Long-Term Effects of Alcohol

You might be that rare person that never experiences the short-term effects of alcohol like hangovers and drunk texting. If so, you go Glen Coco. But the future is still unpredictable. It’s easy to think, “I’m in peak shape supporting my country, who cares about the future when I’m crushing it right now?” That’s understandable; you should take pride in your success so far! But some of these long-term problems might be closer than you realize. If you’re drinking too much, you may experience permanent damage to your body and brain down the road.

Check out these 10 long-term effects of drinking. They might make you think twice about how you own your limits in the future.

1. Digestive problems (might as well join the gluten free bandwagon now…)
2. Dependence on alcohol (without alcohol, you may experience trouble sleeping, irritability, depression or sweating which makes that early morning PT juuuust a bit harder, am I right?)
3. Sexual dysfunction and decreased fertility (for men and women!)
4. Increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature delivery
5. Birth defects in children born to women who drink during pregnancy AND dads who binge drink
6. Heart disease and other heart problems, such as irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure or stroke
7. Liver disease
8. Cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, liver and colon
9. Pancreatitis (pancreas swelling)
10. Brain damage, including memory loss and brain shrinkage

Maybe you just started drinking or perhaps you’ve already seen these risks negatively affecting your life. Whatever your situation may be, it’s never too early to learn how to drink responsibly or too late to get help.