An Uncomfortable Truth: 8 Diseases Caused By Alcohol

Alcohol is legal, popular, and woven into many cultural and social settings, which makes its negative health effects easy to overlook.

But drinking too much alcohol can cause harm both immediately and over time. This is not to say that everyone who drinks alcoholic beverages will develop a problem. However, the more a person drinks, the higher their chances of developing one of the alcohol-related harms listed below.

1. Cancer

One of the most serious illnesses caused by alcohol is cancer.

This is because the alcohol in drinks is broken down in the body into a metabolite called acetaldehyde, which can damage DNA.[1] If damaged DNA is not repaired correctly before a cell divides, it can lead to cell mutations, which disrupts cell growth and contributes to cancer developing.

Excessive drinking has been linked to an increased risk of several types of cancer, including cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon, rectum, and breast in women.[2]

Mouth, liver, and breast cancer deserve special attention because many people are unaware that drinking can contribute to them. If you smoke and drink, it further increases the chance of developing cancers of the mouth, throat, and upper digestive tract.

2. Liver Disease

Alcohol is processed by the liver, and breaking it down produces toxic byproducts Because of this, prolonged heavy drinking can damage liver cells, trigger inflammation, and disrupt normal liver function.[3]

Alcohol-related liver disease develops in several different ways and often gets more severe over time. Common alcohol-related conditions include:

• Fatty liver develops when fat builds up in liver cells.
• Alcoholic hepatitis involves liver inflammation and liver cell damage. I
• Cirrhosis involves scar tissue replacing healthy liver tissue, resulting in the liver no longer being able to carry out its normal functions.

Liver disease can be fatal. A damaged liver may not filter toxins effectively, support blood clotting, use nutrients properly, or regulate blood sugar. Severe liver disease can lead to infections, internal bleeding, liver failure, and a higher risk of liver cancer.[4]

3. Pancreatitis and Pancreatic Damage

Alcohol can affect the pancreas in multiple ways, including changing the production of digestive enzymes, increasing inflammation, and damaging pancreatic tissue. Heavy or long-term drinking irritate the pancreas and can contribute to pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas.[5]

People with pancreatitis can experience severe abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, fever, diarrhea, and other digestive symptoms. Chronic pancreatitis can cause ongoing abdominal pain, malnutrition, weight loss, diabetes, and damage to surrounding organs. Chronic pancreatitis also increases the risk of pancreatic cancer.

Anyone with recurrent pancreatitis flares should stop drinking to avoid making the condition worse.

4. Cardiovascular Diseases and High Blood Pressure

While many people associate excessive drinking with liver disease, it can also harm the heart and blood vessels. Heavy drinking can raise blood pressure, contribute to irregular heart rhythms, and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.[6]

Cardiovascular problems linked to excessive drinking include high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy, stroke, and ischemic heart disease. High blood pressure is especially dangerous because it can silently damage the heart, kidneys, blood vessels, and brain over time.

While some people have heard that moderate drinking can benefit the heart, public health organizations no longer recommend drinking alcohol for health reasons.[7] Any benefits from alcohol are far outweighed by their risks, because drinking also raises the risk of cancer, injuries, liver disease, alcohol use disorder, and other health problems. If you don’t drink, there is no medical reason to start.

5. Brain, Nervous System, and Mental Health Problems

Heavy or prolonged alcohol use can affect mental health as well as physical health. Alcohol use is associated with a higher risk of depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders.[8]

Many people with existing mental health issues turn to alcohol to dull their symptoms, but while it may work to temporarily ease anxiety or dull emotional pain, repeated heavy drinking can disrupt brain function and make emotional symptoms more difficult to manage over time.[9]

For some people, alcohol use and mental health become a vicious cycle and can only be addressed successfully when they are addressed together.

6. Immune System Disruption

Excessive drinking can weaken the immune system, reducing the body’s ability to fight off infections and toxins.

This immune suppression can increase susceptibility to infections such as pneumonia and tuberculosis, and it can raise the risk of complications from existing medical conditions.[10]

A weakened immune system also makes it harder to heal from illness, leaving heavy drinkers more vulnerable to secondary infections and slower recovery.

7. Gastrointestinal Problems

Alcohol directly irritates the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, including the stomach lining and intestines, and can cause discomfort and conditions like gastritis, acid reflux, esophagitis, ulcers, bleeding, diarrhea, and other problems. Repeated heavy drinking may cause permanent damage to the GI tract, along with malabsorption, malnutrition, and weight loss.[11]

Alcohol can also interfere with the digestion, absorption, and use of nutrients.

People with damaged digestive systems often cannot absorb enough nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Poor nutrition combined with repeated heavy drinking can cause deficiencies in thiamine, folate, vitamin D, calcium, and other nutrients, which can lead to fatigue, weakness, anemia, nerve damage, bone thinning, and cognitive decline.[12] Over time, these deficiencies can impair energy production, immune function, and tissue repair.

8. Pregnancy Complications

Drinking during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), which includes a range of lifelong physical, emotional, intellectual, and learning problems.[13]

Fetal alcohol syndrome is the most severe form of FASD. Signs can include poor growth, birth defects, learning difficulties, behavioral and social problems, and trouble with attention, memory, language, and daily living skills.

There is no known safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy. Because the fetus continues developing until birth, stopping drinking at any point during pregnancy can improve the child’s health.

The Risk Factors of Binge Drinking

Binge drinking is a pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration to 0.08% or higher, which typically happens after 5 or more drinks for men or 4 or more drinks for women in about 2 hours.[14]

Binge drinking and other excessive drinking patterns are linked to serious risks, including:

• Alcohol poisoning
• Falls
• Burns
• Drowning
• Car crashes
• Suicide
• Domestic violence
• Family and social conflicts

Alcohol also impairs judgment, which can lead to unprotected sex or other harmful decisions.

Excessive alcohol use harms people and their families, workplaces, and communities, which is why it remains an important public health problem.

When Drinking Habits May Point to an Alcohol Use Disorder

If excessive drinking is causing health, mental health, family, legal, or relationship problems, and it is difficult to stop, it is likely time to seek professional help.

• Warning signs of alcohol use disorder include:
• Being unable to limit how much you drink
• Trying to cut back without success, strong cravings
• Continuing to drink despite negative consequences
• Feeling as if you need alcohol to function normally.
• Physical withdrawal symptoms if you try to cut back or stop

Heavy drinkers should consult a healthcare provider before stopping drinking abruptly. Alcohol withdrawal can produce life-threatening conditions like seizures and delirium tremens, which makes medical detox the safest option.[15]

Other treatment for alcohol use disorder typically includes medical detoxification, inpatient or residential treatment, outpatient treatment, individual and group therapy, medication-assisted treatment, support groups, and a plan for long-term recovery.