alcoholism are the immediate family members. It is proven that drinking too much alcohol impairs an individual’s performance as a parent and partner, and how he or she contributes to the normal functioning of a household. The situation can have a long lasting impact on children and partners, and is therefore a very serious one. For instance, heavy drinkers are known to have impaired judgment that can lead to them becoming violent (Kaufmann et al., 2014). Such an individual might turn against their partner or children and when this happens, it could have far-reaching effects on the lives of spouses and children.

The social impact of alcoholism can also be related to its physical effects. For example, for a heavily drinking mother, an unborn child may suffer from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder . After birth, parental drinking may lead to child abuse among other negative consequences on a child. The child may end up suffering socially, psychologically, and economically.

There are numerous psychological effects of alcoholism . One of the most significant effect in this respect is an increase in suicidal tendencies whereby studies have shown that at least 15% of alcoholics end up committing suicide. In the same breadth, alcohol has a negative impact on the brain, explained through a form of liver damage referred to as hepatic encephalopathy. It is a disease that affects the normal functioning of the brain when the liver cannot perform its functions well. There are several psychological effects associated with this disease. Some of these effects include altered sleep patterns, changes in mood and personality, depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric conditions (Vilstrup et al., 2014). There are also cognitive effects such as a reduction in attention and issues with coordination.

Undoubtedly, alcoholism has an adverse impact on the financial, social, and psychological environment of the victim. The worst scenario is that alcoholism tends to affect others such as the immediate family members. It is a problem that has the potential to destroy families if not well checked. It can destroy the lives of children and as well interfere with the wellbeing of spouses of alcoholics. It is especially concerning that it is a problem that affects both men and women. In this respect, there is need to find ways through which the problem of alcoholism may be comprehensively addressed.

Armitage, C. J., Panagioti, M., Rahim, W. A., Rowe, R., & O’Connor, R. C. (2015). Completed suicides and self-harm in Malaysia: a systematic review. General hospital psychiatry , 37 (2), 153-165.

Kaufmann, V. G., O’farrell, T. J., Murphy, C. M., Murphy, M. M., & Muchowski, P. (2014). Alcohol consumption and partner violence among women entering substance use disorder treatment. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors , 28 (2), 313.

Tamfuh, W. Y. (2016). Drugs and drug control in Cameroon. Pan-African Issues in Drugs and Drug Control: An International Perspective , 17.

Vilstrup, H., Amodio, P., Bajaj, J., Cordoba, J., Ferenci, P., Mullen, K. D., … & Wong, P. (2014). Hepatic encephalopathy in chronic liver disease: 2014 practice guideline by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the European Association for the Study of the Liver. Hepatology , 60 (2), 715-735.

Undoubtedly, alcoholism has an adverse impact on the financial, social and psychological environment of the victim. The worst scenario is that alcoholism tends to affect others such as the immediate family members.

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The Truth About the Health Benefits of Alcohol

New research challenges long-held beliefs about the perks of drinking..

Posted August 10, 2024 | Reviewed by Margaret Foley

What Is Alcoholism?
Find counselling to overcome addiction
Scientists and clinicians have long debated about the health benefits conferred by alcohol use.
A worldwide study sheds light on the relationship between drinking and chronic diseases.
The findings challenge the notion of health benefits of drinking for those under 40.

Although it has been widely believed for decades that there are health benefits linked with moderate amounts of alcohol consumption, not everyone who drinks experiences health benefits from it. According to the largest study evaluating the relationship between alcohol use and chronic disease, which included over 1 billion people across the world, the safety and potential benefits of drinking alcohol depend largely on your age. Specifically, this groundbreaking study found that there are no health benefits of drinking among those who are under the age of 40 . This younger group is not only susceptible to the health risks and harms related to alcohol use (including motor vehicle accidents, injuries, and suicides related to drinking), but alcohol consumption did not benefit their health or reduce their risk of chronic diseases.

What about those who are over the age of 40?

People who are over 40 may see health benefits from alcohol use, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes.
Reduced risks of these chronic diseases were observed among people without underlying health conditions.
These benefits are linked with the use of a limited quantity of alcohol (i.e., no more than one to two standa rd drinks per day).

What should people who drink keep in mind to stay in the “healthy” zone?

The potential health benefits of drinking small to moderate quantities of alcohol for certain people not only vanish if a person who is drinking moderately transitions to heavy drinking, but they are replaced with various potential health risks.
Health risks for those who drink heavily can include high blood pressure, liver disease, and the development of addiction .
The limited quantities of alcohol use that may be linked to health benefits for certain people over 40 are “daily” guidelines and do not apply cumulatively (i.e., “saving up” four days’ worth of daily drinks and having them all on one day is considered heavy drinking—with potential health risks rather than benefits).

If you or someone you know drinks alcohol, it is important to bring intention to the quantity that you consume, with knowledge of what is considered heavy or risky alcohol use.

How much is too much?

Consuming more than three drinks in one day for women, or more than four for men, is considered heavy drinking.
Problematic drinking is defined not only by the quantity of alcohol a person consumes, but also by one’s ability to control their use of alcohol.
When a person is losing control over their drinking, they may frequently drink more than they planned to; make rules for themselves about how much or how often they will drink but have trouble keeping them; experience withdrawal symptoms when the effects of alcohol wear off; have problems in important relationships or in meeting responsibilities because of their drinking; experience cravings; and/or find themselves continuing to drink despite some of these problems.

If you or someone you care about has trouble controlling their alcohol use, consult a professional. I cover this topic in more depth in my book, Addiction: What Everyone Needs to Know , and on my podcast .

GBD 2020 Alcohol Collaborators (2022). Population-level risks of alcohol consumption by amount, geography, age, sex, and year: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2020. Lancet (London, England) , 400 (10347), 185–235. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00847-9

Suzette Glasner, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA.

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v.11(2); 2019 Apr

A Review of Alcohol-Related Harms: A Recent Update

Abedin iranpour.

1 HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

Nouzar Nakhaee

2 Neuroscience Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

In the early decades of the 20 th century, discussions regarding alcohol were dominantly directed toward its therapeutic uses, but authorities now state that any level of alcohol consumption poses negative effects on health. Over recent months, increased attention has been devoted to disease burdens attributable to alcohol use worldwide. As more and more studies are conducted to illuminate the harmful effects of alcohol on different body systems, the mounting evidence generated requires documentation and publication. The current review was aimed at providing an overview of the recent literature on the adverse consequences of alcohol consumption.

