Effects of Alcohol - Partners In Prevention

Short and Long Term Effects of Alcohol

Alcohol can have a deleterious effect on your love life.
While a few drinks might temporarily dull inhibitions and anxiety about sexual activity, larger doses will lead to loss of sensation, inability to reach orgasm, and temporary impotence.
Alcohol also impairs motor coordination, causing you to look uncoordinated or clumsy.
Alcohol can make you “run” at the mouth, which can cause you to say things, which are inappropriate or bore your potential partner.
You are more likely to engage in “regrettable sex”— sexual encounters which you later regret—when under the influence.
When you are alcohol-impaired, you are less likely to engage in “safe-sex,” increasing your risk of contracting STD's, including HIV.
Perhaps most importantly, alcohol does not stimulate the libido. At blood levels between .05 and .10, alcohol retards sexual arousal, at levels above .10, orgasm is inhibited, and levels above .15 can cause temporary impotence.

Long-term Use (usually one or more years of heavy use)

Heavy alcohol use by men reduces testosterone levels, causing breast enlargement, testicular shrinkage, and impotence.
Among chronic female drinkers, alcohol may cause menstrual irregularities, infertility, and loss of sex drive

Short-term effects (usually lasts up to 72 hours after heavy use)
Alcohol has several physiological and psychological effects, which will inhibit your performance as a student.
Cognitive abilities are affected by even small amounts of alcohol, and can persist for a substantial period after the acute effects of alcohol impairment disappear.
For example, alcohol impairs memory by inhibiting the transfer and consolidation of information in long-term memory—so alcohol reduces our ability to remember information that we learned before going out for drinks.
Perhaps most importantly, your attention span is shorter for periods up to forty-eight hours after drinking
Even in small doses, alcohol inhibits REM and deep sleep—both are very important for restful sleep, memory consolidation, and emotional well being. When REM sleep is suppressed, you may also feel tired when we wake up.
In addition to cognitive impairments, consumption of alcohol and the resulting recovery period (i.e., hangover) wastes time that might be better spent studying or having fun. Have you ever tried to study or even watch TV with a hangover?
The bottom line—good time management, in both the academic and social realm will enhance your chances of success.
Adulteration and even death of both brain cells and those cells that support brain cells by providing energy and nutrients.
Alcohol affects many parts of the brain, but the most vulnerable cells are those associated with memory, coordination, and judgment.

Long-term Use (one or more years of heavy use)

With long-term use alcohol may damage the connection between nerve cells and cause irreversible brain damage, including memory loss and personality changes.

Alcohol use also impairs the functioning of the immune system—weakening the body’s ability to fight off infectious disease.
In the short-term, this will increase the number of colds you will experience.
With long-term use, alcohol can impede the functioning of immune cells, increasing your susceptibility to infectious diseases and cancer.

Short-term effects (up to 72 hours following heavy use)

Alcohol blocks the absorption of essential nutrients and contributes to malnutrition among heavy drinkers.

Long-term use (one year or more of heavy use)

Long-term use can cause ulcers of the stomach (gastric ulcers) and the first part of the intestine (duodenal ulcers).
Alcohol is a known carcinogen, which contributes to the development of cancers of the lip, oral cavity, esophagus, larynx, stomach, and liver.
Additional effects on the liver include alcohol dependent hepatitis, fatty liver cirrhosis, and pancreatitis.
One study suggests that men who have three or more drinks a day and women who have one and a half or more drinks a day may be at increased risk for cirrhosis.
Those who drink and smoke have a greatly increased risk of developing cancer of the mouth and throat.

The short-term effects on the circulatory system include decreased blood pressure, pulse and respiration.
With long-term use alcohol can cause chronic high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy (deterioration of the heart muscle) and other heart diseases.
As alcohol moves through the blood stream it damages and kills hemoglobin cells which carry oxygen, and with extended use may cause anemia.

Skeletal-Muscular System