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Diseases that alcohol provokes
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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It is no secret that excessive alcohol consumption is fraught with health problems. However, liver disease and accidents caused by drunk drivers are not the end of the list of diseases that alcohol can cause, but only the beginning.
Ilive presents the main and most common diseases that can be caused by alcohol consumption.
Anemia
Regular heavy drinking can cause a very low number of red blood cells, which carry oxygen, a condition called anemia. Symptoms include dizziness, shortness of breath, and constant fatigue.
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Cancer
Binge drinking increases the risk of cancer several times over. According to scientists, this is due to the fact that when alcohol enters the human body, it is converted into acetaldehyde, a strong carcinogen. Those who have a cigarette with their glass are doubly susceptible to this risk.
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Heart disease
Alcohol addiction causes platelets to stick together, forming blood clots – a direct path to a stroke or heart attack. Alcohol consumption is also fraught with weakening of the heart muscle, which can even fail completely.
Dementia
Drinking accelerates the aging process of the brain, which under normal conditions occurs in humans at a rate of 1.9% per 10 years. This leads to a disruption of cognitive functions.
Depression
The debate about what comes first, depression or cravings for alcohol, has been ongoing for a long time, but in 2010, a study by New Zealand scientists put an end to all the debate and showed that it is alcohol consumption that puts a person into a depressive state.
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Epileptic seizures
Even people who do not suffer from epilepsy but drink heavily can have an epileptic seizure. In addition, drinking can interfere with normal treatment of epilepsy.
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Gout
Gout occurs due to the formation of uric acid crystals in the joints, which leads to severe pain. The development of this disease is caused by nutrition, heredity, and alcohol. In addition, the latter aggravates the course of the disease.
Blood pressure
Alcoholic beverages can cause disturbances in the sympathetic nervous system, which regulates the dilation and constriction of blood vessels. If you add constant overeating to this, the risk increases.
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Nervous system
Neuropathy is a disease that can be caused by alcohol. It is characterized by tingling in the limbs, urinary incontinence, muscle weakness, impotence, and other diseases.
Pancreatitis
Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages can lead not only to gastritis, but also to pancreatitis - inflammation of the pancreas. Due to chronic pancreatitis, the digestion process is disrupted.