We all like a drink from time to time, for fun or relaxation, but it doesn’t take much of it to have an impact on your body.
After a long week, it is great to sit back with a glass of wine or share a few beers with friends, but this simple act can have an effect.
As little as one night of heavy binge drinking can affect your body, and in many surprising ways.
Dr. Donald A. Sansom D.O., associate medical director of substance abuse treatment, recently spoke to Bustle.com about it.
"The undeniable fact is that alcohol consumption does not promote better health but rather has many negative impacts upon one’s health," he said.
But what are these effects on the body, and how does over drinking impact it?
Liver damage
When you drink regularly, it doesn’t give your liver a break from processing it all.
This can lead to cirrhosis, causing the tissue of the liver to scar.
If this does happen, the liver becomes unable to rid the body of toxic substances found in alcohol, damaging organs.
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Immune system
Drinking alcohol can impair your immune system response and make you more vulnerable to viruses and infections.
Alcohol impairs brain function making you more susceptible to these kinds of diseases.
Bad sleep
We have all woken up in the middle of the night after a night off one too many, but why is this?
Alcohol affects the natural sleep cycle and your REM pattern.
As the alcohol leaves your system overnight, it keeps you up, leaving you feeling tired and exhausted the next day.
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Affects your gut
Long-term drinking can cause alcohol-related gastritis, which is inflammation of the stomach lining.
This is one of the reasons you tend to throw up the next day during your hangover or while drinking too much.
Over the long term, alcohol can make it harder for you to absorb nutrients from your food.
Your Bones will get weak
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, heavy drinking can interfere with the replacement of bone tissue.
This will cause your bones to weaken over time, making it difficult for them to heal.
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Don’t drink with prescription medicine
If you are taking any prescription medicine, drinking can be very dangerous.
This is because the effects of the medicine can be negatively impacted by alcohol.
Mixing drinks and antibiotics can prevent your medication from doing its job and has been known to cause dizziness and a faster heart rate.
Higher risk of cancer
Speaking to Bustle.com, Dr. Sansom said, "Alcohol contributes to dozens of types of cancer."
Alcohol can increase the chances of developing breast cancer for woman, along with mouth and throat cancers.
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