The side effects of alcohol on your body

Alcohol consumption can take a serious toll on your body. Too much drinking over time or at a single go can affect your health significantly. From your heart to your stomach, there can be both short term and long term effects, which can be difficult to treat in the long run. This is why it becomes all the more important to curb your alcohol cravings and switch to a healthier lifestyle. To give you a more detailed reality check, here are some of the side effects of alcohol you must know about...

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Drinking too much can impact your digestive health. It can prevent your intestines from digesting foods, absorbing nutrients and vitamins effectively. Furthermore, too much drinking can also cause gas, bloating, diarrhea, and abdominal fullness.

Alcohol can also irritate the lining of the stomach, causing the formation and accumulation of excessive acids. Chronic inflammation can lead to stomach ulcers, which can cause internal bleeding.

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High blood pressure is when the force of the blood on the walls of the blood vessels is consistently too high. Alcohol is also associated with heart-related issues, which includes high blood pressure. Excessive drinking can affect muscles in the blood vessels, forcing it to become narrower and damaging it to a greater extent. According to the Mayo Clinic, having more than three drinks in one sitting temporarily raises blood pressure, whereas repeated binge drinking can lead to long-term increases in blood pressure.

After you consume alcohol, it is absorbed in the stomach. It then travels into your bloodstream and enters the liver. Your liver is the largest internal organ, which releases enzymes to break down alcohol. However, binge drinking too much alcohol at one time or over time can make it difficult to metabolize the alcohol. This could leave the excess to circulate in the body, causing a fatty liver. This is associated with alcohol-related liver disease, which refers to liver damage caused by excess alcohol intake.

Experts believe alcohol slows down the chemicals in the brain, which are responsible for several functions including concentration, focus, mood and reflexes. The US National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism explains, "alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways, and can affect the way the brain looks and works. It impacts the central nervous system in ways that can lead to complicated symptoms such as slurred speech, numbness and tingling in your feet and hands and lead to long term problems such as memory issues, inability to regulate emotions, etc.

Excessive alcohol consumption can cause inflammation of the pancreas, resulting in pancreatitis. Pancreas is the organ that produces enzymes that help digestion and hormones that help regulate the way your body processes sugar (glucose), explains Mayo Clinic. Chronic inflammation in the pancreas can also increase your risk of pancreatic cancer.