Immediate effects of alcohol on the brain and body
The first few drinks affect judgment and reaction time.
More alcohol causes reactions to become even more sluggish and delays physical coordination.
Far too much alcohol can suppress some body functions and, in extreme cases result in death.
The physical effects of alcohol
From the second you take your first sip,
alcohol starts affecting your body and mind. After one or two drinks
you may start feeling more sociable, but drink too much and basic human
functions, such as walking and talking become much harder. You might
also start saying things you don’t mean and behaving out of character.
Some of alcohol’s effects disappear overnight – while others can stay
with you a lot longer, or indeed become permanent.
If you’ve drunk
heavily the night before, you’ll almost certainly wake up with a
hangover. Alcohol irritates the stomach, so heavy drinking can cause
sickness and nausea and sometimes diarrhoea. Alcohol also has a
dehydrating effect, which is one reason why excessive drinking can lead
to a thumping headache the morning after.
Appearance
Drinking too much alcohol isn’t good for
your skin either. As well as causing bloating and dark circles under
your eyes, alcohol dries out your skin and can lead to wrinkles and
premature aging. If you drink heavily you may develop acne rosacea, a
skin disorder that starts with a tendency to blush and flush easily and
can progress to facial disfiguration, a condition known as rhinophyma.
Alcohol poisoning
In the worst cases alcohol poisoning can cause lung damage (as you inhale your own vomit) and even lead to a heart attack.
Many traditional ‘cures’, such as drinking black coffee; just don’t work – or even make things worse.
Diseases and cancers
Liver disease
Liver disease used to
affect mainly drinkers in middle age, but now sufferers are getting
younger. Up to one in three adults drinks enough alcohol to be at risk
of developing alcohol-related liver disease.
Cancer
Alcohol misuse is an important factor in
a number of cancers, including liver cancer and mouth cancer, both of
which are on the increase. Alcohol is second only to smoking as a risk
factor for oral and digestive tract cancers.
Evidence suggests that
this is because alcohol breaks down into a substance called
acetaldehyde, which can bind to proteins in the mouth. This can trigger
an inflammatory response from the body – in the most severe cases,
cancerous cells can develop.
Pancreatitis and diabetes
Chronic pancreatitis is another disease
associated with heavy drinking. It’s caused when your pancreas becomes
inflamed and cells become damaged. Diabetes is a common side effect of
chronic pancreatitis. There’s evidence that heavy drinking can reduce
the body’s sensitivity to insulin, which can trigger Type 2 diabetes.
For more information read our Alcohol and pancreatitis factsheet and Alcohol and diabetes factsheet.
Heart disease
While studies suggesting that alcohol
can help heart disease often hit the headlines, the reality is that the
jury’s still out on the extent of any benefits. And it is clear that any
benefits which there may be are limited to very low levels of
consumption – probably no more than 1 unit alcohol per day.
Mental health
Alcohol alters the brain’s chemistry and
increases the risk of depression. It is often associated with a range
of mental health problems A recent British survey found that people
suffering from anxiety or depression were twice as likely to be heavy or
problem drinkers.
Extreme levels of drinking (defined as
more than 30 units per day for several weeks) can occasionally cause
‘psychosis’, a severe mental illness where hallucinations and delusions
of persecution develop. Psychotic symptoms can also occur when very
heavy drinkers suddenly stop drinking and develop a condition known as
‘delirium tremens’.
Heavy drinking often leads to work and
family problems, which in turn can lead to isolation and depression. For
heavy drinkers who drink daily and become dependent on alcohol, there
can be withdrawal symptoms (nervousness, tremors, palpitations) which
resemble severe anxiety, and may even cause phobias, such as a fear of
going out.
Dependence
If you drink large quantities of alcohol
on a regular basis you run the risk of becoming addicted. This can have
serious effects on their families, friends and partners, as well as
their mental health.
Statistics and Trends
Current use of alcohol is defined as
those reporting use of alcohol in the last one month. About 16.6% of
urban dwellers are current users of various types of alcohol compared to
11.4% of rural dwellers. This represents a marginal decline from the
estimates of the 2007 rapid assessment survey. Besides North Eastern and
Central regions where current usage of alcoholic drinks is less than
10%, in all other provinces at least 10% of the residents are current
alcohol consumers. Considering individual alcoholic beverages, Nairobi
has the highest current usage of packaged/legal alcohol (15.7%) followed
by Central (9.2%). For chang’aa, Nairobi has the highest current usage
(7.2%) followed closely by Western (7.1%). Rift Valley has the highest
current usage of traditional liquor (6.0%) followed by Nyanza (5.1%).
For current usage of 2nd generation alcohol, it is highest in Rift
Valley (2.0%) followed by Nairobi (1.3%)
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