How Alcohol Consumption Affects Your Body and Health

Many people in the U.S. and all over the world drink alcohol. A 2019 U.S. national survey showed that over 70% of people drank in the last year and nearly 55% in the last month. Though alcohol use is common and often associated with a good time, it’s important to know how it affects your body, how much is safe to drink, and what the potential risks are. We’ll cover these topics, along with treatment options for people who have problems with alcohol. 

What happens to your body when you drink alcohol? 

Once you drink alcohol, your body quickly absorbs it. After alcohol is absorbed, it travels to and affects different parts of the body. Let’s take a look at how alcohol affects some of the organs in your body after you drink:

• Brain and nervous system: Alcohol changes your mood, coordination, memory, and level of alertness. It can also affect the areas in the brain that control breathing.    

• Heart and circulation: Alcohol stays in the bloodstream until it’s broken down. Depending on how much and how long after you drink, alcohol can cause the blood vessels to either relax or tighten. A few drinks can also cause a fast or irregular heartbeat.

• Stomach, intestines, and liver: The stomach and intestines absorb the alcohol that you drink. The liver is the main organ that processes alcohol.

• Kidneys: Alcohol causes the kidneys to produce more urine.

• Skin: Alcohol causes blood vessels in the skin to relax. You look more flushed and sweat more.

How much alcohol is safe to drink? 

It has been long debated whether any amount of alcohol is safe to drink. If you choose to drink, it is thought that 1 standard drink in a day for women, and up to 2 for men, may limit your risks of developing alcohol-related diseases.

A standard drink or serving of alcohol is 0.6 ounces, or 14 grams, of pure alcohol. This amount of pure alcohol can be found in:

• 12 ounces of beer

• 5 ounces of wine

• 8 ounces of malt liquor

• 1.5 ounces (a “shot”) of liquor like vodka, rum, or whiskey 

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The amount of alcohol that’s safe to drink isn’t the same for everyone (more on this below). It depends on factors such as:  

• Biological sex 

• Genetics

• Age

• Weight

• Medical history

• Use of other substances, including medications

How long does alcohol stay in your body when you drink?

The time alcohol stays in your body and breaks down in your system is different for everyone. It is based on how much and how fast you drink, as well as the factors noted above. Some people have different versions of the enzymes that break down alcohol in their stomach and liver. This can make the process faster or slower. Men break down alcohol faster than women, and those with medical conditions such as liver disease break down alcohol slower.  

Most people can process 1 standard drink per hour. Though alcohol is processed in the body at a standard rate, some people feel the effects of alcohol more and for a longer time. This is because blood alcohol concentration (BAC, or percent of alcohol in the blood) varies for each person. 

What happens if I drink too much alcohol?

Binge drinking, or drinking too much alcohol too quickly, can cause an alcohol overdose or poisoning. Too much alcohol can cause symptoms such as:

• Blurred vision

• Slurred speech

• Flushed skin

• Emotional instability

• Poor coordination

When you drink so much that you approach a blood alcohol concentration of 0.30 to 0.35, or about 4 times the legal limit, you can become unconscious. Alcohol can also cause problems controlling basic life functions such as your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. When blood alcohol concentrations increase to 0.40 or more, it can be fatal.

If you’re lucky to not have life-threatening effects after drinking too much, you could still develop other uncomfortable effects of alcohol such as fatigue, inflammation of the stomach, pancreas, liver, and the commonly experienced hangover. 

What is a hangover and how is it treated?

A hangover is a group of unpleasant symptoms that includes headache, nausea and vomiting, and fatigue. The cause is not completely understood. But it’s likely from inflammation in the body and a buildup of a toxic protein called acetaldehyde, which is a byproduct of alcohol. It’s likely that other substances in alcohol, such as congeners (natural byproducts of fermentation and distillation in dark liquor), also contribute to hangovers. 

There’s no cure for a hangover. However, some remedies might ease hangover symptoms, including:  

• Time: The body needs time to break down the toxic byproducts of drinking alcohol.

• Pain relieving medication: If it’s safe for you to take them, anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) may help.

• Hydration: Drink plenty of water or sports drinks with electrolytes such as sodium and potassium.

