The Effects and Risks of Alcohol Addiction

What are the Effects and Risks of Alcohol?

If you are concerned about the effects and risks of alcohol, contact our team to find out more about the support and services we provide.
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Many people drink alcohol but may be unaware of the effects and risks that alcohol addiction and consumption can have on their health. In particular, heavy drinking occasionally or over a sustained period can be dangerous, leading to damage to important organs in the body. 1 

The ethanol in alcoholic beverages is a psychoactive and toxic substance. This means that drinking alcohol can lead to changes in brain functioning and psychological well-being. It can also lead to dependence, as ethanol is an addictive substance. 2

Global Alcohol Consumption

Excessive alcohol consumption is a global issue and The World Health Organization estimates that alcohol misuse was responsible for 2.6 million deaths in 2019. In the UK, alcohol accounted for around 280,000 hospital admissions from 2019-2020 and was responsible for 9641 deaths in 2021. Many of these admissions are related to behavioural or mental health conditions caused by alcohol and alcohol-related liver disease. 1,3,4 

Whilst alcohol use disorders are very treatable, it can be difficult to take the first steps to recovery. If you are worried about someone close to you, or if you are concerned about your own alcohol use, then being aware of the health risks is a useful starting point.

If you would like advice on treatment options for alcohol use disorder, you can contact a member of the CATCH Recovery team here.

This Article Will Cover:

  • How alcohol alters the body, including short and long-term alcohol risks
  • The health risks of heavy drinking
  • The impact that drinking alcohol has on those around you
  • How to take action to address your alcohol use, and what support is available 

The Effects of Alcohol on the Body

People drink alcohol for many reasons but may not consider how moderate drinking and excessive alcohol use affect the body. 

As alcohol is processed, its breakdown product, acetaldehyde, can cause a reaction called ‘oxidative stress’. This causes inflammation; a process usually seen when the body is stressed or fighting infection. Over time, this can lead to damage across multiple organs, including the brain. Recurrent oxidative stress in the brain brings about nerve inflammation and loss of nerve function. 5

Immediate Impact of Alcohol

People who consume alcohol can initially feel relaxed or uninhibited. Such short-term effects can be influenced by a person’s gender, their weight and whether they have eaten before drinking or not. They are also impacted by the quantity and speed of alcohol consumption. 

As a person drinks more alcohol, they can become intoxicated, commonly known as ‘drunk’.

This can cause various physical and emotional signs and symptoms, including:

  • Headache
  • Vomiting
  • Slurring of speech
  • Lack of coordination
  • Changes in awareness
  • Memory loss

Alcohol intoxication can result in illicit and inappropriate behaviours, such as drunk driving or unsafe sex, as the person’s judgement is impaired by alcohol. 6

Long-Term Effects of Drinking Alcohol

Tolerance

Over time, you may notice that more alcohol is needed to get the same effects as before. This is known as tolerance, which can cause you to increase your alcohol use over time. Heavier drinking is more harmful to health and well-being and is associated with poorer health outcomes. 6

Alcohol Dependence and Addiction 

There is a causal relationship between repeated alcohol use and developing dependence. This means your body starts to rely on alcohol. Physical dependence is a characteristic feature of alcohol use disorders or addictions. 

Alcohol addiction is an illness defined by a lack of control over alcohol consumption and continued use despite negative health, social or work consequences. Tolerance is also a feature of addiction, as well as withdrawal effects and powerful cravings. 6,7 

Withdrawal

For some individuals suffering from alcohol use disorder, suddenly stopping alcohol consumption can trigger withdrawal syndrome.

The signs and symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can include:

  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Headache
  • Sweating
  • Shaking
  • Anxiety
  • Difficulty sleeping

These physical and psychological symptoms can range in severity, depending on how much alcohol you have consumed and how long you’ve been drinking alcohol. 

Severe forms of alcohol withdrawal, known as delirium tremens, can also occur. This can cause tremors, confusion, hallucinations (i.e., sensing things that aren’t there) and seizures. This represents a medical emergency, which can be life-threatening. 8

In an unsupported environment, there are significant risks associated with alcohol withdrawal. If you are dependent on alcohol or are worried about being at risk of withdrawal, you can undergo a medically managed detox programme at one of our residential rehab centres under professional supervision.9

Binge Drinking

Binge Drinking refers to drinking more than 8 units in one drinking session for men, and more than 6 units for women. Drinking up to or over this amount increases the risk of incidents, injuries and participating in risky behaviours. Very heavy alcohol consumption can result in alcohol poisoning. 10

Alcohol Poisoning

Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, particularly in a short space of time, can result in alcohol poisoning. This involves extremely high blood alcohol levels, which are toxic to the body and which lead to impairments in body function. 

Alcohol poisoning is a medical emergency that can affect anyone from first–time users, to those with heavy drinking habits. It poses significant health risks and may cause breathing issues, seizures, and brain damage. These effects can be life-threatening and require immediate medical intervention. 11 

What Are the Health Risks Associated with Heavy Drinking?

