Understanding The Short-Term and Long-Term Effects of Alcohol on the Body

Drinking is very common in social settings, celebrations, and everyday life. For most people, drinking is something they do responsibly, on occasion, and with no ill effects. For others, however, drinking habits become harder to control, shifting into unhealthy patterns like heavy drinking, binge drinking, or alcohol abuse that results in serious physical and mental health issues.

The effects of alcohol don’t always end with a hangover. Alcohol affects the body almost immediately after you start drinking, and with unhealthy patterns, it can lead to health problems over time. Understanding the short-term and long-term effects of alcohol on the body can help you make more educated choices about your own health, wellness, and treatment options.

Short-Term Effects of Alcohol on the Body

Once you begin drinking, your body will feel the first effects within a few minutes. How quickly the effects appear and how severe they are will depend on how much you have had to drink, whether you ate beforehand, your weight, your tolerance, any medications you take, and your overall health.

Some possible short-term effects of alcohol use may include:

• Slurred speech
• Loss of coordination
• Reduced reaction times
• Impaired judgement
• Nausea or vomiting
• Changes in mood
• Drowsiness
• Memory lapses or blackout episodes
• Headaches and dehydration
• Increased likelihood of engaging in high-risk behaviors

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), excessive alcohol use significantly increases the risk of injuries and violence, risky sexual behavior among adults and adolescents, miscarriage and stillbirth in pregnant people, and alcohol poisoning from high blood alcohol levels.[1]

Impaired Judgment and Risk-Taking

Alcohol impairs your judgment and perception of risk. A decision that would clearly be dangerous while sober can seem acceptable while you are drunk. This may lead to driving under the influence, getting into fights, having unprotected sex, combining alcohol with other substances, or ending up in dangerous situations.

The CDC states that binge drinking (defined as four or more drinks in one sitting for women or five or more drinks in one sitting for men) greatly increases the risk of dangerous outcomes.[2] Binge drinking alone can have serious consequences, whether it happens once or repeatedly.

Coordination, Speech, and Balance Problems

Alcohol directly affects your brain and nervous system, so poor coordination, slurred speech, loss of balance, and slower reactions are common. These factors combined may lead people to feel confident they can perform tasks safely while under the influence, even when their bodies clearly indicate otherwise.

This is one reason drinking puts people at higher risk for accidents, falls, car crashes, drowning, and burns.

Digestive Problems and Stomach Irritation

Drinking too much alcohol can irritate your stomach lining and gastrointestinal tract. In the short term, this may lead to discomfort such as nausea, vomiting, reflux, stomach pain, bloating, or diarrhea. Drinking too much may also negatively affect your blood sugar, especially if you haven’t eaten before drinking or if you have diabetes.

Frequent heavy drinking can also lead to more serious gastrointestinal disorders, such as pancreatitis and liver disease.

Alcohol Poisoning

Alcohol poisoning can occur when high blood alcohol levels interfere with vital body functions such as breathing, heart rate, body temperature, and consciousness.[3] Warning signs can include confusion, vomiting, seizures, slow or irregular breathing, pale or bluish skin, passing out, or being unable to wake up.

Alcohol poisoning is a medical emergency. If someone may have alcohol poisoning, call 911 immediately.

Long-Term Effects of Alcohol on the Body

The long-term effects of alcohol can involve nearly all of the body’s major systems. Risk depends on the amount of alcohol consumed, whether the person drinks regularly, and drinking over many years. Individual factors, such as family history, mental health, sex, age, medications, and current health, also influence how alcohol affects a person.

According to NIAAA, alcohol misuse is associated with a range of adverse health outcomes across multiple organ systems, including the brain, heart, liver, pancreas, and immune system, as well as an increased risk of cancer.[4]

Brain and Nervous System Effects

Long-term heavy use of alcohol can impair cognitive function, specifically memory, mood, coordination, learning, and decision-making.[5] People who drink heavily over long periods can also experience nervous system changes, such as numbness, tingling, or pain in the hands and feet.

In addition to its physical effects on the brain, alcohol use disorders can alter the reward system in the brain. As this happens, a person may develop strong cravings, need increasing amounts of alcohol to feel the same effects, and eventually become dependent on it. When a person becomes physically dependent on alcohol, suddenly stopping alcohol use can lead to withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, sweating, tremors, nausea, insomnia, hallucinations, or seizures. Severe alcohol withdrawal can be fatal, so some form of medical detoxification is necessary for safe recovery from physical dependence on alcohol.

