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The Effects of Excessive Alcohol

Excessive alcohol consumption negatively affects the brain, cardiovascular system, immune system and liver. This can result in minor, temporary effects to life-altering conditions requiring medical treatment. Limiting your alcohol consumption helps combat these effects. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends that men have no more than 4 drinks a day or 14 drinks a week and that women have no more than 3 drinks a day or 7 drinks a week.

  1. Neurological Effects

    • Impaired speech, motor skills and judgment are the most recognizable symptoms of alcohol's effects on the brain. Depending on the person's tolerance level, the degree of impairment increases with increased consumption. Heavy and persistent drinkers are more likely to suffer from long-term effects of excessive alcohol consumption, such as shrinkage of brain cells and alteration of neurons and neurotransmitters. Brain mass shrinkage creates an enlarged brain cavity that can lead to mood changes, problems sleeping, and other undesirable neurological changes.

      Social drinkers suffer from blackouts and memory loss during binge drinking sessions. These effects are temporary, but drinkers will often not be able to recall details or events clearly. Females are more likely to suffer from blackouts because their bodies are not able to metabolize the alcohol as quickly.

    Immune System Effects

    • Drinking too much, even occasionally, causes reduced activity in the innate and adaptive immune system defenses. The innate system, which includes bacteria-fighting white blood cells and virus-destroying natural killer cells, experiences decreased ability to fight off infections as they enter your body. An impaired adaptive system cannot easily fight off pathogens or create antibodies. A decrease in the body's ability to produce antibodies causes a greater risk for recurrent infections. Increased risk for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is linked to chronic alcohol abuse.

    Cardiovascular Effects

    • While drinking alcohol in moderation can have positive effects on your heart and vascular system, excessive consumption has harmful consequences for the cardiovascular system. Heavy, long-term drinking can cause arrhythmias, or alterations in the rhythm of the heartbeat. Heavy drinking also causes the body to produce stress hormones that constrict and stiffen blood vessel walls, causing hypertension. Hypertension and arrhythmias are known to increase the risk for strokes caused from the lack of blood flow to the brain.

    Effects on the Liver

    • The liver is responsible for getting rid of harmful substances, such as alcohol, and storing energy and nutrients in the body. Since the liver play a large role in removing toxins from the blood stream, it is especially weakened by alcohol abuse. Heavy drinking causes fatty liver syndrome, which leads to alcoholic hepatitis. Decreased ability of the liver to remove scar tissue causes fibrosis and can lead to cirrhosis. If left untreated and excessive drinking continues, cirrhosis can lead to liver cancer or insulin-dependent diabetes.

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