When these organs are impaired, you’re more likely to develop diabetes and high cholesterol. You may gain weight and have a hard time losing it, making you feel older than your years. Rimm thinks the biological evidence still shows that moderate alcohol consumption offers a small benefit for heart disease and other conditions such as type 2 diabetes. But these benefits are probably averaged out—or maybe even outweighed—by traffic injuries, breast cancer and other risks of moderate drinking.
![]()
How much alcohol is safe?
As a result, you might be more likely to experience atherosclerosis, or the buildup of plaque in your arteries. And that, of course, can raise your risk of heart attack or stroke. There was no consistent link between drinking and smoking and male pattern baldness, probably because your genetic predisposition and male hormone levels play a greater role in that, the researchers say. For more information about alcohol treatment options and how to stop drinking, please visit the NIAAA website at niaaa.nih.gov. If you are a patient in a hospital, skilled nursing facility or rehabilitation center, you are at higher risk of getting a C. Diff infection — not just because you likely have a weak immune system from the condition that put you in the facility but also because of the number of people you may encounter while you’re there.
Body Scan Meditation
While we might not notice the effect of drinking on our cells, alcohol can speed up our aging process in many other ways. One of the most visible impacts alcohol can have is on our complexion, as drinking excessively is known to cause redness and dry, wrinkly skin. Five clocks derived from different tissues and different aging related factors show similar patterns. One novel clock that is built from DNA modifications in monocytes, which was developed by Xu’s group, shows the strongest association with alcohol consumption and epigenetic age. Monocytes play an important role in inflammation and aging process.
Some types of dementia and alcohol-related brain damage develop as your brain cells shrink. Over time, heavy drinking can lead to loss of judgment, focus, and memory. You may have more trouble regulating your emotions or managing your coordination. If you’re blessed with genetics that resists wrinkles and other visible signs of aging, you might not notice the way that alcohol affects your appearance.
As you nourish yourself, you may notice that your hair fills out again. Alcohol-induced temporary hair loss can take six to nine months to reverse itself after you stop drinking and restore your wellness. Excessive alcohol consumption can even cause us to look older. One study found that men who consumed more than 35 drinks a week were 35% more likely to display “arcus corneae” — a gray ring in the eye that often pops up in old age. Women who had 28 drinks or more per week had a 33% higher chance of developing the same syndrome.
MORE IN LIFE
Third, people can try out Dry January—whether that involves cutting back or quitting entirely. “The all-or-nothing approach is never a good idea,” Seija says, because while some people can go cold turkey, it’s unrealistic to demand that everyone who drinks should quit forever. “That’s where this idea of sober-ish comes to play.” This can involve having alcohol-free days, ordering fewer drinks or turning to nonalcoholic beverages as a way to preserve the social benefits of drinking.
![]()
healthywomen
It examined whether cumulative alcohol consumption — the number of years a person consumes https://yourhealthmagazine.net/article/addiction/sober-houses-rules-that-you-should-follow/ beer, liquor, wine and total alcohol — as well as recent binge drinking were related to aging. A 2017 study published in JAMA Psychiatry found the number of adults in the United States who regularly consumed alcohol went from 65 percent in 2002 to 73 percent in 2013. Additionally, high-risk drinking — which is considered four or more drinks for women and five or more for men on a single occasion — went up 30 percent in the same time frame. So not only are more of us drinking, but we’re drinking more.
![]()
Alcohol has long been considered a “social lubricant” because drinking may encourage social interaction. Having a drink while getting together with family or friends is often part of many special occasions. Drinking alcohol can also make you look Sober Houses Rules That You Should Follow older by causing broken capillaries, which are the tiny blood vessels near your skin’s surface.
Alcohol Interrupts Your Body’s Healing Processes
Wrinkles aren’t the only skin condition that can age you. Broken capillaries, the tiny blood vessels near the surface of the skin, tend to crop up as you get older. If you drink too much, the blood vessels can burst, causing red spots and spidery splotches. Older drinkers are maybe even more likely to experience this. Their blood vessels are less elastic than young people’s. Therefore, drinking alcohol can compound the natural effects of aging.
- When you can’t reach for a drink, you might feel unfocused or irritated.
- Research shows that people who drink heavily have a 33 percent greater chance of getting arcus senilis, a telltale gray ring around their corneas before they turn 60.
- One novel clock that is built from DNA modifications in monocytes, which was developed by Xu’s group, shows the strongest association with alcohol consumption and epigenetic age.
- However, later you notice that drinking has increased your sense of hopelessness and anxiety.
- Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.
- She says that alcohol itself is not terribly toxic, but the liver breaks it down into acetaldehyde, which damages DNA and plays a key role in cancer development.
- Feeling better inside almost always means looking better on the outside.
- Heavy drinking can also cause problems well beyond the health of the drinker — it can damage important relationships.
- While you’re not alone—research shows that alcohol use is rising among older adults—trying to drink away your problems only creates a dangerous spiral.
- These limitations make it hard to know how much to rely on studies that find health risks (or benefits) to alcohol consumption.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Mental health and wellness tips, our latest guides, resources, and more. Women for Sobriety – Organization dedicated to helping women overcome addictions. Don’t fall for the belief that you’re too old to learn something new. Take dance lessons, experiment with a musical instrument, or enroll in a community college course. Some alcohol support groups, such as AA, also offer online meetings as a convenient way to connect.