Alcohol leaves lasting damage to the body, causing long- and short-term problems. It might not feel like anything is wrong now, but the damage from alcohol can catch up in time. It is best to accept help and get treatment now before any damage sets in. Even moderated alcohol consumption can lead to health problems that will be expensive to treat later in life. The NIAAA listed the following alcohol damages to be worth remembering.

Common Damage

• Brain – Alcohol disrupts how information reaches the brain and is saved. Memories will become less clear as alcohol takes a toll on the brain. Additionally, mood and behavior are impacted, making you act differently than before alcohol addiction. Thinking is also more challenging, along with natural motor skills being impaired, even when not under the influence.
• Heart – The heart is heavily impacted by alcohol consumption. Major damage to the heart includes cardiomyopathy or the stretching and drooping of heart muscles. Irregular heartbeats become more common, as well as the chance for stroke and high blood pressure.
• Liver – The liver is likely to become inflamed, causing all sorts of issues. According to the NIAAA, the most common damage includes steatosis, alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis.
• Pancreas – When consuming large amounts of alcohol, the pancreas becomes inflamed, causing digestion issues.
• Immune System – The immune system takes a large hit from alcohol addiction as well. Diseases are likely to target a body with AUD because the immune system will not fight it off. Individuals who abuse alcohol are more likely to get diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis than those who do not drink. The body is also more likely to contract an illness within 24 hours of drinking, even for occasional drinkers.

Cancer

Cancer is the most serious damage that alcohol causes to the body. Different medical associations have found ample proof that alcohol abuse leads to several kinds of cancers. Data presented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service (DHHS) found that in 2009, 3.5 percent of all cancer deaths were alcohol-related. The NIAAA lists some of the most common cancers that have evidence of being alcohol-induced.

• Head and Neck – Locations on the head that are likely to develop cancer are the mouth, throat, and voice box. Evidence provided by the DHHS found that individuals who consume more than 3.5 drinks per day are two to three times more likely to develop cancer in these areas. This is not including individuals using tobacco either.
• Esophageal – esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is the most prominent cancer that is induced by alcohol use. Individuals who lack the proper enzymes to break down alcohol in the body have an even higher risk of developing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
• Liver – Evidence has also found that alcohol is an independent cause of liver cancer, specifically hepatocellular carcinoma.
• Breast – Breast cancer is more influenced by alcohol than many people think. Research among 58,000 women with breast cancer found that women who drink around three alcoholic beverages a day are 1.5 times more likely to develop breast cancer. More recently, studies like the Million Women Study in the United Kingdom found that low to moderate alcohol consumption causes a 12 percent increase in risk for breast cancer.
• Colorectal – Colon and rectum cancer also have a high chance of occurring in individuals with over three drinks a day. Those individuals have a 1.5 times more likely chance of developing colon or rectal cancer than nondrinker.

It is important to remember that biology plays a large role in the severity of these effects. Mixing unhealthy genes with large amounts of alcohol will only make the problem worse. Living without alcohol can help reduce the chances of these problems overtaking life. Enter treatment is the best way to overcome alcohol addiction and lessen the possibility of being diagnosed with these problems.