9 Ways Alcohol is Killing You Slowly

Because it is widely available and socially acceptable, it’s easy to overlook the increased risk even moderate alcohol consumption can pose for disease, injury, and mortality. Yet, alcohol is the third-leading preventable cause of death in the United States! A November 2022 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) brief alarmingly reported that alcohol-induced deaths jumped a whopping 26% between 2019 and 2020.

The truth is alcohol kills, sometimes quickly, but more often slowly – in the following ways.

The truth is alcohol kills, sometimes quickly, but more often slowly.
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9 WAYS ALCOHOL SLOWLY KILLS YOU

1. Degrades Your Heart Health

Most of us know that heavy drinking is not good for our hearts. Indeed, the CDC reports that heavy drinking can cause heart disease, but what if you enjoy a glass of wine several times a week?

It now appears that all types of drinking alcohol, even moderate drinking, may be associated with an increased risk for heart disease, according to a study from 2022 on habitual alcohol use and cardiovascular disease risk published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network. This finding counters the idea that moderate drinking provides heart health benefits, a conclusion that came from observational studies that many researchers now believe to be faulty.

The World Heart Federation also warns against any alcohol consumption in its 2022 Policy Brief due to its ill effects on health, especially heart health, referencing research that found moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a higher risk for stroke, heart failure, fatal hypertension, fatal aortic aneurysm, and coronary heart disease.

2. Increases Cancer Risk

Consuming alcohol is strongly associated with an increased risk of cancer and cancer mortality. In fact, the American Cancer Society recently updated its Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention stating it’s best “not to drink alcohol at all.”

The change in policy recommendation came from a study published in Cancer Epidemiology that found alcohol plays a role in a significant amount of cancer diagnoses and deaths among Americans. Specifically, alcohol consumption was most strongly linked to cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx, and breasts.

3. Compromises Your Brain

Although alcohol may increase brain chemicals that make you feel good, it is not good for the brain! A 2016 review indicates that those who abuse alcohol regularly show evidence of damage in certain areas of the brain—such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC), involved in decision-making and controlling impulses, and the hippocampus, which plays an important role in memory, learning, and mood.

Heavy drinking may also lower neurogenesis—the generation of new brain cells, according to animal research showing a dramatic decline (58%) in the formation and survival rate of new brain cells associated with alcohol consumption. Some of these ill effects may be due, in part, to decreased blood flow to the brain, which is a consequence of heavy drinking, brain scans have shown. Alcohol inhibits the healthy blood flow your brain needs to work optimally.

Research shows that alcohol, even in moderate amounts (1-7 drinks a week), is associated with lower total brain volume. The more you drink, the greater the brain volume shrinkage. This has been reflected in brain SPECT imaging at Amen Clinics as well. It’s not surprising that compared with non-drinkers and light drinkers, moderate (more than a drink a day) to heavy drinkers have a 57% higher risk of dementia, according to a population-based study.

4. Greater Risk of Mental Health Disorders

While a little alcohol can take the edge off temporarily, research shows it to be more of a detriment to mental health long-term. Regular, heavy drinking interferes with certain brain chemicals that are critical to good mental health. Indeed, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA) reports that alcohol abuse and or dependence can lead to a host of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, ADD/ADHD, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Alcohol abuse is also associated with higher suicide risk due to its disinhibition, impulsiveness, and impaired judgment effects. Research conducted on completed suicides shows that alcoholics account for roughly 20–40% of all suicides.

5. Increases in Infectious Diseases

Most people know that drinking too much alcohol can make you sick to your stomach, but fewer people are aware of how much more susceptible drinking makes you to communicable diseases, research shows.

Drinking excessively stokes inflammation and impairs the immune response, making you more vulnerable to both bacterial and viral infections, and decreases response to vaccination. For some heavy drinkers during the COVID pandemic, this alcohol-driven hit to the immune system was deadly. Additionally, losing your inhibitions while inebriated can put you at risk for sexually transmitted diseases, including life-threatening ones like HIV, through condomless sex.

6. More Vulnerable to Injury

Moderate alcohol consumption has been observed to negatively impact balance, ability to focus visually, reaction time, good judgment, and behavior, which increases the risk of injury.

According to world statistics, 28.7% of all deaths attributed to alcohol consumption were due to injuries in 2016 (the most recent year of recorded stats). Alcohol consumption is linked to a greater risk of car accidents, drownings, injuries from violence, and falls, according to the NIAA. It also increases your risk of head injury in the form of concussions.

7. Higher Incidence of Digestive Disease

Heavy drinking can lead to stomach inflammation—and that causes acid reflux and heartburn, and in some cases, even long-term esophageal issues. In your gut, alcohol can damage the lining and disrupt your microbiome, causing an imbalance in favor of the bad bacteria. Moderate and heavy drinking both increase the risk of colon cancer, compared to no alcohol consumption.

A review study in Alcohol Research found that chronic alcohol consumption is associated with intestinal inflammation, altered intestinal microbiota composition and function, and increased intestinal lining permeability (leaky gut). What’s more, researchers believe that this alcohol-induced intestinal inflammation may drive a number of alcohol-related organ dysfunctions and chronic disorders, such as chronic liver disease, neurological health issues, GI cancers, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

8. Alcohol Use Disorder

Alcohol use disorder (also called alcohol dependence, addiction, or alcoholism) increases your risk of every health issue mentioned above. Imagine slowly poisoning a plant with small amounts of a toxic liquid substance. That’s akin to what chronic alcohol abuse does to your body. It slowly erodes multiple areas of health and takes years off your life.

The CDC reports that more than 140,000 people die from excessive alcohol use in the U.S. each year, and those people’s lives were shortened by an average of 26 years!

9. Kills Your Liver Function

Any time you drink more alcohol than your liver can process, it causes problems. If you consume a large amount of alcohol, even for just a few days, it can lead to a build-up of fats in the liver, which is called alcoholic fatty liver disease. While it is usually heavy drinking that harms the liver, moderate drinking can cause some degree of fatty liver.

Long-term alcohol abuse seen in alcoholics may cause swelling and inflammation (hepatitis) of the liver. Over time, this can lead to permanent damage and scarring, which is called cirrhosis of the liver—known as the final phase of alcoholic liver disease. Roughly 43% of liver disease deaths in the U.S. are related to alcohol consumption.

Alcohol problems and mental health issues can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, clinical evaluations, and therapy for adults, teens, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.