What does alcohol do to your body?
Most of us have known for a long time that alcohol isn’t beneficial for our health. Now, many of us are cutting it out or cutting it down. About 1 in 7 adults in the UK don’t drink at all. In 2023, a quarter of people who do drink alcohol said they’d like to cut down.
Here, Associate Clinical Director at Bupa Health Clinics, Dr Luke Powles, discusses some of the ways alcohol can affect the body and explores the health benefits of drinking less. He’ll also include some top tips for making healthier drinking choices.
How does alcohol affect the body?
Alcohol can affect your mental and physical health. Heavy drinking poses a larger threat, but even moderate drinking can negatively impact your health.
Drinking alcohol has been linked with the following health risks.
Heart problems
Drinking large amounts can slow your heart rate and breathing down to risky levels. Having two or more drinks a day can weaken your heart and narrow your arteries. This increases blood pressure (hypertension), which can lead to blood clots. It can also cause a stroke.
One review of medical research found that an episode of heavy drinking was associated with a higher risk of heart attack in the following day and week.
Cancer
Just one drink a day can raise a women’s risk of getting breast cancer by 5 per cent (to 15 per cent), compared to women who don’t drink at all.
Alcohol also increases the risk of oesophageal cancer (cancer of the food pipe), liver cancer and several other types of cancer.
Obesity
If you regularly drink alcohol, you’re more likely to gain weight from the empty calories it contains. Alcohol doesn’t fill you up in the same way food does. Your body recognises alcohol as a toxin, which interrupts the body’s ability to burn fat for fuel.
This means a higher likelihood that you’ll store calories from alcohol around your middle.
A large review of 127 studies found that heavy drinkers were more likely to be overweight or obese, compared to non-drinkers or light drinkers.
Liver disease
The job of your liver is to break down the chemicals in your body. Heavy drinking can stop it from doing that.
When your liver has to break down too much alcohol, it can become damaged and stop working properly.
A 2023 study found that drinking more than 14 units a week increased the risk of developing liver diseases, including cirrhosis, where the liver becomes permanently scarred. In fact, around 1 in 4 of us drink in a way that could harm our liver.
Skin inflammation
Alcohol has a dehydrating effect on the skin. That can mean your skin loses fluid and nutrients needed for healthy-looking skin.
It can also cause inflammation. This can make your skin appear dull and increase facial bloating and wrinkles.
Drinking too much can also trigger certain skin conditions or make existing conditions worse. This might include:
- facial redness and flushing (rosacea)
- spider veins
- psoriasis
- dry skin and eczema
- dandruff
What are the benefits of drinking less?
Alcohol can have serious consequences for your health. The good news is, you can improve your health by drinking less, or stopping drinking completely.
Here are some of the main benefits of cutting back.
- better sleep and energy levels
- improved heart health
- healthier weight
- regeneration of the liver – your liver can return to normal function within weeks of cutting out alcohol
- brighter, more hydrated skin
- reduced inflammation
Many of these health benefits can happen within weeks of cutting back or stopping drinking.
How much alcohol is too much?
The less alcohol you drink, the better for your health. But if you are going to drink, stick to the weekly alcohol unit recommendations of 14 units a week, spread out over different days. Remember though, one drink isn’t always one unit.
Here’s an example of how many units each alcoholic drink contains.
Infographic: How many units of alcohol are in your drink?
Bupa's units of alcohol infographic (PDF, 1.31 MB) below illustrates the amount of alcohol in:
- a bottle of beer (330ml), 5% alc. volume: 1.6 units
- pint of beer, 4.2% alc. volume: 2.4 units
- alcopop 275ml, 4% alc. volume: 1.1 units
- single spirit 25ml, 40% alc. volume: 1 unit
- standard glass of wine (175ml), 12.5% alc. volume: 2.2 units
- pint of cider, 4.5% alc. volume: 2.6 units
Five tips for smart drinking
1. Have a few alcohol-free days each week
This gives your body a rest, supports your immune system and improves your mental health and wellbeing. But don’t make up for it by binge-drinking on other days, as this is unhealthy.
2. Track your drinking
Try recording what you drink for a few weeks so you get a picture of what you’re really drinking. The Try Dry app from Dry January is helpful.
3. Try low- and no-alcohol alternatives
Alcohol-free wines, beers, ciders and spirits are now widely available, and they often taste and look like the real thing.
Remember you can still enjoy social events while staying sober.
4. Set a limit
Decide what you want to drink in advance. Then, have a plan in place to stick to it.
5. Get help if you need it
If your drinking is getting out of control or you find cutting down or quitting difficult, talk to a healthcare professional. They can support you in a journey towards making positive changes.
Where can you find support?
If you would like advice and support, or to do further reading, here’s our list of sources and trusted advice centres.
- Alcohol Change is the charity behind Dry January. They educate people about practical ways to make changes.
- Drinkaware offers evidence-based information about the effects of drinking. It also offers a quiz to help you understand your drinking habits.
Do you know how healthy you truly are? Bupa health assessments give you a clear overview of your health and a view of any future health risks. You'll receive a personal lifestyle action plan with health goals to reach for a happier, healthier you.
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Sources Sources
- Is alcohol good or bad for you? Yes. Harvard Public Health. harvardpublichealth.org, published August 2024
- Is alcohol good for the heart? drinkaware.co.uk, updated March 2021
- How alcohol affects your body. Drinkaware. drinkaware.co.uk, accessed December 2024
- Mostofsky E, Chahal HS, Mukamal KJ, Rimm EB, Mittleman MA. Alcohol and Immediate Risk of Cardiovascular Events: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis. Circulation. 2016;133(10):979-987. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.019743
- Effects of alcohol on your heart. British Heart Foundation. bhf.org.uk, accessed December 2024
- Alcohol, calories and maintaining a healthy weight. Drinkaware. drinkaware.co.uk, reviewed March 2023
- Golzarand M, Salari-Moghaddam A, Mirmiran P. Association between alcohol intake and overweight and obesity: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of 127 observational studies. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2022;62(29):8078-8098
- Moon SY, Son M, Kang YW et al. Alcohol consumption and the risk of liver disease: a nationwide, population-based study. Front Med (Lausanne). 2023;10:1290266. Published 2023 Nov 28. doi:10.3389/fmed.2023.1290266
- Love your Liver Month – Alcohol and the Liver. British Liver Trust. britishlivertrust.org.uk, published January 2024
- How alcohol affects your appearance. Drinkaware. drinkaware.co.uk, updated November 2022
- Press release: 6.5 million people plan to do Dry January 2021, up from 3.9 million in 2020. Alcohol Change. alcoholchange.org.uk, published December 2020
- Cutaneous adverse effects of alcohol. DermNet NZ. dermnetnz.org, published 2011
- What to expect when you stop drinking. Drinkaware. drinkaware.co.uk, November 2021
- Your skin health before and after quitting alcohol. Derm Collective. Dermcollective.com, published May 2022
- Tips for cutting down. Alcohol Change. alcoholchange.org.uk, accessed December 2024
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