It’s no secret that abusing alcohol comes with numerous physical and emotional health risks. Unfortunately, such abuse remains a global issue, with research showing that 88,000 Americans die each year from alcohol-related problems.
Along with other cardiovascular complications, it’s possible to experience a heart attack from alcohol. Here are the facts you need to know.
What Is Alcohol Abuse?
While drinking alcohol may be reasonable in moderation, heavy drinking or binge drinking can create severe problems. Therefore, people who struggle with their drinking may struggle with alcohol abuse.
Alcohol abuse exists on a spectrum, but some of the main symptoms include:
- Drinking more than usual more often than usual
- Unsuccessfully trying to stop or cut down on drinking
- Avoiding or limiting other activities to drink
- Lying about alcohol consumption to others
- Spending a significant amount of time drinking (or recovering from drinking)
- Experiencing intense cravings for alcohol
- Drinking despite the impact it has on other obligations or relationships
- Getting into hazardous situations as a result of drinking
- Drinking despite its effects on mental health
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when trying to stop or cut down from drinking
These symptoms often escalate over time. Unfortunately, many people dismiss their alcohol use during the early stages. They might justify their drinking as a way they cope with stress, or they might compare themselves to people who typically drink more than them.
What Are The Short-Term Effects of Abusing Alcohol?
Alcohol impacts nearly every part of the body. It can affect judgment, coordination, impulsivity, and essential bodily functions. The more someone drinks, the more at risk they are for facing short or long-term consequences.
Even just drinking 1-2 drinks affects your heart. That’s because alcohol expands your blood vessels and speeds up the heart rate. This physiological process often makes people feel more warm, talkative, and happy.
After 4-6 drinks, the alcohol starts impacting one’s judgment and decision-making. At this point, people often feel more impulsive and uninhibited.
After 8-12 drinks, alcohol significantly impairs coordination, reaction times, speech, and vision. Depending on one’s tolerance, the amount can quickly reach toxic levels. The body will attempt to release alcohol through the urine, but it’s common to also experience severe nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea as a result.
After more than 12 drinks, the person faces a considerable risk for alcohol poisioning (especially when drinking quickly). At this point, the body may stop breathing, causing someone to slip into a coma.
What Are The Long-Term Effects of Abusing Alcohol?
Drinking excessively will take a toll on the human body. Some of the main risks include:
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
- Liver disease
- Bowel cancer
- Dementia
- Sexual dysfunction
- Infertility
- Pancreatitis
- Breast cancer
Moreover, abusing alcohol often severely impacts one’s emotional health. Drinking heavily can cause significant relationship, financial, employment, and legal problems. It can also exacerbate preexisting mental health conditions like depression or anxiety.
Can Alcohol Cause a Heart Attack?
Alcohol can certainly trigger heart attacks. This can happen as a result of chronic, long-term drinking.
But a binge drinking heart attack may also occur. That’s an important consideration for individuals in recovery from alcohol abuse. Because the body starts repairing itself, relapsing by binge drinking may actually heighten the risk of a fatal complication.
In the US, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds. Therefore, it’s important to be aware of the main symptoms. They include:
- Feeling weak, faint, or lightheaded
- Experiencing intense chest pain or bodily discomfort (that may ebb and flow over several minutes)
- Experiencing pain in the back or neck
- Feeling discomfort on one side of the body (specifically in the arms or shoulders)
- Having shortness of breath
If you think you are having a heart attack, it’s imperative to call 911 immediately. Timing is critical when it comes to ensuring you get the appropriate treatment.
Final Thoughts
Abusing alcohol is often a progressive issue. Abuse can happen when you feel like you can’t stop or cut down on your drinking. It can also occur when you lie, conceal, or make great efforts to drink- despite severe consequences.
Getting help can make a significant difference. Recovery is possible. Contact us today at (866) 578-7471to to learn more.
34 comments
Oh surprised me and everyone,by understanding that alcohol can impact heart attack , many people Will wisely
‘Abusing alcohol comes with numerous physical and emotional health risks’. Numerous people is been affected daily with this, I wish them quick recovery before things get out of hand.