Introduction

Alcohol is widely believed to be the only psychoactive substance with addictive potential “that is not controlled at the international level by legally binding regulatory frameworks” despite its profound implications for populations and public health. 1 The adverse effects of alcohol on health has been the subject of a rising number of studies in recent years, 1 , 2 with such research asserting that even modest alcohol use contributes to over 60 acute and chronic health conditions. 3 Studies have also shown that alcohol consumption is associated with more than 200 diseases, although its pathogenicity and lethality through chronic illnesses depend on the amount and quality of alcohol consumed and the patterns that underlie its intake. 4

Some scholars suggested that drinking small amounts of alcohol helps prevent conditions such as diabetes, ischemic heart disease (IHD), dementia, and cognitive decline, but none of the seminal review studies reported a “safest level” of alcohol consumption. 1 , 3 Another major concern about alcohol intake is that its health implications that occur through the mechanisms of other diseases, especially cancers, are likely to be underreported. 5 Such consumption, for instance, is associated with 18% of suicides, 18% of interpersonal conflicts and violence, 27% of road accidents, 13% of epilepsy cases, 48% of liver cirrhosis cases, 26% of oral cancer cases, 20% of tuberculosis (TB) cases, 11% of colon cancer cases, 5% of breast cancer cases, and 7% of hypertension (HTN) and heart disease cases worldwide, as indicated by the World Health Organization (WHO). 6 The WHO report notably reflected the use of the term “harmful use”. 6 Even though experts believe that no level of alcohol consumption improves health. 1 In general, even moderate alcohol consumption considerably increases the overall risk of mortality, especially among young individuals. 7

Epidemiology

The latest WHO report showed that in 2016, about 43% of the population over the age of 15 years (2.3 billion people) had consumed alcohol in the preceding 12 months. 1 The report also indicated that the lowest and highest alcohol consumption rates (2.9% and 59.9%, respectively) were found among the populations belonging to the areas where the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) and the Regional Office for Europe have jurisdiction, respectively. The total alcohol per capita consumption (APC) in 2016 was 6.4 liters, which does not reflect any change from the levels recorded in 2010. However, a decline and an increase in this level were observed in the European region and the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia, respectively. Nevertheless, the percentage of “current drinkers” all over the world in 2016 was generally 4.6% lower than that in 2000, mostly because of an increase in prevalence of former drinkers and much less due to increases in the proportion of people with no alcohol use in their lifetime. 1

Interestingly, 25.5% of the alcohol consumed globally is ingested illicitly or without proper supervision. The alcohol consumed in this manner includes homemade alcoholic drinks, medical and industrial alcohols that are misused as drinks, and other alcoholic beverages that are produced and sold illegally. This type of alcohol consumption occurs in EMRO countries and in the Region of the Americas (AMR) at rates of 70.2% and 1.1% out of the total, which are respectively the highest and lowest rates worldwide. 1 In 2016, the world’s average rate of heavy episodic drinking (HED) (defined as drinking 60 g or more of pure alcohol on at least a single occasion at least once per month) was 18.2%, and the highest and lowest rates were observed in European and EMRO countries with 26.4% and 0.5% of total consumption, respectively. HED is associated with alcohol poisoning and increased respiratory rate, heart rate, body temperature, and the gag reflex, which may lead to a coma and death. 1 Still in 2016, alcohol use was the most important risk factor for death in the age group of 15 to 49 years and the seventh leading risk factor for all deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). In the aforementioned age group, 5.3% of all deaths in the world (2.8 million deaths), 12.2% of all deaths among men, and 3.8% of all deaths among women, are related to alcohol consumption. 3 These statistics render alcohol deadlier than afflictions such as diabetes, TB, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). 1

Although populations belonging to the lower socioeconomic class consume alcohol to a smaller extent than the individuals of high economic standing, they exhibit higher morbidity and mortality rates because of the adverse effects stemming from their combination of alcohol consumption with other hazardous behaviors and conditions, such as smoking, poor diet, and obesity; lower socioeconomic groups also have a greater occurrence of HED. 8

Alcohol-related harms

To identify what the most harmful drug is in the world, British researchers recently conducted multi-criteria decision analysis to rank medications in this respect. 9 They found that in the United Kingdom (UK), the reputation of being the most dangerous substance in terms of overall harm to users and others belonged to alcohol. In another study on substance abuse, a scale called margin of exposure (MOE) [the ratio of the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) of a substance to the normal dose of exposure] was used to rank control measures for substance abuse and health risk assessment. 10 The researchers revealed that, on a population scale, alcohol was the only substance falling within the high-risk category. 10 In what follows, the latest developments in research on alcohol-related harms are discussed.

Since 1995, many studies have shown that consuming any amount of alcohol can increase the risk of cancer. These works, however, did not specify a threshold for the emergence of carcinogenetic effects from alcohol and suggested that the best way to avoid carcinogenicity was to abstain from alcohol consumption. 11 Alcohol has been demonstrated as directly increasing the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers and indirectly contributing to the alteration of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) strands and oncogenesis. It exerts synergistic effects with other carcinogenic chemical agents, thereby elevating the potency of these substances in causing cancer. 11 Alcohol also increases the risk of cancer by lowering blood levels of antioxidants such as vitamins A and E, zinc and iron, and some B vitamins including folic acid and thiamine. Finally, alcohol increases the risk of cancer progression by weakening the immune system. 5 , 11 , 12

Aside from biological evidence, numerous epidemiological results pointed to the association between alcohol consumption and cancers of the throat, lung, esophagus, stomach, liver, rectum, and breast among women. 13 As regards all these cancers, the probability of incidence is higher in female alcohol users than males,1 with even modest alcohol intake elevating the likelihood of breast cancer contraction among the former. Sufficient epidemiological confirmation has also been derived as to the association between alcohol dosage and cancer risk (dose-response relationship) and the parallelity of increases in alcohol use and cancer risk. These studies found no difference in risk levels among different alcoholic beverages. 13 Overall, the relative risk of developing all types of cancers increases with alcohol use. 1 , 3 Certain studies indicated that alcohol consumption likewise raised the risk of cancer mortality by 5.8%. 13 The good news is that stopping alcohol consumption reduces the possibility of contracting laryngeal and pharyngeal cancers. 13

