What Are the Immediate & Long-Term Effects of Alcohol?

Though people over the age of 21 can drink legally, many health effects can arise from alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse and sometimes even social drinking can lead to several short and long term effects you should know about prior to drinking.

Short Term Effects, Moderate Consumption

• Your weight, age, sex and the amount of alcohol you consume will have bearing on the way it affects you. If you consume alcohol moderately, the short term effects include dizziness and talkativeness as well as a loss of inhibitions that often lead people to do things they normally would not do.

Short Term Effects, Excessive Consumption

• When you consume larger amounts of alcohol you may experience additional effects, including slurred speech, disturbed sleep, nausea, vomiting, loss of coordination and increased aggression. Excessive consumption can also lead to a hangover, which usually occurs the morning after drinking. The symptoms of a hangover include a headache, nausea, thirst, dizziness and fatigue.

Long Term Effects

• You may experience a variety of effects if you consume excessive amounts of alcohol for an extended period of time. Extended excessive consumption can lead to alcoholism, which means that your body creates a dependence on alcohol. When a person with an alcohol problem is cut off from alcohol, he can experience several symptoms including anxiety, tremors, hallucinations and convulsions. Extended periods of alcohol use can lead to damage of vital organs including your brain and liver. Pregnant women who drink alcohol also place their babies at risk for fetal alcohol syndrome, which can cause mental retardation and physical abnormalities. Children of alcoholic parents also have a greater risk of becoming alcoholics.