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The Effects of Drinking Alcohol Every Day

Drinking a glass of wine with a nice Italian meal or having a few cocktails at a birthday party isn't going to hurt you. However, drinking excess alcohol daily can be harmful to your health. Drinking should not be a daily ritual; instead, alcohol should consumed responsibly and in moderation. Regular alcohol consumption will catch up with you and could negatively affect the overall state of your health.

  1. Weight Gain

    • One important thing to remember is that every time you have an alcoholic drink, you are taking in empty calories. You can easily drink a few hundred calories in a night if you are having multiple drinks. Even if you go to the gym a few times a week, your drinking habits can hinder weight loss efforts. If you are overweight, you are more likely to find yourself plagued with diabetes and high blood pressure.

    Liver Damage

    • The liver is a vital organ. The liver both creates important proteins your body needs and helps to keep harmful toxins out of your blood. Drinking alcohol can cause cell damage and inflammation of the liver, which in turn can cause your liver not to function properly. In heavy drinkers, liver damage can eventually progress into cirrhosis, which can be fatal. Once cirrhosis occurs in the liver, the liver cells are so damaged that repair is no longer possible.

    Intoxication

    • If you drink regularly, there are more chances for you to go overboard with the number of drinks you consume and to become intoxicated. Intoxication directly affects the brain, which can cloud your judgment, make you behave differently than you normally would or cause you to become forgetful. If you are intoxicated often, your ability to function properly at work and at home becomes limited.

    Depression

    • Even though you likely associate alcoholic drinks with having fun, alcohol is actually a depressant. If you already suffer from depression, frequent consumption of alcohol can increase your symptoms. You can put yourself at risk for suicide attempts if you drink and are already suffering from depression. If you are mildly depressed, you may occasionally have suicidal thoughts but have enough control not to act on them. Since alcohol temporarily brings down some of your barriers, you could cause harm to yourself while under the influence.

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