alcohol effects on the body

Alcohol's Effects on the Body

Drinking too much – on a single occasion or over

time – can take a serious toll on your health. Here’s

how alcohol can affect your body:

Ø  Brain:

Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication

pathways, and can affect the way the brain looks and

works. These disruptions can change mood and

behavior, and make it harder to think clearly and

move with coordination.

Ø  Heart:

Drinking a lot over a long time or too much on a

single occasion can damage the heart, causing

problems including:

Cardiomyopathy – Stretching and drooping of

heart muscle

Arrhythmias – Irregular heart beat

Stroke

High blood pressure.

Research also shows that drinking moderate amounts

of alcohol may protect healthy adults from developing

coronary heart disease.

Ø  Liver:

Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead

to a variety of problems and liver inflammations

including:

Steatosis, or fatty liver

Alcoholic hepatitis

Fibrosis

Cirrhosis

Ø  Pancreas:

Alcohol causes the pancreas to produce toxic

substances that can eventually lead to pancreatitis, a

dangerous inflammation and swelling of the blood

vessels in the pancreas that prevents proper

digestion.

Ø  Cancer:

Drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk of

developing certain cancers, including cancers of the:

Mouth

Esophagus

Throat

Liver

Breast

Immune System:

Drinking too much can weaken your immune system,

making your body a much easier target for disease.

Chronic drinkers are more liable to contract diseases

like pneumonia and tuberculosis than people who do

not drink too much. Drinking a lot on a single

occasion slows your body’s ability to ward off

infections – even up to 24 hours after getting drunk.