Last updated : November 11, 2024
Alcohol is usually pretty innocuous and it can even provide some health benefits when used responsibly and in moderation. A cocktail or two can make a stuffy social gathering or an awkward first date more palatable, and several studies have pointed to the conclusion that a daily glass of red wine can help stave off heart disease.
But when you cross the sometimes blurry line between responsible consumption and alcohol abuse, many health problems can manifest quickly.
Here are the top signs that you may be overdoing it on the alcohol and need to dial it back a bit:
Weight gain: Alcohol is loaded with empty calories. At 7 per gram, alcohol is more calorie-dense than protein or carbohydrates and almost as much so as fat (9 per gram). Throwing back these empty calories in liquid form can make them add up quickly. Even a bottle of light beer gives you over 100 calories, as does a small glass of red wine or a shot of tequila. Multiply that by the number of drinks you have on a typical night out, then multiply that number by the number of nights you typically go out each week. You may be shocked by the result.
Depression/anxiety: Drinking alcohol has a tendency to amplify certain emotions; sometimes that is a good thing, sometimes not. If you have any sort of latent depression or anxiety and you start drinking too much, you could find yourself in a nasty feedback loop where the alcohol brings out those emotions and you respond by using even more of it to try and suppress them again.
Skin problems: Did you know that alcohol is a diuretic? Drinking too much of it can dehydrate your skin and leave it looking transparent and lifeless. On top of that, it can dilate the blood vessels running just beneath the surface of the skin on your face, resulting in highly unattractive red thread veins.
Sleep disruptions: People tout the benefits of the “nightcap” in helping them nod off quickly, and it’s true: alcohol, due to its properties as a depressant, can help you fall asleep faster. What many people fail to realize, however, is that the sleep you get while under the influence of alcohol is of a very low quality. A normal night of sleep consists of numerous oscillations between deep sleep and REM sleep; alcohol can cause you to skip many of these REM cycles, leaving you groggy and unmotivated in the morning.
Poor memory: Many of us have woken up with a nasty hangover and had difficulty piecing together the events from the previous night. There is even a hit movie series based on that exact premise. However, alcohol’s ill effects on memory can be much more serious than causing the occasional “blackout,” which many in the party crowd treat as a badge of honor. Chronic alcohol abuse can rob the body of vitamin B1, which is essential for brain and memory function. A B1 deficiency can manifest in a condition called Wernicke-Korsakoff’s Syndrome. This disease has symptoms and a progression which are very similar to dementia, and it can be equally devastating.