• Medications for upset stomach: Consider antacids like famotidine (Pepcid), calcium carbonate (Tums, Rolaids), and/or magnesium (milk of magnesia, Maalox, Mylanta). Medications like ondansetron (Zofran) can help with nausea.

• Supplements: Prickly pear extract and vitamin B6 may help prevent some hangover symptoms if you take them before drinking alcohol.

Despite common belief, drinking more alcohol won’t help – it will only make hangover symptoms worse.

What if you drink too much alcohol over a long period of time? 

In addition to the short-term effects, excessive alcohol use also has negative effects on your body. This includes binge drinking as well as heavy drinking, which is defined as having more than 8 drinks per week for women and more than 15 drinks per week for men. 

Long-term alcohol use can result in serious health issues. Some of these health effects include: 

• Liver disease

• Malnutrition and digestive problems

• Pancreatitis

• Cancers

• High blood pressure and heart disease

• Brain and nervous system damage

• Depression, anxiety, and family problems

• Kidney disease 

• Inflammation and weakened immune system  

Is alcohol addictive? 

Alcohol is a commonly misused substance and can be addictive. Over 14 million people struggle with alcohol misuse or dependence. Genetic and environmental factors play a role in alcohol dependence.

Alcohol causes the release of feel-good hormones called endorphins in areas of the brain that are responsible for reward processing. This is how the brain takes in and remembers a stimulus that causes pleasure. A 2012 study suggested that after drinking the same amount of alcohol, people who identified as “heavy drinkers” released more endorphins than those who considered themselves “light drinkers.” When the reward pathways are stimulated, it’s tempting to want to repeat that experience. But drinking too much alcohol over time will cause you to build tolerance and drink more to have an effect. 

Alcohol can also be addictive because some people treat symptoms of stress, anxiety, or even bad childhood memories with alcohol since it can make them feel happy and light. Alcohol is also relatively cheap, easy to access, and socially acceptable in many cultures. All of these things can make alcohol easier for some people to misuse.

How can you tell if you have a problem with alcohol? 

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a medical condition that describes what many people know as “alcoholism.” Heavy drinking and binge drinking increase the likelihood of developing a problem with alcohol. But there’s no specific amount of alcohol that defines AUD. 

Alcohol becomes a problem when you can’t stop or control your drinking — even if there are bad consequences from it. It can be difficult to recognize when you have a problem. But being aware of the signs of substance use is an important step to recovery.

What is alcohol withdrawal?

If you drink heavily over a long period of time, you can get sick when you drink less or stop drinking completely. This is called alcohol withdrawal. Mild symptoms can start within 6 hours of your last drink and progress to a more severe form called delirium tremens within 24 to 48 hours. 

Mild to moderate symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:

• Tremors

• Anxiety

• Inability to sleep

• Headache

• Feeling like your heart is beating too fast, pounding, or skipping a beat

• Upset stomach

Severe symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include: 

• Seizures

• Fast heart rate

• High temperature

• Sweating

• Agitation

• Confusion 

• Hallucinations

Alcohol withdrawal treatment includes a quiet environment, lots of fluids, and replenishing vitamins and minerals such as thiamine, folic acid, and magnesium. Medications can also help calm down the brain. Examples include benzodiazepines such as lorazepam (Ativan), diazepam (Valium), and chlordiazepoxide (Librium). Barbiturates such as phenobarbital (Luminal) may also help. 

What treatments are available for alcohol addiction?  

If you or someone you know struggles with substance use, help is available. There are several treatments available for people who have problems with alcohol, including detoxification, counseling, and medications. The setting for treatment can range from outpatient care to more intense inpatient or residential treatment.  

Healthcare providers often recommend medications along with counseling. Examples of recommended medications include naltrexone (Vivitrol, Revia), acamprosate (Campral), and disulfiram (Antabuse). 

To learn more about the resources in your area, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357), or visit Findtreatment.gov.

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Written by:

Tiffany Chioma Anaebere, MD

Tiffany Chioma Anaebere, MD, is a medical writer and a practicing emergency medicine physician and educator in Northern California. Dr. Anaebere also researches and develops novel curriculum for physician learners.

Edited by:

Mandy Armitage, MD

Mandy Armitage, MD, has combined her interests in clinical medicine with her passion for education and content development for many years. She served as medical director for the health technology companies HealthLoop (now Get Well) and Doximity.

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