Impacts of alcohol
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ALCOHOL IMPACTS YOUR HEALTH IN THE LONG TERM
How much do you know about alcohol and health?
We all know about the short-term harms of alcohol. Like road accidents, injuries, violence and alcohol poisoning.
But lots of people are unaware of the serious long-term impacts that alcohol has on our health. Drinking increases the risk of many health conditions.
When it comes to being at the top of our game, alcohol can impact that too. Muscle weakness and brittle bones are both risks of drinking lots over time.
ALCOHOL CAN INCREASE THE RISK OF CANCER
Alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen (known for causing cancer in humans).
Low levels of drinking (one standard drink per day) and higher levels (up to five standard drinks per day) both increase your risk.
- For women, moderate alcohol consumption increases your risk of breast cancer by 30-50%.
- For men, even drinking small amounts still increases your risk for prostate cancer by 8-23%.
ALCOHOL INCREASES THE RISK OF MANY OTHER DISEASES
In Australia, alcohol causes lots of common diseases.
- People who binge drink regularly (more than 4 standard drinks at once) have a 45% increased risk of developing coronary heart disease.
- Drinking more than two drinks per day is associated with risk of stroke. More than four drinks per day is associated with an increased risk of haemorrhagic stroke (when a blood vessel in the brain leaks or ruptures).
- Drinking 1 to 2 standard drinks daily gives you a 1.34 times higher risk of developing osteoporosis (weak and brittle bones).
CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS CAUSED BY ALCOHOL
Certain health conditions can result from drinking. The risk increases the more you drink over a long period of time. Areas of the body affected include:
- the liver
- the pancreas
- digestive system (gastrointestinal diseases)
- muscle weakness occurs in 40-60% of people who experience a long-term dependence on alcohol.
IS RED WINE GOOD FOR THE HEART? MYTH-BUSTING
You might have heard that “red wine is good for the heart”. Some research says that small amounts of alcohol can provide some protection against heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
However, much of this research is not accurate and has been disproven by scientists.
- These studies often ignore the evidence of alcohol causing cancer. Even in small amounts.
- A lot of the research was funded by the alcohol industry.
WHAT ARE AUSTRALIA’S DRINKING GUIDELINES?
If you do decide to drink, keep it to no more than 10 standard drinks per week. Your max should be 4 standard drinks on any one day.
But remember, the current Australian guidelines state that no amount of alcohol consumption is safe.
Drinking won’t automatically cause you to have a disease. But the more alcohol you consume, the higher the risk. Be extra careful if you have underlying health conditions or a family history of illness.
For more info and references, visit the Alcohol and Drug Foundation website.
RUNNING ON EMPTY: ALCOHOL AND NUTRITION
Adding alcohol and/or other drugs in to the mix will also impact the way our body performs on and off the field. The effects are varied, but we took a look at three of the most important ways alcohol and other drugs can impact our lifestyles and the resulting negative impacts that this can have on a person’s overall health status.
THE EFFECT ON OUR HUNGER
Our body is good at giving us natural signals to tell us when it’s hungry or thirsty. Hunger pains, headaches or a lack of concentration might have you reaching for a snack during the day, or after a game.
While alcohol and other drugs can affect everybody differently, some substances can have an impact on how much we crave food, in many cases masking those natural hunger signals.
Stimulants such as tobacco, caffeine (a common ingredient in pre-workouts), cocaine, ecstasy and methamphetamine affect the levels of dopamine in the brain. Higher levels of dopamine reduce appetite, by making the body feel like it is satisfied.
It’s not only stimulants that impact appetite, many people who over-consume alcohol (a depressant) also experience low appetite. This is because alcohol is high in calories, and over-consumption can ‘trick’ the body into thinking that it has already eaten. Cannabis can have the opposite effect, increasing appetite, and reducing feelings of ‘fullness’, which can result in weight gain.
When we’re not in tune with what our body really craves, it can be easy to fuel it inefficiently. It’s important to keep in mind the effects of different substances, including alcohol and other drugs, in order to keep your body and mind healthy.
THE EFFECT ON POST-GAME RECOVERY
Post-game celebrations are increasingly being geared towards alcohol – but have you ever wondered what effect this is having on your team’s ability to compete next week?
High-intensity exercise is taxing on our bodies; it takes time and the appropriate nutrition and hydration to get us back to our best. High alcohol consumption completely impairs this process, making recovery much slower.
If you have a soft-tissue injury, the effect is even worse. Drinking alcohol while recovering from a calf or hamstring strain has the effect of opening up bloody vessels and leading to more swelling at the site.
THE EFFECT ON OUR LIFESTYLES
It’s also important to consider the way in which drug dependence has an effect on our lifestyles, including our likelihood to prioritise healthy eating.
Not only are we less likely to make healthy choices following a night of drinking, substance use can also reduce the nutritional status of the food we do eat. Substance use can place a significant amount of stress on organs and functions within the body, leading to a loss of nutrients and negatively impacting functions such as digestion – the main way our bodies access nutrients.
Importantly, being well nourished is also proven to assist some people with the management of conditions that may drive people to over-use substances in the first place e.g. chronic pain, mild anxiety and depression.
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