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The Risks of Alcohol Outweigh the Benefits

Nicole Irvin

June 15, 2020

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The alcohol market is an industry that spends an enormous amount of money promoting

and advertising products to consumers. Television commercials, magazine ads, and billboards

portray having a great time with the company of an alcoholic beverage, enticing people to buy

the product. Unfortunately, with the increasing popularity of alcohol, individuals can develop a

dependence and/or addiction. When it comes to personal health, many people ask the question,

“Is it better to drink or not to drink?” In exploring the use of alcohol, sources related to the topic

will be researched concluding if the risks of alcohol use outweigh the benefits.

Alcohol is not a nutrient; it is a clear, colorless, volatile liquid consisting of organic

chemicals with common properties. Members of this group are ethanol, methanol, and

isopropanol, but the most commonly ingested is ethyl alcohol or ethanol (EtOH) (Boyle, 2019).

Unlike a nutrient, alcohol is not stored in the body and the lack of consumption does not lead to

any type of deficiency. Ethanol directly influences the gallbladder, liver, heart, brain, and lipids

(cholesterol and triglycerides). When an individual drinks alcohol, approximately 20 percent is

absorbed in the stomach and 80 percent in the small intestine (Boyle, 2019). From the small

intestine it is carried to the liver where a fraction of the alcohol is metabolized by enzymes.

Unfortunately, the liver can only metabolize a limited amount of alcohol per hour and consuming

over that amount can lead to intoxication.

Benefits of Alcohol

Some studies have shown light to moderate alcohol consumption could have health

benefits for individuals. It is important to note consumption of alcohol and its benefits vary

depending on an individual’s age, background, and cardiovascular risk. Light to moderate

alcohol use for healthy adults means one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men.

According to the Mayo Clinic, currently one drink a day is considered 12 fluid ounces (355
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milliliters) of beer, 5 fluid ounces (148 milliliters) of wine, or 1 ½ fluid ounces (44 milliliters) of

distilled spirits (80 proof) (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2019). These numbers may be altered in the future

with the growing popularity of microbreweries and wineries producing drinks with higher

alcohol content.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United

States. Approximately 647,000 people die each year from heart disease (CDC, 2019). Studies

have shown a connection between moderate drinking and a lowered risk of developing

cardiovascular disease. Consuming moderate levels of alcohol raises high-density lipoprotein

(HDL, the good cholesterol), which adds protection against heart disease (Harvard T.H. Chan,

2019). HDL helps remove cholesterol from the artery walls and sends it back to the liver for

elimination (Boyle, 2019).

Moderate alcohol use has also been linked with inhibiting the blood from forming clots,

reducing the risk of developing blocked arteries in the heart, brain, and neck. This would help

prevent heart attack and ischemic stroke (arteries to your brain become narrowed or blocked).

Benefits of light to moderate drinking can also be seen in gallstones and type 2 diabetes.

According to the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, gallstones

and type 2 diabetes were less likely to occur in moderate drinkers compared to non-drinkers

(Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 2019).

Overall, moderation is the key to obtaining possible benefits of alcohol. If someone

increases their alcohol intake over 2-4 drinks a day this enhances the risk of hypertension,

abnormal heart rhythms, heart attack, and death. Debate continues whether the studies conducted

can undoubtedly prove health benefits. It is important to speak with your healthcare provider to

determine if moderate alcohol consumption will benefit your overall health.

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Risks of Alcohol

Although some studies have shown drinking in moderation may be beneficial, this does

not come without risk. There are two types of risk associated with alcohol: short-term and long-

term. The short-term risks will be evaluated first and these are the immediate effects of over

consumption of alcohol. Long-term risks occur over time (months to years) from excessive and

abusive alcohol use.

Short-Term

Not every person who consumes alcohol stops at just one or two. Drinking with little

moderation and binge drinking can lead to numerous short-term risks and has no health benefits.

Consuming even a small amount of alcohol can slow reflex time and affects a person’s decision

making abilities leading to injuries. Motor vehicle accidents, falls, and drownings can all result

from impaired judgement. Night blindness occurs when alcohol blocks formation of retinal

which is a compound in the eye that allows for vision in low light (Boyle, 2019). Night blindness

paired with drunk driving can have deadly consequences. Alcohol also increases the possibility

of violence including suicide, homicide, and sexual assault. It can also lower inhibitions resulting

in dangerous sexual behaviors, including unprotected sex or sex with multiple partners causing

an unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases (CDC, 2019). Alcohol consumed by

someone who is pregnant can result in a miscarriage, stillbirth, and fetal alcohol syndrome.

