A look into alcohol-related diseases and illnesses

Alcohol is deeply embedded within our culture and is readily available in almost every convenience store. A few drinks to celebrate with a friend can seem innocuous enough, save for a painful hangover the next morning.

As drinking increases, we don’t always pay heed to what awaits further along the dangerous path of addiction. Long-term drinking is not free of consequences. There is a price tag hanging from alcohol’s pleasing escape, and understanding the health risks inherent in alcoholism can help us to recognise the cost.

Does every level of drinking lead to disease and illness?

It should be a surprise to no one that drinking too much is bad for you. Many of us heard this line in our teenage years from our parents or guardians. Of course, the definition of “too much” can vary, as the effects of alcohol rely on a multitude of factors, such as age, gender, weight and tolerance level.

The UK’s Chief Medical Officers define “low-risk drinking” as consuming up to 15 units per week. At this level, the chance of dying from an alcohol-related disease is about 1 in 100.

Drinking above this level is classified as “increasing risk” or “hazardous drinking.” When drinking at these levels, understanding the increased likelihood of alcohol-related diseases and illnesses could save your or a loved one’s life.

What diseases and illnesses are linked with alcoholism?

Alcohol-related diseases are conditions that are usually caused by drinking too much alcohol. Long-term alcohol use raises the risk of many diseases and illnesses. These can include:

Cancer

One of the most salient and deadly diseases linked with overconsumption of alcohol is cancer. Alcohol is linked with cancers of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, liver, breast, colon and rectum. Every time you drink, you’re placing pressure on your vital organs, damaging the tissues and increasing the likelihood of cancer. Alcohol increases levels of estrogen in the body, increasing the risk of breast cancer in women.

Liver disease

As you drink excessively over time, your liver builds up deposits of fat, a process called “hepatic steatosis” or sometimes called “fatty liver disease.” There’s also the increased likelihood of inflammation in your liver (alcoholic hepatitis), which can eventually spell doom for a healthy, full-functioning liver. Excessive drinking causes irreversible damage and scarring in the liver, massively impairing its normal functions. This is called “cirrhosis,” and as it gets worse, your liver inevitably begins to fail.

Pancreatitis

Another disease related to inflammation in the liver is Pancreatitis. It can be acute (sudden or severe onset) or chronic (long-term), and both types have painful and distressing symptoms. Pancreatitis causes intense stomach pains, disorientation and vomiting. Alcohol disrupts the way your pancreas functions and creates an enzyme buildup that starts digesting the organ itself. The pain can be excruciating and life-threatening for the person suffering.

Heart disease

Drinking too much alcohol takes a massive toll on your heart over time. Sustained alcohol misuse can make your heartbeat less regular (arrhythmia) and raise the risk of cardiomyopathy, where the muscles in your heart weaken. Alcohol increases your blood pressure, which increases fat buildup in your body’s arteries and restricts blood flow. Cardiovascular and ischaemic heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the UK and the leading cause of death worldwide. It’s also the most common cause of premature death in the UK, highlighting an immediate concern for long-term alcohol users.

Alcohol-related brain damage

The complex and multitudinous links between alcohol and the brain created the umbrella term “alcohol-related brain damage” (ARBD). The damage and impairments on your brain caused by sustained alcohol use are profound and reality-distorting. Long-term drinking interferes with your brain’s communication pathway and can even change your brain’s physical shape and structure.

The life-altering effects of ARBD are linked with massive changes in cognition, like your memory and thinking abilities. Your physical balance and coordination are impaired, which inevitably increases the risk of further head injuries.

Wernicke encephalopathy (colloquially called “wet brain”) is another serious brain disorder caused by a lack of vitamin B1 (thiamine). This deficiency leads to symptoms like confusion, memory loss, and lack of muscle coordination.

Weakened immune system

Heavy drinking over time has catastrophic effects on your body’s natural ability to recover from more common illnesses. Over time, your body’s defences can be compromised so that even a simple cold becomes tougher to shake off.

Illnesses and infections that non-drinkers face, like pneumonia and the flu, become more life-threatening. Alcohol adversely affects all of the cells of your immune system, simply making it harder for you to gear up and defend yourself from harmful germs.

