Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that historically was used as a pain reliever. It can intensify the actions of other CNS depressant drugs, sometimes with fatal effects. Alcohol is generally considered safe or even beneficial to health when consumed in moderate amounts with food. The wanted effects of alcohol are relaxation, euphoria and feelings of being comfortable with other people. The side effects of short-term intoxication and long-term excessive drinking, however, may pose a danger to health and safety.
Short-term Effects
Alcohol's sedative effects cause slurred speech, slowed reflexes and impaired coordination. According to Drugs.com, drinking more than 6 oz. can cause changes in behavior or poor judgment. Because the liver has a limited ability to detoxify alcohol, ingesting more than 1 oz. of alcohol per hour results in feelings of depression, nausea and vomiting. If drinking continues, intoxication is followed by unconsciousness. Respiratory depression, coma and death are associated with blood alcohol concentrations approaching 0.6, according to the National Institutes of Health website MedlinePlus. A blackout, or alcohol-induced memory loss, is a side effect that can occur at any age and in anyone who drinks too much alcohol too quickly.
Long-term Effects
Over time, regular drinking builds tolerance to many of alcohol's short-term side effects. Larger amounts of alcohol must be ingested to produce effects. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism states that tolerance influences drinking behavior and is a sign of dependency, or alcoholism. The liver that is overworked by increasing amounts of alcohol may also react to medications and anesthetics, breaking them down faster and making them less effective at normal doses. This side effect makes the treatment of alcoholics for other conditions, such as diabetes or an accident requiring surgery, a challenge for doctors.
Alcohol gradually interferes with the liver's ability to produce enzymes and fat soluble vitamins, resulting in malabsorption of nutrients and deficiencies that harm health. The toxic effects of alcohol cause damage to the brain and other organs. Chronic drinking is associated with damaged blood vessels, poor circulation, high blood pressure, heart failure, irregular heart beat, nerve damage, dementia, pancreatitis, alcoholic hepatitis, fatty liver disease, cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. Acetaldehyde, a known carcinogen, is produced when alcohol is broken down by the body. Cancer of the mouth and throat, breast and some types of colorectal cancer are associated with long-term alcohol abuse.
During Pregnancy
Drinking during pregnancy has side effects that may cause irreversible harm to the unborn baby. Alcohol goes through the placenta and enters fetal circulation to damage the developing liver, brain, heart, kidneys, limbs, joints, fingers and facial features. Some children exposed to alcohol in utero are born with a group of developmental disabilities known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns women that no amount or kind of alcohol is considered safe at any time during pregnancy.