Liver diseases

Alcohol-induced liver diseases (ALDs) are currently the most common type of liver-related disorders in Europe. Patients suffering from ALD experience increased life expectancy when they abstain from alcohol use, as liver cirrhosis is directly related to alcohol consumption, even in modest amounts. 14 The research also found that alcohol consumption alone (without food) and intake on a daily basis led to a two to threefold increase in the incidence probability of the aforementioned disease. 14 In 2016, alcohol-induced liver cirrhosis caused 607000 deaths and 22.2 million DALYs worldwide. 1 On the whole, sufficient biological and epidemiological corroboration has been derived with respect to the negative effects of alcohol on liver health and its contribution to the development of liver diseases, such as hepatitis and cirrhosis. 15 Ample proof has also been obtained on the relationship between high alcohol consumption and the increased incidence of liver disease. 15 , 16

Kidney diseases

Research showed that moderate to high amounts of alcohol not only directly increases the risk of elevated albuminuria and the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD), but also causes kidney damage indirectly by increasing blood pressure. 17

Cardiovascular disorders

In general, alcohol consumption increases the chance of mortality from hypertensive heart diseases (HHDs) by 7%. 6 Specifically, a positive relationship was found between alcohol consumption and IHD, atrial fibrillation (AF), congestive heart failure (CHF), stroke, HHD, and cardiomyopathy-an association that strengthens with increasing alcohol use. High levels of alcohol consumption weaken the cardiac muscle, thereby leading to a condition called alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM), which was responsible for 25997 deaths worldwide in 2015. ACM is caused specifically by ethanol in alcohol and acetaldehyde (the first metabolite of alcohol in the body), both of which were confirmed as implicated in cardiomyopathy. 18 , 19 Alcohol also poses synergistic effects with other toxins and micronutrient deficiencies in the development or intensification of the aforementioned condition. 19

Evidence showed a direct association between alcohol use and systolic and diastolic HTN-a relationship that is three times stronger in women who consume substantial amounts of alcohol than in men who ingest the same levels. 20 , 21 This relationship has also been observed in modest drinkers, indicating that low alcohol consumption contributes to HTN. In a cohort study in North America on 8334 individuals aged 45 to 64 years, a positive linear relationship was observed between alcohol consumption even in small amounts and increased blood pressure over a six-year period. 22 The DALY due to alcohol-related cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) has been estimated at 2%. 1 Some cross-sectional studies have reported that modest alcohol use could protect a person against CVDs, but more recent longitudinal researches and systematic reviews contradicted this claim, illustrating how even low to moderate alcohol use is a risk factor for the previously-mentioned illnesses. 18 , 23

Respiratory diseases

Alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), as demonstrated in a study wherein the daily ingestion of 10 to 20 g of alcohol elevated the risk of CAP by 8%. 24 Alcohol consumption, especially in large amounts, likewise poses a considerable threat of TB development and failure in treating this condition. 25 In a meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies, 22.3% of TB cases and 2.23% of TB deaths were related to alcohol consumption. 26

Mental health

Alcohol is a depressant that influences our moods, thoughts, feelings, and actions by affecting our neurotransmitters. Although alcohol intake can lead to temporary stress relief and relaxation, its long-term consumption increases the incidence of major mental disorders, including severe depression and anxiety disorders. 27

Statistics showed that countries with high alcohol usage among their populations also exhibit high suicide rates. A positive correlation was discovered between alcohol consumption and psychological disorders that adversely affect mental health, causing depression, cognitive impairment, dysphoria (disinhibition), irritability, and impaired judgment. 27 , 28 These conditions result in two to three times increase in the risk of suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, and completed suicide among alcohol users relative to the normal population. 27 , 28 A study also reported increases of up to 7 and 37 times in the risk of suicide immediately after alcohol consumption and after heavy drinking, respectively. 1

Across the world, alcohol is a crucial risk factor for intentionally inflicted and unintentionally acquired injuries. Previous studies focused on the role of alcohol in interpersonal street violence (often among men), but recent research has also investigated its implication in domestic violence, including sexual violence. According to a 2016 WHO report, interpersonal violence induced by alcohol consumption causes 90000 deaths every year. 1 Intake of alcohol is known to reduce inhibition and stimulate aggressive behaviors in men. 1

In addition to harming drinkers in a variety of ways, including causing physical injuries, alcohol consumption also harms people around those who consume the substance. These dangers are often referred to as externalities. High alcohol consumption in a population is generally positively correlated with increased violence. A study in the United States (US), for instance, revealed that 40% of victims of violence reported perpetrators being under the influence of alcohol, albeit the police confirmed this claim for only 21% of the cases. 29 In a study conducted in 14 countries, 50% of violence victims stated that they had consumed alcohol in the six hours before the incidents; among these victims, 49% attributed the cause of violence and injury to alcohol. 29 Several studies also reported a strong relationship between homicide and alcohol, especially when used in excess. As determined in a meta-analysis, 48% of victims and perpetrators had consumed alcohol before violent incidents, and 37% of offenders and 33% to 35% of victims had consumed alcohol to the point of intoxication. 1 , 29

Alcohol consumption is positively correlated with intentional harms, such as self-harm and interpersonal violence, as well as unintentional harms such as road accidents, poisoning, falling, fires, exposure to heat and hot substances, drowning, and exposure to mechanical forces. Unintentional injuries due to alcohol are dose-dependent and their serious effects often occur under blood alcohol levels of more than 0.05 g/dl. 2

Sexual health

The quality of sexual relationships is one of the most important determinants of the quality of life; it depends on a set of psychological, social, and physical factors. Dissatisfaction with sexual life is known to cause anger and aggression and lead to increased marital violence and reduced warmth, all of which can be further exacerbated by alcohol consumption. The prevalence of alcohol-related sexual problems between couples is unclear, mostly because people tend to refrain from disclosing these issues. Many people believe that alcohol consumption improves sex, but research demonstrated that alcohol dependence was positively correlated with the increased incidence of male sexual disorders, such as erectile dysfunction, unsatisfying orgasm, premature ejaculation, and loss of libido. These conditions worsen with increasing duration of dependence and amount of alcohol consumed throughout a day. 30 Studies likewise uncovered that by eliminating and relieving anxiety and inhibition, alcohol use increases a person’s desire to engage in unprotected sex (especially when aroused), have multiple sexual partners, and participate in forced sex. 1 , 31

Alcohol dependence is an equally serious risk factor for female sexual dysfunction. A study on women with alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS) showed that sexual disorders, such as low sexual desire, the inability to reach orgasm, dissatisfaction with orgasm, and low or lack of vaginal lubrication were significantly more prevalent among women with ADS than those who did not consume alcohol. 32