Mental health consequences of alcoholism

Aside from the host of physical consequences alcohol imposes on the body, there are a variety of mental health disorders linked with heavy drinking. Alcohol massively damages the natural chemistry of your brain.

Alcohol’s addictive nature can make you see it as a way to escape suffering and dangerously self-medicate. In this, a fatalistic cycle can form, leading a person to think along the lines of:

“I feel awful. I’ll drink to help ease my suffering.”

A treacherous system is then created where drinking leads to suffering, and suffering leads to further drinking. The deleterious consequences of alcohol addiction on the brain are far-reaching.

Some of the common mental health conditions that co-occur with alcohol use disorder (AUD) include:

• Anxiety disorders: Many people use alcohol to manage their anxiety symptoms, but after an initial alleviation, the problem often worsens. People with an alcohol use disorder (AUD) are 2.1 times more likely to develop an anxiety disorder. Suffering from an anxiety disorder creates excessive panic and persistent fear in everyday situations. Physically, a person suffering will feel tense and tired most of the time, making a return to drinking alcohol to cope more likely.
• Mood disorders: Long-term alcohol abuse will almost certainly amplify your mood swings. What used to feel like a swing from feeling high to feeling low eventually feels like a giant oceanic wave of emotional change. Hopelessness and agitation can become daily opponents of your mental well-being.
• Other substance use disorders (SUD): Returning to alcohol as a way to cope increases the likelihood of developing another substance use disorder. In fact, over 40% of men and 47% of women with AUD have experienced another SUD at some point in their lives. Combining alcohol with other substances often accelerates addiction and should be addressed as soon as you see it.
• Sleep disorders: A pervading sense of fatigue and agitation from sleep disturbances is common in alcoholism. Research suggests as many as 72% of people who have alcoholism also have insomnia. Sleep disturbances can persist for weeks after a person stops drinking, but they often improve with continued sobriety.
• Psychotic disorders: Further profound psychotic disorders can occur through persistent alcohol abuse. In a review of people suffering from schizophrenia, for example, over 10% also had a lifetime AUD diagnosis. Psychotic disorders are incredibly complex and while the relationship between AUD and psychotic disorders isn’t fully understood, alcohol can worsen psychotic symptoms.

How can I make more informed decisions about alcohol use?

Almost all of us recognise how readily available alcohol is and how deeply it can be ingrained within our culture. Choosing not to drink around friends and loved ones can often feel bold and difficult.

Have you ever felt the pressure to drink when you didn’t want to? Did you fully understand the long-term health risks of alcoholism before you started drinking? Paying heed to the inherent health risks of alcoholism may keep your resolve steadfast when you feel pressured into drinking.

If you’re striving to reduce your intake after drinking for a sustained period, consider moderation as your guiding principle. “Low-risk drinking” provides clear guidelines on how much you should drink while remaining relatively safe.

Ultimately, making informed choices about using alcohol may take more than simply limiting your intake. Healthy decision-making often involves making sure alcohol fits within a balanced and mindful lifestyle. Simply placing a maximum number on how much you drink might not provide enough motivation to improve your relationship with alcohol in the long run.

You need to delve further into your relationship and reflect on how alcohol affects the choices you make, as well as your physical and mental health. Have you ever had an internal monologue similar to: “I’m deciding not to drink tonight”, only to break your own promise later?

We hope today’s information begins to help you help yourself. For many, becoming aware of alcohol-related diseases and illnesses could be a matter of life and death. Learning what to expect at the end of a dangerous road might help you change direction at a critical time in your life.

I need help getting alcohol out of my life

If any of today’s points resonate with you or a loved one, we are extending our hand in support. Recognising the dangers of alcoholism will help you think about reducing your intake, but actionable steps are needed.

Here at UKAT, we speciailse in recovery from alcohol addiction. For over a decade, we’ve developed detox and rehab programmes that heal a person as they escape alcohol addiction. Our staff are trained to support you in the recovery process at every step of the way.

Don’t suffer alone. Get in touch with us today to regain control and lead a healthier, alcohol-free life. We are only one phone call away from you or a loved one’s recovery.