Author: Gary Jackson

Understanding the Dangers of Alcohol

This condition can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the number of symptoms you have. In the past, moderate drinking was thought to be linked with a lower risk of dying from heart disease and possibly diabetes. After more analysis of the research, that doesn’t seem to be the case. In general, a healthy diet and physical activity have much greater health benefits than alcohol and have been more extensively studied. Alcohol can increase your risk for high blood pressure, which can put you at risk for a heart attack or a stroke. And while alcohol is a liquid, it can still pack on empty calories, and drinking too much may lead to obesity.

If not treated immediately, alcohol poisoning can lead to seizures, vomiting, irregular breathing, unconsciousness, or death. Tragically, the practice of consuming 21 drinks on your 21st birthday is one of the most common times for alcohol poisoning. Drinking moderately if you’re otherwise healthy may be a risk you’re willing to take. But heavy drinking carries a much higher risk even for those without other health concerns. Be sure to ask your healthcare professional about what’s right for your health and safety.

Alcohol-Related Deaths: What to Know

Others, like loss of consciousness or slurred speech, may develop after a few drinks. Past guidance around alcohol use generally suggests a daily drink poses little risk of negative health effects — and might even offer a few health benefits. Since those effects don’t last long, you might not worry much about them, especially if you don’t drink often. Alcohol can cause both short-term effects, such as lowered inhibitions, and long-term effects, including a weakened immune system. “Excessive alcohol consumption can cause nerve damage and irreversible forms of dementia,” Dr. Sengupta warns. Having a glass of wine with dinner or a beer at a party here and there isn’t going to destroy your gut.

Overdosing on alcohol is just as dangerous as overdosing on other drugs. How much alcohol can kill you depends on your tolerance to alcohol as well as your gender, age, weight, and any medical conditions you have, such as diabetes or hepatitis. Using certain medications while drinking alcohol can also produce harmful effects. So it’s your liver’s job to detoxify and remove alcohol from your blood. The liver breaks down alcohol into acetaldehyde, a toxic substance that scars and inflames the liver.

Understanding the Dangers of Alcohol Overdose

If you drink heavily or notice signs of liver damage or other health issues that may be related to drinking too much alcohol, talk to your doctor about it. If necessary, they can refer you to a rehabilitation center to get the drinking under control. If you drink too often, misuse alcohol like binge drink, or drink to the point of blacking out, it can cause many physical and mental health issues in the long term. It can also lead to alcohol use disorder, a form of addiction. As blood alcohol concentration (BAC) increases, so does the effect of alcohol—as well as the risk of harm.

According to the American Dietary Guidelines, moderate alcohol intake includes two drinks or less in a day for men or one drink or less in a day for women. Alcohol poisoning is a serious — and sometimes deadly — result of drinking large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. Drinking too much too quickly can affect breathing, heart rate, body temperature and gag reflex.

Alcohol Use and Your Health

Alcohol use and taking opioids or sedative hypnotics, such as sleep and anti-anxiety medications, can increase your risk of an overdose. Examples of these medications include sleep aids, such as zolpidem and eszopiclone, and benzodiazepines, such as diazepam and alprazolam. Even drinking alcohol while taking over-the-counter antihistamines can be dangerous. Excessive drinking includes binge drinking, heavy drinking, and any drinking by pregnant women or people younger than age 21.

• When your liver finishes that process, alcohol gets turned into water and carbon dioxide.
• Alcohol poisoning, which is also life-threatening, can happen at much lower doses.
• This can lead to hyperglycemia, or too much sugar in the blood.
• Excessive drinking makes up around 18% of the ER visits and over 22% percent of overdose-related deaths compared to other substance misuse products like opioids.
• But even low amounts of daily drinking and prolonged and heavy use of alcohol can lead to significant problems for your digestive system.
• Don’t play doctor—cold showers, hot coffee, and walking do not reverse the effects of alcohol overdose and could actually make things worse.

You might notice numbness and tingling in your feet and hands. If your body can’t manage and balance your blood sugar levels, you may experience greater complications and side effects related to diabetes. A damaged pancreas can also prevent your body from producing enough insulin to use sugar. This can lead to hyperglycemia, or too much sugar in the blood. Drinking too much alcohol over time may cause inflammation of the pancreas, resulting in pancreatitis.

Risks of heavy alcohol use

The more you drink, especially in a short period of time, the greater your risk of alcohol poisoning. Sunshine Behavioral Health strives to help people who are facing substance abuse, addiction, mental health disorders, or a combination of these conditions. It does this by providing compassionate care and evidence-based content that addresses health, treatment, and recovery.