You’re out drinking with your friends on a Saturday night. After a long, hard week at work, all you want to do is relax and enjoy yourself. And before you even finish your first drink, one of your friends has already bought another round.
As more drinks come your way throughout the night, a haziness starts to come over you and you feel as if your surroundings are spinning. By the time morning comes, all your memories from the night before are a blur. Your head is pounding, your stomach is in knots and you’re left feeling physically and mentally exhausted.
This situation is a reminder that while drinking alcohol can be enjoyable, there’s a price to pay for having too much. While you may be familiar with some of the short-term effects of alcohol, drinking too much or too regularly can also have long-term effects you may not expect.
The Short-Term Effects of Alcohol
You don’t have to regularly abuse alcohol to experience the short-term effects of drinking too much. On average, your liver can process about one drink per hour. But when you’re drinking at a faster rate, this leads to you becoming intoxicated. Drink too much and you can experience a blackout.
But not having any memory of when you were intoxicated isn’t the only short-term symptom you can experience. The main short-term effects of drinking too much include:
- Difficulty breathing
- Passing out
- Lapses in memory
- Alcohol poisoning
- Slurred speech
- Slowed reaction time
- Loss of balance and stumbling
But the short-term effects of alcohol are not created equal. If you consume alcohol in combination with taking other substances, the effects above can be amplified. From illicit drugs to prescription painkillers, drinking too much on these substances drastically increases the health risks.
For example, if someone who is abusing opioids drinks too much, they are at risk of life-threatening conditions like hypotension. Many people aren’t even aware that their prescriptions can have potentially dangerous interactions with alcohol, so be sure to check with your doctor if you’re taking any medications.
The Long-Term Effects of Alcohol
You may have experienced some of the short-term effects of drinking too much mentioned above. But what happens when alcohol abuse becomes a common practice over a long period of time?
As you may have guessed, the effects are wide-ranging and very serious. Prolonged alcohol abuse contributes to over 200 diseases. In addition to sever liver damage, some of the long-term effects can include:
- Damage to the circulatory system, including a number of heart- related issues like heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, stroke and heart failure.
- Cancer. Prolonged alcohol abuse has been linked to many types of cancer across the body.
- Malnutrition. Heavy drinking can cause damage inside the intestines, which makes it harder for your body to absorb nutrients.
- A weaker immune system. Heavy drinking leads to a weaker immune system, which is why those suffering from an alcohol use disorder are more likely to contract pneumonia.
- Addiction. Alcohol causes receptors in the brain to release increased levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with feeling good. After a long period of alcohol abuse, your brain and body can develop an alcohol addiction.
But the long-term effects of alcohol aren’t limited to the body. Given enough time, alcohol abuse has an impact on your communication skills and can even change the structure of parts of the brain, including the limbic system, cerebellum and cerebral cortex.
Drinking too much over time can also have a negative impact on your mental health. Mental health disorders and alcohol share a close link, which is why dual diagnosis disorders are not uncommon. Whether you’re abusing alcohol to cope with a mental health issue or your drinking has triggered a mental health disorder, a credible addiction treatment center is needed to overcome both.
Suffering from Alcohol Withdrawal
Alcohol withdrawal is another consequence of alcohol abuse. The following symptoms are oftentimes felt when your body and brain go too long without alcohol:
- Mild tremors
- Nausea and vomiting
- High blood pressure
- High fever and excessive sweating
Alcohol withdrawal is very serious and can become life threatening if not handled properly. That’s why many experts suggest medical detox treatment for anyone suffering from alcohol withdrawal, so that their condition can be monitored and treated in a safe, professional manner. Detox is often the first step on the path to recovery, followed by inpatient or outpatient treatment.
Find Expert Alcohol Addiction Treatment in Ohio
If you’ve suffered from the short-term and long-term effects of drinking too much, Silver Maple Recovery can help you heal from an alcohol use disorder. We believe that everyone has the power to break free from the vicious cycle of alcohol addiction.
With our alcohol detox services in Cleveland, Ohio, we can help you manage withdrawal symptoms in a comfortable and secure setting. Our detox services include private rooms and 24-hour supervision from addiction professionals.
Alcohol addiction is a challenge that you don’t have go through alone. Our local addiction team with 24-years of experience is here to support you. The simple act of reaching out can start the momentum that leads to lasting recovery. Contact our team today. We have professional caregivers available 24/7 to answer your questions and help you get the treatment you need.