Long-term, heavy alcohol consumption can cause someone to develop an addiction, or alcohol use disorder. This disorder can affect many parts of the body and is associated with: 

  • Alcohol-related liver disease: This encompasses a range of conditions, from fatty liver disease to hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer 
  • Acute and chronic pancreatitis: Including conditions like gall stones, elevated heart rate, and bloating
  • Cardiovascular disease: This includes conditions like coronary heart disease, heart rhythm changes, high blood pressure, and stroke
  • Increased cancer risk: Alcohol use disorders and patterns of heavy consumption have been linked to increased risk of developing certain cancers, including mouth, liver, pancreatic, breast, prostate and colorectal cancers
  • Mental health issues: Including depression, anxiety and suicide

People with an alcohol use disorder are also at risk of a condition known as ‘Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome’. This disorder is caused by thiamine, or vitamin B1, deficiency, which is in itself caused by chronic alcohol consumption. This condition can be life-threatening and may cause significant effects such as confusion, reduced coordination and psychosis (i.e., loss of contact with reality). 9

If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal as a result of alcohol use, it is important to seek help. Helplines such as NHS 111 and Samaritans are always available to provide support to those feeling down or desperate.

How Alcohol Risks Those Around You

Relationship Breakdown

Heavy drinking and alcohol use disorders can be associated with:

  • Deterioration of personal relationships with partners and family members
  • Breakdown of your social circle
  • Poor relationships in the workplace, for example with colleagues and bosses
  • Difficult relationships with children – children growing up in households with parents who drink alcohol regularly may be more at risk of developing an alcohol use disorder themselves in later life. 7,12

At times, it may seem like these relationships are beyond repair, but this is rarely the case. Counselling services, like those we provide at CATCH Recovery, can help to heal broken relations in multiple areas of your life. 

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If you would like support with this, contact our friendly and professional team at CATCH Recovery.

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Pregnancy Risks

If you are planning to conceive or are pregnant or breastfeeding, it is recommended that you should avoid drinking alcohol. 

Consuming alcohol can put you and your baby at risk, and is associated with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. This condition can be life-changing and could cause your baby to develop physical disabilities, psychiatric conditions, and learning difficulties. 13

The Wider Community

High alcohol use can have broader social consequences beyond those in your immediate family. The cost of alcohol-related health problems is significant and can affect you, the community and national health services.14 

Alcohol intoxication can be associated with antisocial behaviour and crime, with 51% of violent crimes (without injury) committed across 2013/14 thought to be perpetrated by individuals under the influence of alcohol.15

Drink-Driving Risks

Alcohol impairs judgment and reduces reaction times. This makes driving under the influence of alcohol very risky. In the UK, there were an estimated 6,800 drink-driving-related deaths in 2022. Collisions with at least one driver under the influence of alcohol made up 17% of all road deaths. Men were twice as likely to be involved in a drink-driving-related collision compared with women.16 

These examples can seem quite upsetting but are important in emphasising the importance of getting help and not letting alcohol use escalate to dangerous levels. 

Mitigating the Effects of Alcohol Misuse

By eliminating alcohol, your body can begin to repair itself. You will notice some benefits over a short period of time:

  • Looking and feeling better
  • Improved mental health and well-being
  • Improved quality of sleep and increased energy levels
  • Weight loss18

These benefits can be motivating but if you find you are still struggling to stay abstinent despite the positive effects of sobriety, then you might benefit from professional help to stay sober.

We Are Here to Help You

If you have tried to cut down on your drinking and find that you can’t give up despite the risks, then it is possible that you have alcohol dependency. At CATCH Recovery, we can help with the therapy you need to give up alcohol and live a healthy and fulfilled life.

Recognising that there may be a problem is a great start and by looking for information, you are already taking positive actions to change your drinking habits. This is the first step to improving your long-term health. 

Changing drinking habits is not always easy, and you may have tried making changes but are still struggling to reduce your alcohol use. Managing this alone can seem like an impossible task but CATCH Recovery can help. 

Alcohol Addiction

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Which Organ Does Alcohol Affect the Most?

    Alcohol can affect the entire body. Many alcohol-related health problems classically affect the liver, as this is where alcohol is processed.

    However, alcohol doesn’t just target the liver, it can cause cardiovascular disease, increase cancer risk, and precipitate development of mental health conditions, like anxiety and depression.19

  • What Happens to People With Alcohol Use Disorders as They Age?

    If you drink an excessive amount of alcohol over a long period, this will cause damaging changes to your body. There are various health risks associated with this, which can limit both the length and quality of life. 20

  • What Does 20 Years of Drinking Do to the Body?

    This is dependent on the amount you are drinking, the regularity and whether the amount has changed over time. If you drink in moderation, with several alcohol-free days each week and your alcohol use has remained static, the alcohol-related harms are much lower than someone who, for example, drinks more than fourteen units of alcohol every week for twenty years.17

    If you have questions about your drinking habits, you can discuss this further with our team at CATCH Recovery.

  • How Unhealthy Is It to Drink Every Day?

    There are no health benefits from consuming alcohol on a regular basis, particularly every day. This is likely to lead to dependence and addiction, which also carry negative health consequences.

    The UK government recommends limiting alcohol to no more than 14 units each week for men and women. For people consuming as much as 14 units, they advise spreading drinking evenly over three or more days each week. Including some alcohol-free days in the week can also be helpful in maintaining lower health risks.7

  • Is There a Healthy Alcohol to Drink?

    Although there is a wide variety of alcoholic beverages, it is the ethanol component that causes health issues. This means that all alcoholic drinks can cause health problems if consumed in excess.

    Alcoholic drinks will vary in their unit content, depending on their size and strength. This can be difficult to keep track of but is important to consider if you are looking to reduce your alcohol consumption. For example, opting for a regular beer, cider or lager compared to a premium or strong alternative, can help to reduce your unit intake. If you are in recovery from alcohol addiction then we advise complete abstinence.21

  • Is Occasional Binge Drinking Okay?

    Binge drinking poses considerable risks to your health, even if only done occasionally. You will be at higher risk of alcohol poisoning, accidents and other health problems, all of which can be life-threatening.10