Alcohol and its effects on our body

Over the past few years, deaths from misuse of substances, such as alcohol, and overall rates of alcohol abuse and related deaths have significantly increased. Globally, alcohol consumption causes 2.8 million premature deaths per year - so it’s essential we are aware and educated about its effects on our bodies.

Alcohol disrupts the brain's communication pathways and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These issues can change mood and behaviour and make it difficult to think clearly and coordinate. Drinking for a long time or drinking too much at once can damage the heart and also cause various problems such as Cardiomyopathy (stretching and weakening of the heart muscle), arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat), high blood pressure and may even cause a stroke. Heavy drinking exerts stress on the liver and can cause a variety of problems and liver infections, including fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis or cirrhosis. One of the most potentially fatal side effects is the risk of developing cancer in either the breast, mouth, throat, oesophagus, voice box, liver, colon, or rectum.

When alcohol is swallowed, it is mainly absorbed from the small intestine into the portal vein that leads to the liver. Once in the liver it comes into contact with enzymes and is metabolised. Consequences of alcohol metabolism include a lack of oxygen in the liver, the interaction of by-products of alcohol metabolism and other cellular components (which leads to the formation of harmful compounds), tissue damage, and damage to other metabolic processes.

The recommended amount of alcohol consumption changes based on individual weight but generally, in order to reduce the risk of alcohol-related health problems, healthy females must limit their alcohol consumption to 1 drink in a single day and no more than 7 drinks per week. In the case of healthy males, no more than 2 drinks in a single day and no more than 14 drinks per week. Pregnant women, minors under 21 and people with other health issues should not consume alcohol due to its dire effects on almost all vital parts of the body.

Written by Elizza Miriam Mathew

References

Alcohol's Effects on the Body. (n.d.). National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Retrieved September 2, 2023, from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohols-effects-body

Frakt, A. (2021, April 19). What’s Behind the Growth in Alcohol Consumption? The New York Times. Retrieved September 2, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/upshot/alcohol-deaths-pandemic.html

Limit Alcohol. (n.d.). National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Retrieved September 2, 2023, from https://www.prevention.va.gov/Healthy_Living/Limit_Alcohol.asp

Ritchie, H., & Roser, M. (n.d.). Alcohol Consumption. Our World in Data. Retrieved September 2, 2023, from https://ourworldindata.org/alcohol-consumption