Over time, frontal lobe damage can occur. This area of the brain is responsible for emotional control, short-term memory, and judgement, in addition to other vital roles.
Chronic and severe alcohol abuse can also cause permanent brain damage. This can lead to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome , a brain disorder that affects memory. Some people who drink heavily may develop a physical and emotional dependency on alcohol.
Alcohol withdrawal can be difficult and life-threatening. You often need professional help to break an alcohol addiction. As a result, many people seek medical detoxification to get sober. Depending on the risk for withdrawal symptoms, detoxification can be managed on either an outpatient or inpatient basis.
Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:. Seizures , hallucinations , and delirium may occur in severe cases of withdrawal. The connection between alcohol consumption and your digestive system might not seem immediately clear. The side effects often only appear after there has been damage. And the more you drink, the greater the damage will become. Drinking can damage the tissues in your digestive tract and prevent your intestines from digesting food and absorbing nutrients and vitamins.
As a result, malnutrition may occur. And they may cause dangerous internal bleeding. Ulcers can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated early. People who consume too much alcohol may also be at risk for cancer. People who drink frequently are more likely to develop cancer in the mouth , throat , esophagus , colon , or liver. People who regularly drink and use tobacco together have an even greater cancer risk.
Alcohol can affect your heart and lungs. People who are chronic drinkers of alcohol have a higher risk of heart-related issues than people who do not drink. Women who drink are more likely to develop heart disease than men who drink. Difficulty absorbing vitamins and minerals from food can cause anemia.
This is a condition where you have a low red blood cell count. One of the biggest symptoms of anemia is fatigue. You may think drinking alcohol can lower your inhibitions and help you have more fun in bed. But the reality is quite different. Men who drink too much are more likely to experience erectile dysfunction. Heavy drinking can also prevent sex hormone production and lower your libido.
Women who drink too much may stop menstruating. That puts them at a greater risk for infertility. Women who drink heavily during pregnancy have a higher risk of premature delivery , miscarriage , or stillbirth. Women who drink alcohol while pregnant put their unborn child at risk. The effect on your body depends on your age, gender, weight and the type of alcohol. Your bloodstream distributes alcohol quickly to your brain, kidney, lungs and liver.
On average, your liver takes an hour to break down one unit of alcohol. This can depend on:. If your weight is low, you feel the effects of alcohol more quickly because you have less tissue to absorb alcohol.
Most children and young people are smaller and weigh less than adults. Alcohol can affect them quickly. Your body changes as you reach old age. You have increased body fat and decreased body water.
This affects how your body processes alcohol. If you still drink the same amount of alcohol you drank in adulthood, you feel the effects more severely. Older people who drink too much alcohol are at greater risk of physical and mental health problems including:. Alcohol affects women more quickly than men. Women are usually smaller and weigh less than men, and have less tissue to absorb alcohol. The woman will get drunk more quickly and feel the effects for longer.
They have lower levels of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol. Women feel the effects of alcohol more quickly before a period and during ovulation. The contraceptive pill can have the opposite effect — it takes longer for alcohol to leave the body.
A woman in this situation might drink more than she realises before she feels the effects. You absorb 20 per cent of alcohol into your bloodstream through your stomach and the rest into your bloodstream through your small intestine.
Drinking a small amount of alcohol stimulates your appetite because it increases the flow of stomach juices. A large amount of alcohol dulls your appetite and can cause malnutrition. You can develop a stomach ulcer by drinking too much alcohol. This can happen when the stimulated gastric juices mix with the high alcohol content and irritate your stomach lining.
Alcohol dulls the parts of your brain that control how your body works. This affects your actions and your ability to make decisions and stay in control.
Alcohol is responsible for most drug-related deaths in the teenage population. Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional.
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The State of Victoria and the Department of Health shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials contained on this website. Skip to main content. Home Alcohol. How alcohol affects your body. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. How alcohol affects your body The short-term effects of alcohol Hangover Alcohol poisoning emergency The long-term effects of alcohol How to avoid or reduce the effects of alcohol on your body Where to get help.
How alcohol affects your body Many Australians enjoy a drink. The short-term effects of alcohol The short-term effects of a single occasion of drinking too much alcohol can include: lowered inhibitions interpersonal conflict falls and accidents altered behaviour — including risky or violent behaviour hangover alcohol poisoning.
They include: frequent urination and dehydration an inflammatory response from your immune system irritation of the stomach lining a drop in blood sugar an expansion of blood vessels.
Depending on what you drank and how much, your hangover may include these symptoms: thirst headache muscle aches diarrhoea nausea fatigue weakness trembling or shaking rapid heart rate increased blood pressure dry mouth and eyes poor concentration increased sensitivity to light and sound a feeling that the room is spinning, or a sense of dizziness anxiety, depression, irritability and other mood disturbances poor, restless or less sleep.
Hangovers usually pass with time, but these tips may help to ease symptoms: Sip water or fruit juice to stay hydrated. Eat something. Plain or bland foods, such as soup or toast, may be easier on a fragile stomach. Take a pain reliever.
A standard dose of an over-the-counter pain reliever such as paracetamol may ease your headache, but aspirin can irritate your stomach. Sleep it off. Alcohol poisoning emergency Sometimes heavy drinking results in the much more serious effect of alcohol poisoning. Call for emergency care if you see these signs in someone who has been drinking: confusion vomiting seizures slow breathing less than eight breaths a minute or irregular breathing a gap of more than 10 seconds between breaths blue-tinged skin or pale skin low body temperature hypothermia difficulty remaining conscious passing out unconsciousness and can't be woken.
The long-term effects of alcohol Historically it has been believed that consuming on average more than two standard drinks a day is what can cause many long-term health problems and other harms. Some of the most common alcohol-related harms include: road and other accidents domestic and public violence crime family breakdown social dysfunction cardiovascular disease cancers, including of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colorectum and female breast diabetes nutrition-related conditions, such as folate deficiency and malnutrition overweight and obesity risks to unborn babies liver diseases mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, and interference with antidepressant medication alcohol tolerance and alcohol dependence or addiction long-term cognitive impairment self-harm suicide.
What is binge drinking and how does it affect your body? How to avoid or reduce the effects of alcohol on your body The best way to avoid the effects of alcohol on your body is to not drink alcohol.
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