As Christmas approaches, many of us will be enjoying a tipple more often than we maybe usually would.
Most of us know what it feels like to wake up with a hangover in the morning after one too many drinks the night before and different people have their own cures for it. But have you ever wondered what being drunk is actually doing to your body and your mind?
Health experts talk through some of the physical and mental effects of overindulging in alcohol…
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Impact on your body
Lifesum nutritionist Signe Svanfeldt said: “Even though some types of alcoholic beverages, such as red wine, contain antioxidants, the negative impact of alcohol outweighs its positive effects.”
While it’s nice to enjoy a festive tipple if you fancy it – the NHS recommends no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, spread across three days or more – there are plenty of drawbacks in terms of your health. Speak to your GP if you have any concerns about your drinking, or seek advice from charities like Drinkaware.
Steph Keenan, operations manager at alcohol and mental health charity With You said: "Drinking an excessive amount of alcohol increases the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
“Alcohol can also raise our blood pressure, and be harmful to all organs in our body, including the stomach and liver.”
Excessive drinking damages the liver in two big ways: scarring (called cirrhosis) and causing a build-up of fat.
Rob Hobson, head of nutrition at Healthspan said: “Scar tissue builds up because alcohol changes the chemicals that break down and remove scar tissue.
“Over time, this means scar tissue replaces healthy cells and the liver struggles to work properly.”
He added: “Fatty liver disease can stop it from working properly. This is reversible in the first instance, by stopping alcohol consumption for [at least] two weeks.
"The high calorie content in most alcohols means that your body will use it first as an energy source instead of any fat stored in your body, so it can lead to weight gain.
Impact on your brain
The boost in confidence you get from alcohol isn't the only thing that changes in your brain when you drink.
Signe Svanfeldt said: “Drinking alcohol affects our central nervous system and slows down brain activity.
“It can also affect our memory and self-control.”
That’s why some people engage in more risky behaviour while drunk – or perhaps they fall over, and can’t remember how they got those bruises the next morning. It can also make sleep problem worse.
Steph Keenan added: “If you have trouble sleeping, alcohol might seem to help in the short term, as it can make you feel more relaxed.
“But regularly drinking alcohol can make sleep problems worse.”
Rob Keenan added: “Alcohol can impair the restorative part of the sleep cycle, REM, as well as interfering with the flow of calcium into nerve cells, affecting the region of the brain that controls sleep function.
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“Alcohol causes dehydration – it inhibits the anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) causing you to use the bathroom more regularly.
It can also impact your mental health.
Having a couple of drinks can cause a spike of dopamine, which induces the ‘happy-drunk’ feeling, in the long-run alcohol can act as a depressant.
He added: “Regularly drinking alcohol affects your brain chemistry in a way that can lead to feelings of depression,” Keenan explains, which can create a damaging cycle.
“People may drink alcohol because they feel depressed, but heavy use depresses their mood further, which leads to more drinking, and so on.”
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