Academic performance

A significant proportion of individuals afflicted with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are between the ages of 18 and 29, which is the age group to which most college students belong. Studies revealed that alcohol consumption damages mental health, unfavorably influences mental performance, and drives increased engagement in high-risk behaviors. Alcohol consumption also causes students to progressively engage in absenteeism, fall behind on schoolwork, perform poorly on exams, and overall, exhibit declined academic performance. 33 , 34

Fertility and pregnancy

More than 40 years has passed since alcohol became globally known as a teratogenic substance. In 1973, the term “fetal alcohol syndrome” (FAS) was used to describe abnormalities and disorders associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Biological and epidemiological studies have comprehensively documented findings regarding the relationship between heavy drinking during pregnancy and risks to fetal health as well as the occurrence of developmental abnormalities, including stillbirth, spontaneous abortion, premature birth, intrauterine growth restriction, low birth weight, growth retardation, and neurodevelopmental disorders that bring about severe behavioral and cognitive abnormalities. 1 , 35 Some studies argued that modest drinking during pregnancy was not as destructive as heavy drinking, but these endeavors failed to provide sufficient evidence on the safety of moderate alcohol intake. 36 Considering the wide variety of standards that apply to alcohol consumption and the alcohol content of beverages, recommending a specific maximum dosage for pregnant women is difficult, which is why most researchers advise mothers to sto p consuming alcohol completely to avoid any potential effects on their babies. 37

In 2016, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that women of childbearing age who were pregnant or intended to become pregnant should avoid consuming alcohol to prevent harmful effects on the fetus. 38 Every year, nearly 119000 babies with FAS are born around the world. These statistics are alarming because, in addition to causing mental disabilities and birth defects, FAS causes developmental disorders that affect later stages of life and increase the likelihood of academic failure, drug abuse, mental illness, and criminal behavior. 39

In general, the effects of alcohol consumption on women, especially during pregnancy, seem to be underestimated and underreported given that such intake typically poses indirect consequences, such as unwanted teenage pregnancy,sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) and their implications, exposure to assault and rape, interpersonal and domestic violence, and alcohol-related road accidents. In these situations, women themselves are not under the influence of alcohol and are therefore rarely included as a population category affected by such incidents; the aforementioned conditions are also always considered common harms of alcohol rather than risks specific to women of reproductive age. 1

The findings of the latest scientific studies increasingly highlight the profound and extensive implications of alcohol-related harms for individuals and larger populations, casting doubt on previous hypotheses regarding alcohol potentially having favorable effects on certain conditions and explicitly indicating that no level of alcohol intake is safe. 8 Even articles that emphasize some benefits of alcohol consumption caution readers that the alcohol industry pays journalists to steer public opinion toward one that favors alcohol consumption. 40 Hence, it may be time to stop using the phrase “harmful use of alcohol” when describing the adverse effects of the substance, because this construction implies that alcohol can be taken in a positive manner. In reality, consuming even small amounts can be detrimental to health. Public education should also be updated to inform people about the latest scientifically supported results regarding the health implications of alcohol consumption.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the reviewers for their valuable comments.

Conflicts of Interest

The Authors have no conflict of interest.

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Older Adults Do Not Benefit From Moderate Drinking, Large Study Finds

Virtually any amount increased the risk for cancer, and there were no heart benefits, the researchers reported.

A view from over a person’s shoulder. The person is lifting up a full glass of wine with their right hand in a softly-lit wine bar.

By Roni Caryn Rabin

Even light drinking was associated with an increase in cancer deaths among older adults in Britain, researchers reported on Monday in a large study. But the risk was accentuated primarily in those who had existing health problems or who lived in low-income areas.

The study, which tracked 135,103 adults aged 60 and older for 12 years, also punctures the long-held belief that light or moderate alcohol consumption is good for the heart.

The researchers found no reduction in heart disease deaths among light or moderate drinkers, regardless of this health or socioeconomic status, when compared with occasional drinkers.

The study defined light drinking as a mean alcohol intake of up to 20 grams a day for men and up to 10 grams daily for women. (In the United States, a standard drink is 14 grams of alcohol .)

“We did not find evidence of a beneficial association between low drinking and mortality,” said Dr. Rosario Ortolá, an assistant professor of preventive medicine and public health at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and the lead author of the paper, which was published in JAMA Network Open.

On the other hand, she added, alcohol probably raises the risk of cancer “from the first drop.”

The findings add to a mounting body of evidence that is shifting the paradigm in alcohol research. Scientists are turning to new methodologies to analyze the risks and benefits of alcohol consumption in an attempt to correct what some believe were serious flaws in earlier research, which appeared to show that there were benefits to drinking.

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Just how bad is alcohol? Eight experts weigh in on the risks and supposed benefits of drinking

Hand of young man holding red wine glass

Although it’s common knowledge that drinking too much is unhealthy, research sometimes conflicts about where the dividing line is between permissible and risky alcohol consumption — and whether drinking a small amount could come with any health benefits.

In the last few months alone, two large studies have further complicated the picture: A March analysis found that moderate drinkers do not have a lower risk of death than lifetime nondrinkers, while a June study found that heart health benefits associated with moderate alcohol consumption could be linked to the way it can reduce stress activity in the brain.

Meanwhile, a study published last month showed that deaths related to excessive drinking are rising in the United States, especially among women .

So how harmful is a weekly or even nightly glass of wine? NBC News spoke to eight nutritionists and doctors about the risks and supposed benefits of alcohol. They generally agreed that abstaining is healthiest, but that for most people, a modest level of drinking doesn’t carry significant risk.

The notion that drinking may somehow improve health, they said, is misguided.

“There’s no absolute safe level of drinking,” said Tim Stockwell, former director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. “We usually underestimate the risks from alcohol because we’re so familiar with it.”

What to make of studies suggesting health benefits of drinking

Perhaps the most common myth about the benefits of alcohol is the idea that an occasional glass of red wine boosts heart health.

Over the last few decades, several studies have found a link between moderate alcohol consumption and reduced risk of heart disease. However, experts said such research does not necessarily account for the possibility that light drinking can be associated with other healthy lifestyle factors, like being active and eating a balanced diet, or that participants who don’t drink may have experienced negative health effects of alcohol before deciding to go sober.

Dr. Krishna Aragam, a cardiologist and researcher at the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, said some past research has found that light to moderate drinkers may be more likely to have lower body mass index, eat more vegetables and engage in more physical activity than people who do not drink at all.

