Drinking alcohol impacts almost every part of the body.
Any amount of alcohol increases the risk of short-term and long-term harm to your physical and mental health.
Some of the most significant impacts are on our vital organs including the brain, the liver and the heart.
Brain and your mental health
Alcohol is a depressant, which means it slows down communication signals in the brain. This can happen within five minutes of drinking. Drinking alcohol affects the way we feel by changing the balance of chemicals in our brain.
Short-term effects
Alcohol slows down the frontal lobes leading to:
- Slower thinking and reaction time
- Reduced inhibition and impaired judgement
- Changes in mood, such as feeling relaxed and more confident
- Impact on decision making
- Disruption of our sleep cycle, meaning we don’t have the deep sleep our body and brain needs to recharge and renew
Long-term effects:
- Difficulties controlling impulses, thinking, making decisions, problem solving and physical coordination
- Increases the risk of mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression and can make existing mental health conditions worse
- Increases the risk of memory loss, stroke and alcohol-related dementia
The brain continues to develop until around age 25. This makes young people more at risk of alcohol harms. Delaying alcohol use for as long as possible can help reduce these risks.
Liver and your cancer risk
The liver processes most of the alcohol you drink. As it breaks alcohol down, it produces a toxic substance called acetaldehyde, that can damage cells and is known to cause cancer.
Why this matters
- The liver can only break down about one standard drink per hour
- Alcohol is harmful at any level, and drinking more means your body is exposed to these harmful substances for longer before your liver can break them down.Over time, this can lead to liver disease and increase risk of seven types of cancer
The more alcohol you drink, the greater your risk of damage.
Heart and your circulation
Alcohol is a risk factor for high blood pressure. This means the heart must work harder to pump blood around the body.
This happens because alcohol affects several systems in the body:
- Hormones: It disrupts hormonal balance that helps regulate blood pressure
- Nervous system: It stimulates the nervous system, increasing heart rate and tightening blood vessels
- Blood vessels: It affects receptors in blood vessel walls, causing them to constrict
Together, these effects make the heart pump with more force, which raises blood pressure over time.
This can lead to:
- Strain on the heart
- Build-up of fatty material in blood vessels
- Reduced blood flow to vital organs which can lead to cardiovascular disease in the long-term
There is no safe level of alcohol use
Drinking less is the most effective way to reduce your risk of harm.
To lower your risk:
- Limit how much alcohol you drink
- Have alcohol-free days each week
