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Health Impacts of AUD: What to Know

While the effects of alcohol can feel good in the short term, in the long term it can cause problems for our health and wellbeing. Drinking alcohol is linked to a range of mental health issues like depression and memory loss; and can cause damage to your heart, liver, and increase risk of cancer.

Mental Health

Regular, heavy drinking interferes with chemicals in the brain that are vital for good mental health. So while we might feel relaxed after a drink, in the long run, alcohol can lead to feelings of depression and anxiety, and make stress harder to deal with.

Brain

Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions can change mood and behavior and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination.

Heart

Drinking a lot over a long time or too much on a single occasion can damage the heart, causing problems including:

  • Cardiomyopathy – Stretching and drooping of heart muscle
  • Arrhythmias – Irregular heart beat
  • Stroke
  • High blood pressure

Liver

Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations, including:

  • Steatosis, or fatty liver
  • Alcoholic hepatitis
  • Fibrosis
  • Cirrhosis

Pancreas

Alcohol causes the pancreas to produce toxic substances that can eventually lead to pancreatitis, a dangerous inflammation and swelling of the blood vessels in the pancreas that prevents proper digestion.

Cancer

Alcohol drinking can cause or increase your chances of getting cancer, including:

  • Head and neck cancer, including oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx cancers
  • Esophageal cancer
  • Liver cancer
  • Breast cancer
  • Colorectal cancer