“There is a general theory that maybe people who can impose moderation with regards to how much alcohol they consume are also more able to impose moderation broadly in other aspects of their life,” Aragam said.

Aragam co-authored a 2022 study that also found a trend of healthy lifestyle habits among light to moderate drinkers, but concluded nonetheless that any level of alcohol consumption increased the risk of cardiovascular disease. The risk increased exponentially with heavier drinking, defined as more than eight drinks per week.

When it comes to the red wine myth, Dr. Zhaoping Li, division chief of clinical nutrition at UCLA Health, pointed out that the antioxidant thought to benefit the heart is also found in the skins of red grapes.

“I never would recommend to someone, ‘Go ahead and drink wine, even if you don’t like it, because you’re going to be less likely to have a heart attack,’” Li said.

How much alcohol is unhealthy?

The long-term health risks of drinking include liver and heart disease, a weakened immune system and several types of cancer. Studies have also shown that drinking large quantities of alcohol in one sitting or even a single drink a day can raise blood pressure.

U.S. dietary guidelines define a moderate, low-health-risk alcohol intake as one drink or less per day for women and two or less for men. (That does not apply, however, to people who are pregnant, have medical conditions that can be worsened by drinking or take medications that interact with alcohol.) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also provides a screening tool to help people assess their level of alcohol consumption based on individual health factors.

But Canada’s revised guidelines on alcohol , released in January, advise far less drinking: They list two drinks per week as a moderate, low-risk level.

Li said she generally tells people not to drink more than two or three times per week.

“Let’s say I’m going to drink alcohol, I know it’s going to come with calories and energy,” Li said. “So for dinner, I will drink the wine, I’ll have vegetables and fish, but I’m not going to have bread and other things that come with energy.”

When should you cut down on drinking?

Estimates suggest that more than 140,000 people die from alcohol-related causes annually, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol-related deaths have climbed nationally in the past few years: The U.S. saw a 25% spike in deaths during the first year of the pandemic, a trend that particularly affected middle-aged adults .

Katherine Keyes, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, said her research has shown that adolescents drink less than they did a few decades ago, while drinking rates have risen among young and middle-aged adults.

For people who drink several times a week and do not have alcohol dependency, even slightly reducing intake can have significant health benefits, Keyes added.

“It’s not that ‘OK, you think you’re drinking too much, now you can’t drink at all’ — that health advice turns a lot of people off,” Keyes said. “Thinking about drinking as a continuum, not a binary, is an approach that we think will be really useful for improving population health.”

Emma Laing, director of dietetics at the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences, said she decided to be sober in 2020, after considering the health consequences of alcohol and a history of breast cancer in her family.

For people trying to cut down on drinking, Laing said she recommends balancing alcohol with nonalcoholic drinks, drinking slowly and consuming a meal before drinking. She often brings her own nonalcoholic beer or wine to social gatherings, Laing said, and most bartenders are happy to make a mocktail.

“Sometimes the toughest part about living a sober life or taking an alcohol break comes from peer pressure among those around you — even strangers — who question why you are abstaining from alcohol,” Laing said. “I have found that having a nonalcoholic alternative in my hand will reduce this type of societal pressure.”

Maia Pandey is an intern at NBC News.

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Studies turn thumbs down on alcohol health benefits

Experts say no amount of alcohol is ‘safe,’ but risk depends on many factors. for some, ‘death begins with one drink’.

By Lois M. Collins

Researchers are casting doubt or outright rejecting pretty much every study that suggests alcohol has health benefits. Meanwhile, deaths in the U.S. related to alcohol consumption are on the rise. And while experts say harm typically hinges on how much people drink, increasingly they say there’s “no safe amount” of alcohol.

While earlier studies suggested low to moderate alcohol consumption — one or two drinks a day — could reduce heart disease risk, Dr. Spencer Hansen, a board-certified addiction psychiatrist at LDS Hospital, said those findings have been reexamined and show the beneficial effects might be overestimated and could have resulted from other factors entirely.

The same people who control their drinking, he said, “generally live a healthier lifestyle than individuals who cannot control their drinking, so they’re also able to control their diet, or their various physical health lifestyle choices that contribute to overall health.”

Alcohol consumption poses different risks for individuals, depending on factors like genetics, psychological makeup, environment, social background and life experiences, both Hansen and Christina Zidow, chief operating officer of Odyssey House of Utah, which also treats people with substance use disorders, told Deseret News.

“Some people, one drop of alcohol or one drink of alcohol is too much,” Hansen said, “and it can begin a cascade of drinking that results in significant harm.”

It’s estimated that for about 1 in 5 people, drinking leads to significant alcohol use disorder. But others may develop related health problems.

“If you’re telling yourself my glass of wine is making my heart healthier, so I’m going to have a glass of wine every day instead of eating a balanced diet that has a lot of food that grows and getting outside for some vitamin D and 30-minute exercise, I’m going to take the healthy food and the exercise over the glass of wine for what’s good for my heart any day,” Zidow said.

New thinking about alcohol

The World Health Organization recently published a statement that risky drinking begins with the first drop of alcohol.

That, Hansen added, despite efforts by the alcohol industry to work with WHO and the World Trade Association to influence international trade policy. The industry, he said, has tried to promote the idea of responsible drinking, which could lead some to believe “there must be a healthy level of drinking if you’re responsible.”

When the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs recently looked at studies that claimed health benefits for alcohol use, they found “substantial scientific limitations,” as USA Today reported. Studies with better designs didn’t find the same benefits.

Mark Petticrew, a researcher at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, told The Guardian , “One reason why there’s a public belief in these protective effects is because the industry has funded and promoted research, like the tobacco industry did.”

He referred to a 2021 analysis of 60 reviews of alcohol and cardiovascular disease. Fourteen of them were funded by the alcohol industry or involved researchers with direct links to it. “All 14 concluded that small amounts of drink could protect against cardiovascular disease,” the article said.

Scientific support for the notion that a daily drink leads to long life “looks to be gradually fading,” the article said.

But concerns about alcohol, even in smaller amounts, and health are growing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that between 2016 and 2021, the most recent full datasets available, “the average number of U.S. deaths from excessive alcohol use increased by more than 40,000 (29%), to 178,000 per year.” Researchers noted an average of 488 Americans died every day from excessive drinking in both 2020 and 2021.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism said alcohol-linked liver disease kills about 22,000 people in the U.S. annually and the number is climbing.

