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Types of Alcohol Effects

Consuming alcohol has serious effects on the body, both short-term and long-term. Drinking more alcohol than your body can process, more than one drink an hour, leads to impairment under the law. Drinking beyond that leads to progressive impairment and eventually alcohol poisoning. Critical and irreversible health conditions may result from long-term alcohol consumption, and no amount of alcohol has been deemed safe for a developing fetus.

  1. Short-Term Effects

    • It is the short-term effects of alcohol that induce many to drink it. Effects like relaxation and decreased inhibition lead to the popularity of "social drinking." These effects are seen after only a drink or two, but quickly progress into less-desirable effects. Relaxation progresses to decreased reaction time and decreased inhibition to poor judgment. Continued drinking leads to clumsiness, altered sensory perception, poor coordination and may eventually lead to vomiting, coma or even death.

    Long-Term Effects

    • Drinking has serious long-term effects on the body. The liver, which processes the toxic alcohol, becomes damaged by long-term alcohol consumption. When the liver stops functioning properly, this may damage the brain, leading to blackouts, memory lapses, sleep disturbance and problems with coordination and cognition. Long-term alcohol users are also prone to malnutrition and its many effects on the body.

    Alcoholism

    • Alcoholism refers to a physical dependence on alcohol. Alcoholics experience strong cravings for alcohol and build up a tolerance to its effects, leading them to drink more and more to experience the desired short-term effects. Alcoholics who continue to drink experience the long-term effects of alcohol on the brain and liver in addition to the psychosocial effects of addiction.

    Pregnancy Effects

    • The FDA warns against drinking while pregnant.

      Consuming even small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy has not been proven safe for the developing fetus. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy may result in one of the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). These include fetal alcohol syndrome, a form of mental retardation linked to alcohol consumption, and other alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorders (ARNDs). Alcohol consumption during pregnancy also increases the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth.

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