ALCOHOL FACTS

What are the risks if you drink too much?

Immediate effects of excess drinking

Most people find alcohol helps us to relax and unwind - however drinking too much can have negative effects. The more we drink the less inhibited and in control we become.

Drinking too much alcohol in one go means:

You might do silly things you regret later, but you could also get involved in arguments or injure yourself in an accident
You might forget what you've done or where you've been or have a blackout. Memory loss is a very common effect of alcohol intoxication
You might vomit - your body is trying to protect itself by expelling the poison - yes, alcohol is a poison!

Longer term impact

The health impact of excess drinking in the longer term can be hidden, and often invisible.

If you regulalry drink excessively, the body’s body’s internal organs start to suffer and you’re more likely to develop cancer, high blood pressure, liver disease and stroke.

What do the risk levels mean?

The more you drink, the higher the risk. If you are regularly drinking at Increasing or High Risk levels, you will quite likely already have experienced some problems linked to alcohol, such as:

low energy and weight gain
poor sleeping or insomnia
puffy skin
relationship issues and possibly sexual difficulties
injury

Tolerance to alcohol

If you drink excessively on a regular basis, your body starts to build up a tolerance to alcohol. The noticeable, short term effects are less obvious - you feel drunk less often, for example. But this tolerance is not real. Behind the scenes your organs are under attack, which is why taking regular breaks from drinking is so important.

Drinking at Increasing or High Risk levels

Drinking at higher levels puts you at greater risk of the following health issues:

Cancer - you're 3 - 5 times more likely to get cancer of the mouth, neck and throat
Liver disease - you're 3 to 10 times more likely to get cirrhosis of the liver (scarring of the liver through excessive drinking)
Heart - you're twice as likely to have an irregular heartbeat
You're also more at risk of becoming alcohol dependent

Doctors therefore advise that if you drink, you should stick to the lower risk guidelines, which reduces your risk of long term health problems.