Alcohol has typically had lethal results more often when men drink, but that’s surging now for women drinkers, too. “Men drink a lot more, they drink more often. They drive drunk more, they are injured and die more. They go to the hospital more,” Aaron M. White, senior scientific advisor to the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, told Deseret News in 2020. “But women are catching up; the gap is narrowing.”

White was the lead author on a study in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research that found from 1999 to 2017, deaths involving alcohol rose 85% for women and 35% for men.

In January, a study in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that while deaths from heart disease decreased during the first two decades of this century, heart-disease deaths related to substance use increased about 4% a year. Alcohol played a role in 65% of those deaths.

There are many ways that alcohol contributes to deaths, from alcoholic liver disease or over-intoxication to alcohol’s part in heart disease and stroke, and deaths related to alcohol use, such as those caused by drunk drivers.

Potential harms abound

StatNews reported that 11% of the U.S. population have an alcohol use disorder and up to 20% will develop one at some point. That goes hand in hand with anxiety and mood disorders (up to 40% who have those also have alcohol use disorders) and 6 in 10 who seek treatment for alcohol use also have post-traumatic stress disorder.

The World Health Organization calls alcohol toxic, a carcinogen linked to certain cancers that falls just behind tobacco products and obesity for causing cancers. Per WHO, more than 75,000 U.S. cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths each year link back to alcohol. “A mountain of evidence suggests even low levels of alcohol (within the one to two drinks per day range recommended by U.S. dietary guidelines) could lead to certain cancers because of how the substance damages DNA as it courses through the body,” per StatNews.

In women, breast cancer is the malignancy most linked to alcohol use. A share of mouth and pharynx cancers in men and esophageal cancers in women are also associated with imbibing. Alcohol use is associated with greater risk of heart disease, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, hypertension and dementia. It increases risk of stomach and gastric disease, including reflux, ulcers and colon cancer. It aggravates mental and behavioral disorders. Drink and use tobacco, too, and the potential risks skyrocket. Alcohol use has been linked to obesity, liver damage, brain damage and dementia, among others.

A large study in the Annals of Oncology found even light drinking raises risk of mouth, intestinal and breast cancer, compared to those who abstain from alcohol.

The World Health Organization’s “ Global status report on alcohol and health and treatment of substance use disorder ” found that an estimated 400 million people lived with alcohol use disorders globally. Of those, 209 million are dependent on alcohol.

“Substance use severely harms individual health, increasing the risk of chronic diseases, mental health conditions, and tragically resulting in millions of preventable deaths every year. It places a heavy burden on families and communities, increasing exposure to accidents, injuries and violence,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general. “To build a healthier, more equitable society, we must urgently commit to bold actions that reduce the negative health and social consequences of alcohol consumption and make treatment for substance use disorders accessible and affordable.”

The report said the greatest share of deaths attributable to alcohol (13%) in 2019 were in young people ages 20 to 39.

Knowing when to get help

There are people who have a family history where any alcohol — even a very small amount — “is playing with fire,” Zidow said. “And when we look at multigenerational substance use and alcoholism and those types of things, there’s a huge genetic predisposition there that for folks who are aware of it and paying attention to it, it’s not worth the risk. In terms of, ‘I’m going to do the things that are good for my body and healthy and health sustaining,’ alcohol’s not a panacea for anything.”

Zidow said many people don’t know their family history or how their bodies will respond to alcohol or another substance. That creates some risk. “If you don’t ever have a drink, you don’t become an alcoholic,” she said.

There are a number of signs that alcohol use is begging for real help, but it’s complicated by societal norms, Hansen said. “Our society and culture has sanctioned the use of alcohol, so we allow people to get intoxicated in a bar and then trust their own judgment, which they no longer have when they’re intoxicated, to get themselves home. And we’ve accepted and assumed that risk; we do have some legal parameters and barriers to try and prevent (bad things) from happening.”

Impaired judgment is not just what happens to people with alcohol use disorder, either. “I can’t think of another commercialized commodity where that’s the case — where death can begin with just a few drinks,” Hansen said.

Smoking kills more people overall, but when he pulls up in his car next to someone who’s smoking, he said he doesn’t worry that the vehicle will swerve into him.

Just one drink

People complain that anything used to excess can be harmful, but Hansen said alcohol is its own category. “This is the thing with alcohol, that the death can begin within the first drink or two, and the damage can begin within the first drink or two. And also the intrusion of domestic violence can begin with the first few drinks.”

“A lot of chocolate doesn’t do that,” Hansen said.

“I think we’re starting, particularly with alcohol use, to understand that it is a symptom of a larger system of problems — mental health problems and behavioral health problems that need different kinds of support,” Zidow said. “It’s a coping strategy and once someone finds a coping strategy that helps to numb what’s going on, it can be really, really difficult to move away from that coping strategy and to healthier things. I think there’s kind of the snowball effect that happens when we have a mental health condition or concern and we’re using things like alcohol to manage those feelings.”

Zidow and Hansen both said they only see people with a recognizable substance use problem or at least worry that they have one. And it’s rare that a person can simply cut back at that stage, Hansen said. “By the time they get to excessive drinking, it’s almost impossible for them to moderate their drinking to any level, because if they go back to just one drink, it suddenly turns into five or 10,” he said.

“That to me is confirmation that there has to be some changes to the brain that are happening with excessive alcohol intake, where it’s they no longer have the capacity to exercise control,” Hansen said. “And I see that again and again.”

Alcohol is attracted to water, so it rapidly penetrates every tissue in the body, which is mostly water. Most medications don’t penetrate that thoroughly, he said. The effect on the brain is rapid, as is the effect on the heart and the liver. The brain in particular drives addiction, adapting to the presence of alcohol “in a way that’s very hard to heal from,” Hansen said.

Zidow acknowledged that alcohol is “an important part of many families in many cultures, and so it’s about finding the balance and finding what is safe for you and for your health. If your family involves the history of substance use, it’s probably not a very wise choice.”

Underused medications

Hansen suggests that people approach loved ones with alcohol use disorder with some compassion. “It’s really, really hard at that point to call it a choice because your brain now has adapted to the alcohol and it’s a craving,” he said, noting the drive to drink is as strong or stronger than thirst for water.

When talking to patients, Hansen sometimes likens it to cancer, because of parallels patients can understand related to treatment and relapse and remission. And risk.

