How can alcohol affect your body?

Answer 1

Consumed in moderation, alcohol contributes to good health and greater longevity than does either abstaining or abusing alcohol. Alcohol abuse can have very bad safety and health consequences.

Answer 2

Beside the immediate affect of intoxication (i.e- dizziness, mood enhancement, mood swings, loss of inhibition, loss of co-ordination, dehydration), excessive, long-term alcohol use may lead to liver disease, Heart disease, dementia, malnutrition, pancreatitis, impotence and/or loss of libido, and can increase your odds of developing several types of cancer (in fact, some studies suggest that even moderate use of alcohol can increase the risk of developing cancer).

Accidents and violence stemming from alcohol abuse are obvious risks, as is the potential damage to the unborn - total abstinence during pregnancy is a rational recommendation. Alcohol abuse can also lead to chronic depression, and suicide rates among drinkers are higher than among non-drinkers.

Regular alcohol consumption within reasonable limits (1-2 units per day) may reduce your chances of developing heart disease. Studies have shown that mortality rates are lower in regular, moderate alcohol users, though many experts consider the research upon which this conclusion is based to be flawed or biased.

Thrombosis is less likely in drinkers as a result of the anti-coagulant nature of alcohol, and consumption of beer and wine has been shown to reduce the development of kidney stones.

Answer 3

Alcohol can "mess up" a person's body if he or she repeatedly abuses it, especially if done so over a period of decades,