Long Term Effects of Alcohol Abuse and How to Find Support

The liver breaks down toxins and removes them from the body. Long-term alcohol use interferes with the process and can increase the risk of developing alcohol-related liver disease or chronic liver inflammation.[6]

Alcoholic liver disease is a life-threatening condition that leads to waste/toxin buildup in the body. Too much alcohol may also cause cirrhosis or scarring, which could permanently damage the liver.

Your pancreas regulates how the body uses insulin. If it doesn’t function correctly because of excessive alcohol use, you may experience hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).[7]

A damaged pancreas may prevent you from producing insulin for sugar. This leads to too much sugar in your blood and could result in diabetes. It’s best to avoid many alcoholic beverages if you already have these conditions.

Slurred speech is a clear indication of intoxication, and it happens because alcohol prevents your body and brain from communicating. It’s harder to balance, and you have a slower reaction time.

With time, chronic heavy drinking can lead to issues with brain function caused by damaged nerve cells such as:[8]

• Regulating emotions
• Making rational choices
• Thinking clearly
• Creating memories
• Tingling or numbness in the hands and feet

You may also get permanent brain damage and damage to the frontal lobe. This part of the brain helps with performance, social behaviors, decision-making, and abstract reasoning.

The connection between your digestive system and alcohol consumption is unclear because the side effects only happen after the damage occurs. Heavy drinking can lead to many digestive problems, such as:[9]

• Fullness in the abdomen
• Bloating
• Gas
• Hemorrhoids and ulcers
• Painful stools or diarrhea

Chronic heavy drinking could affect your lungs and heart, leading to:[10]

• High blood pressure
• Heart failure
• Heart disease
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Difficulty for the blood vessels to pump blood through the body
• Irregular heartbeat

Heavy drinking can affect your sexual health and function in ways such as:[11]

• Lower your libido
• Prevent hormone production
• Make it harder to orgasm
• Prevent you from maintaining or getting an erection

Excessive alcohol use could affect a woman’s fertility and menstrual cycle.

Alcohol use during pregnancy is a poor choice. Pregnant women may have babies that have fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Miscarriage and stillbirth are possible, and children may have developmental problems and learning difficulties.

Heavy alcohol consumption reduces your immune system, making it harder to protect from viruses and germs. Those who drink heavily over extended periods might develop tuberculosis or pneumonia.[12]

You may also have a higher alcohol and cancer risk. Frequent drinking leads to alcohol-associated cancer options, such as in the liver, colon, breast, and more.

You may develop a tolerance to alcohol, so you must drink more to get the same effects. When you stop drinking, you notice many symptoms that ease once you take another drink.

Alcohol dependence and tolerance are both parts of alcohol use disorder. Alcohol use disorder used to be called alcoholism. Regardless, you could face:[15]

• Withdrawal symptoms
• Cravings
• Drinking more
• Having trouble stopping
• Inability to stop drinking

We can help you overcome alcohol abuse! Please call for an appointment today!

Sometimes, withdrawal is challenging or life-threatening. It’s best to seek our help for substance abuse. If you drink alcohol every day, the “cold turkey” approach might not be safe. Symptoms of withdrawal can include:[16]

• Heavy sweating
• Irregular heartbeat
• High blood pressure
• Tremors
• Nausea
• Nervousness
• Anxiety

We can help with medical detox and other services!