What’s underused, he said, is medication. He notes that the Food and Drug Administration has approved three drugs specifically to help people overcome alcohol disorder — not a cure, but offering real hope. And some off-label medications have helped people drink less or stop drinking.

For folks worried about their own alcohol use or that of a loved one — or those about whom someone else is concerned — Hansen has a plea: “Just please, please know that medications can help you a lot. They’re underused. They’ll give you some hope.”

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August 13, 2024

There are no benefits to drinking small amounts of alcohol and it increases risk of cancer, study says

Researchers found even modest consumption led to negative health effects among older adults in britain..

A study published in the JAMA Network Open contradicts a long-standing belief that some alcohol intake can have benefits for the heart.

Older adults in Britain who drank modest amounts of alcohol faced a higher risk of getting cancer and no health benefits, new research found.

A study published Monday in the JAMA Network Open contradicts a long-standing belief that some alcohol intake can have benefits for the heart. Researchers found there was no reduction in heart disease death among light or moderate drinkers — who average about one or two alcoholic drinks a day — in comparison with people who drink about once a week.

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"It is clear that alcohol consumption is related to a higher risk of cancer from the first drop, so we think that medical advice should not recommend consuming alcohol to improve health," Rosario Ortolá, a co-author of the study from the Autonomous University of Madrid, told the Guardian .

The study also said deaths associated with alcohol consumption were higher in people who lived in lower income areas or who had existing health problems.

The link between alcohol intake and cancer has been well-established. Just one drink a day increases breast cancer risk by 5% to 9% compared with people who abstain, the World Health Organization said.

U.S. dietary guidelines recommend adults over 21 either choose not to drink or to drink in moderation — "limiting intake to 2 drinks or less in a day for men and 1 drink or less in a day for women."

The new study used data from 135,103 participants in the UK Biobank health database who were 60 years old and older, tracking them over 12 years. Researchers assigned the participants to categories based on their average daily alcohol intake: occasional, low risk, moderate risk and high risk. Occasional was defined as less than 2.86 grams of alcohol per day, while high risk was more than 40 grams per day for men and 20 grams for women. The average drink in the United States has about 14 grams of alcohol .

Researchers determined which patients died by the end of the study, in 2021, and found that high-risk drinking was associated with a 33% higher risk of dying from any cause compared with occasional drinkers. High-risk drinking was also linked with a greater risk of dying from cancer or cardiovascular disease.

When compared with occasional drinking, moderate-risk drinking was associated with a 10% greater risk of death from any cause, and a 15% greater risk of death from cancer. Low-risk drinking was associated with an 11% greater risk of death from cancer in comparison with occasional drinking.

Researchers chose to involve light drinkers rather than people who abstain in their research. Some people stop drinking because they are seriously ill so looking to abstainers for health comparisons about drinking may have incorrectly made light drinkers in previous studies look healthier than they actually were, the New York Times reported.

The study also found alcohol-related health effects were even worse for people who already had health issues or who lived in low-income areas.

"We think that older adults with worse health are more susceptible to the harmful effects of alcohol owing to their greater morbidity, higher use of alcohol-interacting drugs and reduced tolerance to alcohol," Ortolá told the Guardian. "Also, there is evidence that socioeconomically disadvantaged populations have higher rates of alcohol-related harms for equivalent and even lower amounts of alcohol, probably owing to the coexistence of other health challenges, including less healthy lifestyles, and lower social support or access to health care."

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Alcohol and Your Kidneys

Table of contents, how does alcohol harm the kidneys, how much alcohol is too much, what can you do.

Drinking alcohol can affect many parts of your body, including your kidneys. A little alcohol—one or two drinks now and then—usually has no serious effects. But drinking too much can harm your health. It can also worsen kidney disease.

Your kidneys filter harmful substances from your blood. One of these substances is alcohol. Alcohol can cause changes in the function of the kidneys and make them less able to filter your blood. In addition to filtering blood, your kidneys do many other important jobs. One of these jobs is keeping the right amount of water in your body. Alcohol affects the ability of your kidneys to do this. When alcohol dehydrates (dries out) the body, the drying effect can affect the normal function of cells and organs, including the kidneys.

Too much alcohol can also affect your blood pressure. People who drink too much are more likely to have high blood pressure. And medications for high blood pressure can be affected by alcohol. High blood pressure is a common cause of kidney disease. More than two drinks a day can increase your chance of having high blood pressure.

Chronic drinking can also cause liver disease. This adds to the kidney's job. The rate of blood flow to your kidneys is usually kept at a certain level, so that your kidneys can filter your blood well. Liver disease impairs this important balancing act. In fact, most patients in the United States who have both liver disease and associated kidney dysfunction are alcohol dependent.

When experts talk about one drink, they are talking about one 12-ounce bottle of beer, one glass of wine (5 ounces), or one shot (1.5 ounces) of "hard liquor."

Having more than three drinks in a day (or more than seven per week) for women, and more than four drinks in a day (or more than 14 per week) for men, is considered "heavy" drinking. The kidneys of heavy drinkers have to work harder. Heavy drinking on a regular basis has been found to double the risk for kidney disease.

Binge drinking (usually more than four to five drinks within two hours) can raise a person's blood alcohol to dangerous levels. This can cause a sudden drop in kidney function known as "acute kidney injury." When this happens, dialysis is needed until a person's kidney function returns to normal. Acute kidney injury usually goes away in time, but in some cases, it can lead to lasting kidney damage.

Some people should not drink at all. Ask your healthcare provider if it is safe for you to drink, especially if you have a medical condition or take medicines that might be affected by using alcohol. Women, older people, and those with smaller bodies should be especially careful. Of course, pregnant women are advised not to drink alcohol.

Always check with your healthcare provider to make sure it is safe for you to drink alcohol. Even if it is safe, it is important to drink in moderation. A good guideline is: no more than one to two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women and people over 65.

If you would like more information, please contact us .

© 2015 National Kidney Foundation. All rights reserved. This material does not constitute medical advice. It is intended for informational purposes only. Please consult a physician for specific treatment recommendations.

