Alcohol plays a significant role in the lives of many people in the United States and around the world. While it can be a source of fun, creative inspiration, or social comfort for some, it also carries a host of harmful risks.
Each time you consume alcohol, it takes a toll on your body. Medically, alcohol is considered a drug, and for very good reasons: aside from being addictive, it has a significant impact on your health on nearly every level.
Here, we will explore some of the things that alcohol does to your body by first examining the effect of having one drink, then a couple, and then when you consume enough to become drunk or suffer the effects of alcohol poisoning.
Units of Alcohol
Not all alcoholic beverages are equal. Wine has more alcohol content per volume than beer, for example, and spirits such as vodka and whisky have more alcohol content per volume than wine. This means that, even if you drink the same amount of whisky as you would wine, you’ll become considerably more intoxicated.
As such, when we talk about alcohol, we measure it in units, and a standard drink is defined as any beverage containing 0.6 fl oz or 14 grams of pure alcohol.[1]
One Drink
After one drink, your body already reacts to alcohol. Psychologically speaking, one drink is associated with feeling warm, sociable, talkative, and less self-conscious. Many people drink alcohol socially for this reason. The reality of what’s happening inside your body at this point is that your heart rate is speeding up and, crucially, your blood vessels are expanding. This can cause some people to flush in the cheeks, neck, or chest since more blood is flowing through the expanded vessels.[2]
Two or Three Drinks
After two drinks, your brain and nervous system start to be more noticeably affected by alcohol. Your cognitive ability is altered because the cells in your nervous system are impaired, significantly changing the signals your body is sending to your brain. In particular, the parts of your brain associated with judgment and decision-making will be affected. This can make you feel less inhibited and more reckless, cause concentration and coordination issues, and induce mood changes.
The flush of the initial two drinks will also deepen as more blood vessels expand, causing you to become warm or sweaty. At this point, blood alcohol levels are also rising, meaning that it is moving to all parts of your body.
There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that having one to three drinks at a time keeps you relatively in the clear in terms of dangerous side effects, though this is by no means true for everyone. However, if you drink alcohol, having fewer than three units is the safest bet for minimizing the risks it poses to the body.[3]
Four to Nine Drinks
Once you have had four drinks in under two hours – what is officially recognized as binge drinking – there are serious and obvious effects to your body. As the influence of alcohol continues to affect your nervous system, and the connections between brain and body become more and more distorted by the alcohol, your speech will slur, your motor coordination will become considerably worse, and your reaction times will be much slower. Your vision may begin to lose focus as well.
The high ethanol content in alcohol also acts as a depressant, since ethanol slows the brain activity. After this many drinks, you may begin to feel sad or blue, even if the initial few drinks left you feeling elated.
The function of alcohol on the brain after consuming four to nine drinks is quite severe. Here are some of the ways that it affects the different systems of the body:[4]
Central Nervous System
- Sedation
- Nerve suppression
- Motor incoordination
- Disturbance of synaptic transmission
- Amnesia
Cardiovascular System
- Increased blood pressure
Digestive System
- Liver strain
- Irritation of the stomach lining
- Pancreatic strain
Immune System
- Inflamed cytokines (a key tissue of the immune system)
- Disturbed gastrointestinal biome
- Compromised innate immunity
More than Nine Drinks
After more than nine drinks, alcohol severely debilitates your body and brain. Alcohol is a toxic substance, and at this level, the toxins are directly affecting the brain, making it difficult to think or perhaps even move. For this reason, many people lose consciousness after drinking this much. The volume of alcohol in your stomach will also severely upset your digestion and could lead to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Due to your lack of coordination, you will also be considerably more at risk of accidents.
After nine units of alcohol, you are at risk of developing alcohol poisoning, which is extremely dangerous and requires immediate medical attention. At this point, alcohol interferes with the body’s automatic functions, like breathing and heart rate.[5]
Long-term Effects of Alcohol on the Body
The long-term effects of regular alcohol consumption depend on volume, but studies fairly consistently show that if you habitually drink more than four units of alcohol over time, your body will be significantly affected. Your brain will be the most affected, and cognitive decline is one of the major factors associated with alcohol consumption over time. But long-term drinking is also associated with kidney and liver disease. The liver enables your body to process alcohol, and overworking it over long periods of time wears the organ down and can cause it to fail.
Long-term alcohol use also increases your risk of suffering other consequences, including:
- Stroke
- Cardiovascular disease
- Diabetes
Alcohol severely affects both the body and brain, and it should be used in moderation if at all. If you or anyone you know is struggling with excessive alcohol use, reach out to us, or visit the resources page of our website for more information. We are here to help and support you with professional, bespoke, and highly-trained care.
Sources:
[1] National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/what-standard-drink#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%2C%20one,which%20is%20about%2040%25%20alcohol
[2] National Health Service. Risks: Alcohol misuse. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-misuse/risks/
[3] Perlmutter, A. (2024) Alcohol and Your Brain: The Latest Scientific Insights. Psychology Today. March 18. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-modern-brain/202403/alcohol-and-your-brain-the-latest-scientific-insights
[4] Varghese, J., & Dakhode, S. (n.d.). Effects of Alcohol Consumption on Various Systems of the Human Body: A Systematic Review. Cureus, 14(10), e30057. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.30057
[5] Mayo Clinic. Alcohol poisoning. Overview. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alcohol-poisoning/symptoms-causes/syc-20354386
