Effects of alcohol on the mind and body

Having a drink when enjoying a good meal or attending a party is a part of socializing with friends for billions of people across the globe. Many of those people safely consume alcohol without ever experiencing negative side effects. However, anyone who consumes alcohol or intends to can benefit from learning about the potential effects of alcohol on their minds and bodies.

Public health agencies like the United States Department of Agriculture, via its “Dietary Guidelines for America 2020- 2025,” note that adults who choose to drink should limit that drinking to moderate alcohol consumption, which equates to two drinks or less in a single day for men and one drink or less in a single day for women. But consuming alcohol can affect the mind and body in various ways.

Brain

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism notes that alcohol interferes with the communication pathways in the brain. Those interferences can alter a person’s mood and change his or her behavior, potentially making it harder to think clearly or move with coordination. The American Addiction Centers notes that short-term effects of alcohol consumption on the mind may include a loss of critical judgment, potentially affecting a person’s ability to make sound decisions.

Heart

So long as nothing goes wrong, it’s easy to write off a night of excessive drinking as essentially harmless. However, the NIAAA notes that drinking too much on a single night can contribute to significant heart problems like cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, stroke, and high blood pressure. Those problems also are associated with drinking a lot over a long period of time.

Pancreas

The U.S. National Library of Medicine notes that pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas that occurs when digestive enzymes begin digesting the pancreas itself. Chronic pancreatitis does not heal or improve and worsens over time. Heavy alcohol use is the most common cause of pancreatitis, as the NIAAA notes that alcohol causes the pancreas to produce toxic substances that ultimately lead to the disease.

Liver

Many people who consume alcohol are aware of its potential to harm their liver. Such damage is most often associated with heavy drinking, which can contribute to diseases and conditions including fibrosis, cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis, and steatosis, or fatty liver disease.

Cancers

The NIAAA notes that there is consensus within the scientific community in regard to an association between consuming alcohol and various types of cancer. For example, alcohol consumption is considered a major risk factor for certain head and neck cancers and is associated with a modestly increased risk of cancers of the colon and rectum.

It’s possible to consume alcohol responsibly. However, adults who choose to do so should first recognize the potential effects that alcohol can have on their minds and bodies.