When watching your favorite sitcom or prime time television show, it’s not uncommon for the protagonists to sit back with a beer or two after a long day. Drinking after work seems to be a large part of American culture, but what are the long-term health effects?
1. Breast Cancer Risk
Women’s treatment center Her House points out the increased risk for breast cancer and other life-threatening illnesses for women. Unfortunately, this is one of many ways that women are more susceptible to issues with alcohol than men.
“Alcoholism is different for women as it is men and the signs they display are not always the same,” the article states. “Also, women are more susceptible to the long-term damage that alcohol abuse can cause than men with alcohol dependence…Research also reveals that women drinkers suffer faster brain shrinkage than males, leading to long-term damage to memory and cognitive function.”
If you drink alcohol, particularly if you drink a lot, it’s vital that you do self-breast exams at least monthly and have a mammogram regularly. Breast cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer if caught early.
2. Liver Damage
One of the most damaging effects of alcohol consumption is liver damage. Your liver is primarily responsible for expelling toxins, like alcohol. Too much of this substance will overwhelm the organ and limit its ability to do its job. It can create long-term health problems, including the need for a liver transplant.
Those who drink excessively are also more susceptible to contracting liver cancer as well. However, according to studies, men are more likely to contract liver cancer than women by a ratio of two to one.
3. Weight Gain
Trying to lose weight? Better skip the wine with dinner.
“Studies show alcohol can make you hungry by suppressing leptin, a hunger-regulating hormone, which becomes a recipe for diet-destroying late-night noshing when combined with alcohol’s inhibition-lowering effect,” warns Leah Fessler of Women’s Health Mag. “And despite how refreshingly light that glass of wine or margarita may taste, they’re often packed with sugar and empty calories.”
Fessler also highlights the extremely high calorie count found in alcohol. A weekend of binge drinking can “cause most people to consume an average of 6,300 extra calories,” she says. In addition to the calories, your stomach will expand, and you’ll be hungrier and crave unhealthy foods. This can lead to weight gain, particularly in women.
4. Risk of Addiction
A drink once in a while has very few long-term effects on the body. However, if you become addicted, it can create a variety of catastrophic health effects, not to mention its impact on your personal and professional life. Many people who become addicted to alcohol struggle to hold down a job and maintain strong relationships.
According to research, alcohol addiction, commonly called alcoholism, is more common than you might think. About one in every 12 adults has an alcohol addiction. Your family history often plays a key role in that. Be careful if you have a family member who struggles with alcohol addiction.
5. Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety and depression are two health problems that often go hand in hand. When alcohol gets involved, it can make these two conditions even worse.
Ironically, alcohol is often a form of self-treatment for symptoms of anxiety and depression. Alcohol has a depressant or sedative effect, which can increase relaxation and create a sense of false calm. However, alcohol abuse can actually result in higher levels of anxiety and depression when your brain cells shrink, and chemicals become imbalanced.
6. Serious Diseases and Illness
Alcohol abuse almost always has long-lasting consequences, many of which involve serious medical disorders. Alcoholism often results in high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, dementia or Alzheimer’s, cardiomyopathy, pancreatitis, type II diabetes, tuberculosis, and other serious illnesses.
Alcoholism also increases your risks of contracting cancer. Liver and breast cancer are the most common forms of alcohol-related cancer, but you may also be at risk for throat or mouth cancer. Surprisingly, 13 percent of all cancer cases in women were related to alcohol consumption.
According to Dr. Ray Lebeda, MD, the link between alcoholism and cancer is very clear.
“When alcohol is broken down in the body, its converted to a toxic chemical called acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde can injure both the DNA and the proteins in the body and cause damage to your cells,”Dr. Lebeda says. “Alcohol also generates free radicals, harmful compounds that cause cells to oxidize. That can sometimes cause healthy cells to grow out of control and become cancerous.”
Minimal alcohol consumption will have little effect on the body, but it’s important to be aware of what could happen if things get out of hand. Put your health first and drink responsibly.