Liver Disease

When a person drinks large amounts of alcohol, the liver processes the toxins into compounds that can harm liver cells. These injuries can cause varying degrees of liver damage, including fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver failure. Early liver damage can be difficult to detect because there are no obvious symptoms, so a person drinking excessively can appear healthy while the damage is still developing.

Numerous studies document the long-term effects of excessive alcohol use. Liver disease is one of the most common forms of damage; however, alcohol can harm almost every organ system in the body.[6]

Heart Disease, Blood Pressure, and Stroke

Alcohol can affect cardiovascular health. Long-term heavy drinking can raise the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and other cardiac-related issues such as atrial fibrillation.[7]

Some people have heard that moderate drinking may be “good for the heart,” but for most, the negatives far outweigh any positives. For many people, drinking less is the safer choice, especially if they have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, or other health risks.

Cancer Risk

Research has found that alcohol can lead to many different types of cancer. The National Cancer Institute states that alcohol can increase your chance of getting mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, liver, breast, colon, and rectal cancers.[8] One of the biggest concerns for women is the chance of developing breast cancer.

Your chance of developing cancer increases with how much alcohol you consume. Even if you don’t drink every single day, drinking large amounts frequently over time or drinking alcohol regularly can significantly raise your risk.

Long-Term Effects of Alcohol on the Stomach and Pancreas

After years of drinking, chronic irritation of the stomach and digestive tract may develop, along with side effects such as gastritis-like symptoms, reflux, nausea, poor nutrient absorption, and ongoing digestive issues.

Drinking heavily can also increase your risk of acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis, which can cause severe abdominal pain and other serious health complications.[9] Long-term alcohol use can also lead to changes in your appetite, how well your body regulates blood sugar, and how effectively your body absorbs vitamins. These factors combined can eventually lead to fatigue, weakness, immune deficiencies, and nerve damage-related symptoms.

Alcohol can also affect appetite, nutrition, blood sugar regulation, and the body’s ability to absorb certain vitamins. Over time, these effects can worsen fatigue, weakness, immune problems, and nerve-related symptoms.

Immune System Effects

Ongoing heavy drinking can weaken your immune system’s ability to fight off illness, putting a person at greater risk for infection and longer healing times.[10]

The immune system also plays a role in inflammation throughout the body. As alcohol misuse continues, the accumulating toxins can strain all of the body’s various systems simultaneously.

Bladder and Urinary Effects

Drinking may increase urination and irritate the bladder lining, but alcohol is not usually considered a leading cause of bladder disease the way it is for liver disease, cancer, or heart disease.

However, drinking habits can negatively impact urinary symptoms and overall quality of life.[11] If you are experiencing bladder pain, leaking urine, frequent urination, or difficulty urinating, please seek the help of a healthcare professional.

Pregnancy and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

No amount of alcohol is “safe” during pregnancy. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause birth defects known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), which may result in physical, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive or learning difficulties that last a lifetime.[6] If you are trying to conceive, currently pregnant, or could become pregnant, consult a healthcare provider about safe alternatives and resources for quitting.

When Alcohol Use Becomes a Problem

Alcohol may become a problem if you have trouble reducing your intake, exceed your usual limits when you drink, crave your next drink, hide your drinking behavior from others, have relationship problems resulting from alcohol use, or keep doing things that put you at risk of alcohol-related harm.

Regardless of age, background, or lifestyle, anyone can develop an addiction to alcohol.

Common warning signs that indicate you may have an issue with alcohol include:

• Drinking primarily to manage stress, depression, or anxiety
• Needing to drink more at one time or more frequently to feel the same effects
• Withdrawal symptoms after stopping alcohol use
• Missing work, school, or family obligations due to drinking or its side effects
• Continuing to drink despite negative consequences to your health or relationships

• Struggling to cut down or control your drinking

If you are physically addicted to alcohol, do not stop drinking suddenly without medical advice. Quitting cold turkey can be extremely risky, and safe recovery may require medical detoxification.

Get Help for Alcohol Misuse in New Jersey

Many New Jersey residents find their lives impacted by the physical and mental health effects of alcohol. But the good news is that there is help available for treatment and recovery from alcohol misuse. The harm alcohol causes can vary depending on how much a person drinks, whether the pattern is binge drinking, regular heavy drinking, or chronic drinking, and what problems develop as a result.

SOBA New Jersey provides comprehensive treatment services for people who struggle with addiction as well as those who have other underlying issues. Based on a person’s specific needs, the level of care can range from medical detox through behavioral therapy and continued support in preventing relapse.

If alcohol is affecting your health, relationships, or well-being, reach out today to learn more about our treatment options.