Facts about Drinking Alcohol

Alcohol...

Many people enjoy a drink without any problems. But binge drinking or drinking heavily over longer periods of time can have very serious consequences. Alcohol misuse not only harms the individual but is damaging to relationships and society in general in terms of violence and crime, accidents and drink driving.

In Northern Ireland, the number of alcohol-related deaths has more than doubled since 1994. The most recent figures show:

• there were 283 deaths recorded as alcohol-related;
• there were over 8,000 alcohol-related admissions to hospitals in Northern Ireland.

Long-term effects

As well as the recognised immediate effects of drinking too much, like nausea/vomitting, binge drinking and prolonged heavy drinking over longer periods of time can affect you in many different ways.

Brain damage

Binge drinking can cause blackouts, memory loss and anxiety. Long-term drinking can result in permanent brain damage, serious mental health problems and alcohol dependence or alcoholism. For more information on the effects of alcohol on mental health click here. Young people's brains are particularly vulnerable because the brain is still developing during their teenage years. Alcohol can damage parts of the brain, affecting behaviour and the ability to learn and remember.

Cancers

Drinking alcohol is the second biggest risk factor for cancers of the mouth and throat (smoking being the first). People who develop cirrhosis of the liver (often caused by too much alcohol) can develop liver cancer. For more information on the effects of alcohol on women’s risk of breast cancer click here.

Heart and circulation

Alcohol can cause high blood pressure (hypertension) increasing the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. It also weakens heart muscles, which can affect lungs, liver, brain and other body systems and can cause heart failure. Binge drinking and drinking heavily over longer periods can cause the heart to beat irregularly (arrhythmia) and has been linked to cases of sudden death.

Lungs

People who drink a lot of alcohol have more lung infections and can be more likely to get pneumonia and for their lungs to collapse. When a person vomits as a result of drinking alcohol they may choke if vomit gets sucked into their lungs.

Liver

Drinking too much alcohol initially causes fat deposits to develop in the liver. With continued excessive drinking the liver may become inflamed resulting in alcoholic hepatitis which can result in liver failure and death. Excessive alcohol can permanently scar and damage the liver resulting in liver cirrhosis and an increased risk of liver cancer. Women are particularly susceptible to the effects of alcohol on the liver, for more information click here.

Stomach

Drinking above recommended limits can lead to stomach ulcers, internal bleeding and cancer. Alcohol can cause the stomach to become inflamed (gastritis), which can prevent food from being absorbed and increase the risk of cancer.

Pancreas

Heavy or prolonged use of alcohol can cause inflammation of the pancreas, which can be very painful, causing vomiting, fever and weight loss, and can be fatal.

Intestine

Heavy drinking may result in ulcers and cancer of the colon. It also affects your body's ability to absorb nutrients and vitamins.

Kidneys

Heavy drinking can increase your risk of developing high blood pressure – a leading cause of chronic kidney disease.

Fertility

In men: impotence (lowered libido/sex drive) and infertility.

In women: infertility. Drinking alcohol when pregnant can seriously damage the development of the unborn baby. For more information on the effects of alcohol on fertility and pregnancy click here.

Bones

Alcohol interferes with the body's ability to absorb calcium. As a result, your bones become weak and thin (osteoporosis).

Weight gain

Alcohol is high in calories. Weight for weight, the alcohol in a drink contains almost as many calories as fat. The average bottle of wine contains 600 calories while four pints of average strength lager contains 640.

Skin

Alcohol dehydrates your body and your skin; it also widens blood vessels causing your skin to look red or blotchy.

Sexual health

Binge drinking makes you lose your inhibitions and affects your judgement. This might make you less likely to use a condom, increasing your risk of getting a sexually transmitted infection such as chlamydia, HIV or hepatitis or result in an unplanned pregnancy.

Mental health

People may think alcohol helps them to cope with difficult situations and emotions, to reduce stress or relieve anxiety, but alcohol is in fact associated with a range of mental health problems including depression, anxiety, risk-taking behaviour, personality disorders and schizophrenia.

Alcohol has also been linked to suicide. The Mental Health Foundation reports that:

• 65% of suicides have been linked to excessive drinking;
• 70% of men who kill themselves have drunk alcohol before doing so;
• almost one third of suicides among young people take place while the person is intoxicated.

Excessive drinking can disrupt normal sleeping patterns resulting in insomnia and a lack of restful sleep which can contribute to stress and anxiety.

Other effects

Alcohol affects the parts of your brain that control judgment, concentration, coordination, behaviour and emotions. If you are binge drinking, you may be at greater risk of:

• becoming a victim of crime, eg rape, domestic violence, mugging or assault;
• being involved in antisocial or criminal behaviour, eg fights, domestic violence, vandalism or theft;
• having an accident, eg a road accident, fall, accident at work or accidental fire;
• losing your job, eg repeated absence or poor performance. Think about the financial consequences;
• damaging relationships with family or friends.

If you want to enjoy a drink try and stay within recommended limits.

Tips for managing your drinking

• Eat before or while drinking, and avoid salty snacks, which make you thirsty.
• Be assertive – don’t be pressured into drinking more than you want or intend to.
• Know your limits and stick to them.
• Stay busy – don't just sit and drink. Dance or have a game of pool if you're at a pub.
• Try not to confuse large measures of alcohol with standard measures, eg a glass of wine served at a party or at home may be much larger than the standard 125ml.
• Keep track of your drinks and don't let people top up your drink until it's finished.
• Try alternating alcoholic drinks with water or other non-alcoholic drinks. Add plenty of mixer to your drinks to make them last longer.
• Avoid rounds, ‘shouts’ and kitties – drink to your own pace, not someone else's.
• Drink slowly – take sips not gulps.

Drinking myths

Don't just swallow everything you hear about alcohol. Here's some help with those frequently aired myths.

Alcohol is good for the heart

Research shows that moderate drinking (1 to 2 units of alcohol a day) may reduce the risk of developing heart disease only for men over 40 or women who've been through menopause. There is NO evidence that non-drinkers should start drinking alcohol.

Alcohol cheers me up

Drinking too much tends to make you focus on your problems rather than forget them. Alcohol is a depressant and in the long run could make it more difficult for you to cope with any problems you already have. Drinking too much could also lead to new ones, such as illness, an accident or financial difficulties.

Beer will make me less drunk than spirits

One unit of beer or spirits contains the same amount of alcohol (but the effects of different types of drinks may affect people's moods differently).

Drinking coffee will sober me up

Drinking coffee will make you a ‘wide awake’ drunk. Caffeine in coffee is a stimulant, so you might feel more alert, but it does not make you sober.

I'll be fine in the morning

It takes approximately one hour for your liver to process (metabolise) one unit of alcohol. Sleep will not affect this and you will not necessarily be sober in the morning. This depends on the number of units you have drunk the night before. You can still be over the legal drink-driving limit the next morning.

I'll be okay if I drink plenty of water before I go to bed

This may reduce the symptoms of a hangover by preventing dehydration, but won't make you any less drunk or protect you from the damaging effects of alcohol.

Alcohol-related problems are mostly caused by ‘alcoholics’

Immediate problems like motor accidents, violent assaults and accidental injury are mostly caused by moderate drinkers who occasionally overdo it.

For more information:

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence ? Information on alcoholism and traditional treatment methods

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - Information on alcoholism and traditional treatment methods