In order to be safe from having heart attack it is better to avoid in-take of alcohol. The substance has a lot of negative effect on its users.
There are many effects of alcohol abuse among them is heart attack. In view of this, it is pertinent to note that substance abuse is detrimental to people’s health. Kudos go to Detox for this useful piece of information.
Taking alcohol comes with so many risks. This post is an eye opener for alcohol users to avoid such risks including heart attack.
This shows that alcohoism is more deadly than people take it for. I should know because I had a friend that died from it. Tes alcoholism is more than liver issues.
Taking alcohol can cause many complications to health. Alcohol users should strive to avoid alcohol abuse to be safe from these complications.
This is informative and educative, I never knew that alcohol can possibly have any affect on our heart, now I know better through this article.
It is quite a very serious issue. One should avoid alcohol as much as possible because the effects as mentioned are very severe.
Indeed, heart attack is very rampant among people nowadays. This is traceable to alcohol abuse. Consequently, excessive intake of alcoholTemi can trigger heart attack.
Taking alcohol comes with many risks and effects on human health. Alcohol abuse should be avoid by people for them not to suffer such risks.
This is a sure interesting and educating article. Alcohol abuse might be the most rampant thing all over the world actually and yes it’s complications are massive and life threatening. Abstinence is the best preventive measure.
Many people do not know that alcohol abuse have negative effects on them. They often see it as way for them to relax. Glad this post serve as enlightenment to know the side effects of alcohol abuse.
Thanks for this update. I appreciate your kind gesture, detox.
This is an educative article on alcohol abuse. The long term effects can cause a lot damage to the health. It is better to abstain from alcohol abuse.
Excellent information and resources to keep people’s drinking habits in check. Thanks for this detailed piece and listing the common side effects like heart problems, deceit and memory loss.
Heart attack kills. If you have it, try and call the appropriate person in time.
This is really educative, most people don’t know when to stop drinking alcohol and this article is one of the ways to sensitize people more on the various effect of alcohol on the human body.
Thanks for sharing such a good content . Really we need to take care of these things .
I do really fall in love with this article. Of course, too much of everything is not good.
Unfortunately, nowadays, a lot of people abuse alcohol. Considering the some of the main risks of too much of alcohol such as;
High blood pressure, Stroke, Liver disease, Bowel cancer etc. One should just drink responsibly.
This is very important news. Alcohol can also cause heart attack, I am reading this for the first time. Due to alcohol, there are many types of diseases in the body, we should stay away from it.
Many people do not know they’re affecting themselves when they engage in some things. Too much of everything is bad. There’s no how comfortable we’re with that thing, if it’s in excess, it’s very bad.
Excess of alcohol can certainly trigger heart attacks. Let reduce or put an end to our drinking addicts. Thank for this information.
How I wish this article can be read by all humans. It’s the lack of enlightenment that skyrocketed the numbers of people abusing alcohol.
Taking alcohol in excess is really bad for the body. it really attacks the liver and kidney. people need to know this and desist from it
Very educative article. I never knew or imagined that alcohol abuse could cause heart attacks. However, i now know it can. Thanks Detox to Rehab for this enlightenment.
This is a very informative and useful article. Thank you detox now I know the effect of this .
Thanks for this enlightening piece of alcohol abuse… I find it very helpful.
Though Alcohol has its benefits scientifically ,but it is very dangerous.
Alcohol abuse henceforth has numerous health issues and effects.
The Effects of Alcohol are numerous and alerting.
I feel proper steps should be taken in overcoming Addiction.
I greatly appreciate this informative write-up. Looks like alcohol abuse has more risks associated than I initially believed.
As with everything, alcohol has to be taken in moderation. That way you can significantly reduce the risk of a heart attack
88,000 people in the United States die from diseases that are caused by the alcohol and I think that the government should do something about it. I am a Muslim and my religion prohibits people from drinking alcohol and now I can understand the wisdom behind it. Those 88,000 lives could have been saved if we fight this addiction and overcome it. I just hope that addicts find recovery!
I have had many friends ruin their lives just because of alcohol. Thanks for sharing the harmful effects of alcohol abuse/