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Two of those periods are at the beginning and end of life. When pregnant women drink alcohol, it can damage the developing brain of the fetus, leading to physical problems, learning disabilities, and behavioral problems. When people over the age of 65 drink alcohol, it can worsen declines in brain function that happen during aging.
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500 Words Essay on Alcoholism Introduction. Alcoholism, also known as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), is a chronic disease characterized by an inability to control or abstain from alcohol use despite its negative repercussions. It is a multifaceted disease, with complex interactions between genetic, environmental, and psychological factors.
The Effects of Alcohol on Society
How Alcohol Affects Society. Alcohol use can affect society in terms of: Economic costs linked to increased healthcare expenses, lost productivity, and legal costs. Health consequences caused by health problems caused by alcohol as well as accidents, injuries, and violence connected to alcohol use. Legal consequences, including increased crime ...
Sorting out the health effects of alcohol
The negative effects of alcohol. It should be a surprise to no one that drinking too much alcohol can be bad for you — of course, the definition of "too much" can vary. More on that in a moment. Here are some of the more common negative health consequences of excessive alcohol consumption — and good reasons to moderate your intake of alcohol:
Mental Effects of Alcohol: Effects of Alcohol on the Brain
In others, alcohol may induce depression and anxiety. 13. Cognitive effects of alcohol use may include memory loss, problems with learning, dementia, and severely hindered mental functioning in most severe cases. 10 Seeking alcohol addiction treatment is the first step in preventing or reducing the negative effects of alcohol on the brain.
The effects and consequences of alcohol use and abuse: A review
include a summary on the physiology and biochemistry of alcohol metabolism. The consequences on. health, social, financial and professional status are outlined. The impact of the economics of ...
Harmful use of alcohol
Overall, harmful use of alcohol is responsible for 4.7% of the global burden of disease. Harmful use of alcohol is accountable for 6,9 % and 2.0% of the global burden of disease for males and females respectively. Alcohol is the leading risk factor for premature mortality and disability among those aged 20 to 39 years, accounting for 13% of all ...
Health Risks and Benefits of Alcohol Consumption
The effects of alcohol on the liver include inflammation (alcoholic hepatitis) and cirrhosis (progressive liver scarring). The risk for liver disease is related to how much a person drinks: the risk is low at low levels of alcohol consumption but increases steeply with higher levels of consumption ( Edwards et al. 1994 ).
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Alcohol is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, with harms related to both acute and chronic effects of alcohol contributing to about 5 million emergency department visits and 99,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. There is no perfectly safe level of alcohol consumption, as current research points to health risks including cancer and cardiovascular risks even at low levels of consumption ...
Alcohol Abuse: 5 Harmful Health Effects
Your liver works hard to metabolize alcohol, filtering toxins from your body. However, when the organ becomes overwhelmed, typically from many years of frequent alcohol consumption, it can result in conditions like fatty liver, inflammation, or cirrhosis.These conditions lead to permanent damage that impedes your liver's ability to function properly, leading to a build-up of toxins in your ...
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Alcohol interferes with the brain's communication pathways and can affect the way the brain looks and works. Alcohol makes it harder for the brain areas controlling balance, memory, speech, and judgment to do their jobs, resulting in a higher likelihood of injuries and other negative outcomes. Long-term heavy drinking causes alterations in ...
Negative Effects of Alcohol Essay, with Outline
Alcohol has a negative impact on the brain explained through a form of liver damage referred to as hepatic encephalopathy. The effects of hepatic encephalopathy includes; altered sleep pattern, changes in mood and personality, depression, anxiety and other psychiatric conditions. There are also cognitive effects such as a reduction in attention ...
The Truth About the Health Benefits of Alcohol
Key points. Scientists and clinicians have long debated about the health benefits conferred by alcohol use. A worldwide study sheds light on the relationship between drinking and chronic diseases.
Effects of Alcohol on Depression
Alcohol abuse can lead to the development of depressive symptoms in two primary ways: biologically and behaviorally. Biological effects of alcohol use . While drinking alcohol may initially feel stimulating, alcohol is a depressant—a class of drugs that alter the activity and function of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system.
Alcohol's healthy halo dims as study finds drinking may be harmful for
Americans, and especially those under age 35, are changing their tune on alcohol use, with a growing share endorsing the view that moderate drinking is bad for health - and a new study backs ...
Essay on The Dangerous Effects of Alcohol
Essay about Negative Effects of Alcohol. Alcohol has no beneficial attributes on a person's health. Alcohol can have several harmful effects on human organs. Some organs in the human body that are damaged by alcohol consumption are the brain, kidneys, and liver. The human liver is the one organ that suffers the most damage.
A Review of Alcohol-Related Harms: A Recent Update
Alcohol-related harms. To identify what the most harmful drug is in the world, British researchers recently conducted multi-criteria decision analysis to rank medications in this respect.9 They found that in the United Kingdom (UK), the reputation of being the most dangerous substance in terms of overall harm to users and others belonged to alcohol. In another study on substance abuse, a scale ...
Older Adults Do Not Benefit From Moderate Drinking, Large Study Finds
Alcohol use has risen in the United States, with deaths from excessive alcohol use increasing almost 30 percent in the short period between 2016-2017 and 2020-2021, according to the Centers for ...
Drinking alcohol: Health experts on risks and supposed benefits
Alcohol-related deaths have climbed nationally in the past few years: The U.S. saw a 25% spike in deaths during the first year of the pandemic, a trend that particularly affected middle-aged adults.
Is alcohol good for your health?
People complain that anything used to excess can be harmful, but Hansen said alcohol is its own category. "This is the thing with alcohol, that the death can begin within the first drink or two, and the damage can begin within the first drink or two. ... The effect on the brain is rapid, as is the effect on the heart and the liver. The brain ...
There are no benefits to drinking small amounts of alcohol and it
August 13, 2024 There are no benefits to drinking small amounts of alcohol and it increases risk of cancer, study says Researchers found even modest consumption led to negative health effects ...
Alcohol and Your Kidneys
When alcohol dehydrates (dries out) the body, the drying effect can affect the normal function of cells and organs, including the kidneys. Too much alcohol can also affect your blood pressure. People who drink too much are more likely to have high blood pressure. And medications for high blood pressure can be affected by alcohol.

The Impact of Alcohol Abuse: Causes, Effects, and Solutions

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How Does Alcohol Affect Society?

At a Glance

How Alcohol Affects Society

Financial Costs of Alcoholism

Healthcare Expense of Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol-Related Aggression and Violence

Impact of Alcoholism on the Family

Alcohol Abuse and Children

The Bottom Line

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National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

The Adolescent Brain

Alcohol-Induced Blackouts

Alcohol Overdose

Alcohol Use Disorder

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

For more information about alcohol and brain health , please visit the Alcohol and the Brain topic page.

Negative Effects of Alcohol Essay, with Outline

Effects of Alcoholism Essay Outline

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