Lastly, it is important to know how alcohol will interact with medications you may be taking.

Like alcohol, many prescribed medications are metabolized in the liver. With the livers limited

processing capability, medications and alcohol compete with one another for metabolism (Boyle,

2019). If alcohol delays metabolism of a prescribed medication, this could result in unwanted

side effects.
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Long-Term

Excessively consuming alcohol over a long period of time can lead to the development of

many diseases and serious health problems. Heavy alcohol use can increase the risks of certain

types of cancers. Some studies have shown, women consuming a moderate (one drink per day)

amount of alcohol have an increased the risk of developing breast cancer. Alcohol increases the

levels of estrogen and other hormones that are associated with hormone-receptor-breast cancer

(breastcancer.org, 2020). Alcohol abuse especially when combined with smoking, shows an

increase risk of mouth, throat, esophagus, and colon cancer.

Long-term heavy alcohol use plays a major role in the development of illness and death

from liver disease. This is because the liver is the primary site of alcohol metabolism. Alcohol

promotes development of a fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis. Alcoholic hepatitis is an

inflammation of the liver that can lead to permanent liver damage if alcohol use is not stopped.

Cirrhosis causes scarring of the liver tissue and can interfere with liver function (Boyle, 2019).

The pancreas can be permanently damaged with continued use of alcohol by inflammation called

pancreatitis.

According to the American Heart Association, drinking too much alcohol raises the

levels of fats in the blood commonly known as triglycerides. High triglyceride levels combined

with elevated bad cholesterol (LDL) has been associated with artery walls accumulating fat

buildup (AHA, 2019). Heavy drinking is also related to hypertension or high blood pressure. All

these factors can lead to increased risk of stroke, heart disease, and heart attack.

Lastly, misuse and/or abuse can lead to dependency and addiction. Alcoholism is when

someone has strong cravings to consume alcohol, not able to control their use of alcohol, and

continue drinking despite the negative ramifications and emotional distress (Mosel, 2020).
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Addiction can result in emotional and social problems. This could include depression, anxiety,

family problems, poor school performance, work problems, and unemployment.

Conclusion

When it comes to drinking and personal health there is no one size fits all. Even though

there may be some benefits to moderate alcohol consumption, moderate drinking does not come

without risk. Many factors influence whether moderate alcohol consumption can even be

beneficial for someone. Each individual needs to evaluate their age, background, cardiovascular

risk, physical health, the amount consumed, drinking frequency, and patterns of consumption

(just to name a few). Many of the references researched stress if you do not drink alcohol, do not

start because of potential health benefits. In my opinion, the risks of drinking alcohol outweigh

the benefits. For alcohol to be beneficial it is a delicate balance between moderation and physical

health. Every person is different and what benefits one person may not benefit the next. Drinking

alcohol even moderate amounts can be risky. Excessive drinking can lead to serious health

problems such as cancer, stroke, liver disease, high blood pressure, and pancreatitis. Overall,

more studies need to be conducted to show proven results of moderate alcohol consumption.

Eating healthy and being physically active have been extensively studied and have much greater

health benefits.
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References

American Heart Association (2019). Is drinking alcohol part of a healthy lifestyle? Retrieved
from https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/alcohol-
and-heart-health#:~:text=The%20best%2Dknown%20positive%20health,to%20gain%20potential
%20health%20benefits.

Boyle, M. A. (2019). Personal nutrition. Boston, MA, USA: Cengage Learning, 271-281.

Breastcancer.org (2016). Drinking alcohol. Retrieved from

https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/alcohol?
gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_sqImbGB6gIV88uGCh0cdARuEAAYASAAEgLvO_D_BwE.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019). Alcohol use and your health. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2019). Alcohol: balancing risks and benefits.
Retrieved from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/drinks-to-
consume-in-moderation/alcohol-full-story/

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (2019). Alcohol use: weighing risks and
benefits. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-
healthy-eating/in-depth/alcohol/art-20044551.

Mosel, S. (2020). Alcoholism definition: what is alcoholism or alcohol use disorder? Retrieved

from Alcohol.org. https://www.alcohol.org/alcoholism/.