What Are the Short-Term Health Effects of Alcohol Use?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that women consume no more than one alcoholic beverage per day and men consume no more than two alcoholic drinks in a day. Since the human body does not gain any nutritional value from alcohol, the liver works quickly to break alcohol down and eliminate it. If a person consumes alcohol faster than his liver can metabolize it, the alcohol enters his bloodstream and infiltrates his body's tissues, including his brain. This produces several negative short-term health effects that can have lasting consequences.

Hangovers

Hangover symptoms include fatigue, weakness, headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. Hangovers occur due to alcohol inactivating the output of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH), which increases the amount of water and electrolytes lost in urination. This results in dehydration, which is felt as hangover symptoms a few hours after drinking. Compounds called congeners that are found in some alcoholic beverages can also contribute to hangover symptoms, such as headache. Congeners are added during the fermentation process and are found in large numbers in red wine.

Injury to Self or Others

Alcohol acts as a depressant on the central nervous system, slowing transmission of nerve impulses throughout the brain. Excessive alcohol consumption leads to slow reaction time and loss of balance and motor control, increasing the risk of personal injury. The potential for severe or fatal injuries to oneself and others becomes even greater when drinking and driving is involved. Alcohol is also a leading factor in intentional injuries, as 35 percent of domestic abuse and child abuse victims report that the offender was under the influence of alcohol. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 79,000 deaths per year are alcohol-related.

Risky Sexual Behavior

Because alcohol lowers inhibition and impairs judgment, those who consume alcohol are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors, such as sex without a condom, sex with multiple partners or sex with unknown partners. Consuming alcohol also heightens one's risk of becoming a victim of sexual assault. All of these risks can result in sexually transmitted diseases or unintended pregnancies.

Interactions with Medication

Consuming even small amounts of alcohol can be a problem for those on certain medications. Alcohol can negatively affect certain medications such as antihistamines by increasing drowsiness, acetaminophen by increasing the risk of liver damage and antidepressants by increasing feelings of intoxication.

Fatty Liver

When alcohol is present in the body, the liver stops all other nutrient metabolizing processes to focus solely on breaking down the toxic alcohol. Therefore, the fats that are consumed in food arrive to the liver and are unable to be metabolized. This results in a buildup of fat cells in the liver. While a fatty liver can correct itself if alcohol consumption is stopped, when alcohol abuse continues, fatty liver cells die and cause scarring, resulting in cirrhosis of the liver and the liver's inability to filter toxins and waste products.

Alcohol Poisoning

A healthy human liver can metabolize one alcoholic drink within 90 to 120 minutes. Consuming alcohol faster than the body can metabolize it will result in drunkenness and can lead to alcohol poisoning. When blood alcohol concentrations reach 0.30 and higher, breathing and heart rate slow dramatically, leading to unconsciousness. When a person drinks to the point of losing consciousness, his blood alcohol concentration continues to rise, as the alcohol in his stomach and small intestine continues to be absorbed into his blood stream. Without medical attention, death can occur.