Only in the last few years has that rise slowed down. The average age of death for someone with alcoholic liver disease is their 40s. Earlier this year, NHS figures showed that alcohol-related hospital admissions has reached record levels in Over a million people were admitted in , compared with , in and , in Nearly two in three of those cases were men.
At the same time the charity Alcohol Concern predicted the number of admissions would reach 1. Last year, a study in The Lancet concluded that alcohol is more harmful than heroin or crack when the overall dangers to the individual and society are considered.
The study by the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs also ranked alcohol as three times more harmful than cocaine or tobacco because it is so widely used. So how much alcohol is too much? What can we safely drink? The government guidelines on drinking are being reviewed at present.
They currently say that a women should not drink more than two to three units of alcohol per day and a man three to four units a day. But Paul Wallace, a GP and chief medical adviser of Drinkaware, says people are just not aware of the alcohol content of a large glass of wine. Katherine Brown, head of research at the Institute of Alcohol Studies, says the current guidelines and how they are communicated may be giving the public misleading information.
Rather, we need to explain that there are risks associated with alcohol consumption, and that the less you drink the lower your risk is of developing health problems. Dr Wallace wants the government to do a better job on the message it sends out by explaining the alcohol guidelines in units per week, rather than per day - no more than 21 units for men, 14 units for women per week.
Dr Sheron agrees: "There is no such thing as a safe level, but the government has got to draw a line somewhere. It's a balance.
Alcohol's Effects on the Body. Heart: Drinking a lot over a long time or too much on a single occasion can damage the heart, causing problems including: Cardiomyopathy — Stretching and drooping of heart muscle Arrhythmias — Irregular heart beat Stroke High blood pressure Liver: Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations including: Steatosis, or fatty liver Alcoholic hepatitis Fibrosis Cirrhosis Pancreas: Alcohol causes the pancreas to produce toxic substances that can eventually lead to pancreatitis, a dangerous inflammation and swelling of the blood vessels in the pancreas that prevents proper digestion.
Esophageal cancer, particularly esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, people who inherit a deficiency in an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol have been found to have substantially increased risks of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma if they consume alcohol.
Liver cancer. Breast cancer: Studies have consistently found an increased risk of breast cancer in women with increasing alcohol intake. Women who consume about 1 drink per day have a 5 to 9 percent higher chance of developing breast cancer than women who do not drink at all. On the other hand, if you're a light to moderate drinker and you're healthy, you can probably continue to drink alcohol as long as you do so responsibly.
Moderate alcohol use for healthy adults generally means up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men. However, eating a healthy diet and being physically active have much greater health benefits and have been more extensively studied. Keep in mind that even moderate alcohol use isn't risk-free. For example, even light drinkers those who have no more than one drink a day have a tiny, but real, increased risk of some cancers, such as esophageal cancer.
And drinking and driving is never a good idea. While moderate alcohol use may offer some health benefits, heavy drinking — including binge drinking — has no health benefits. Heavy or high-risk drinking is defined as more than three drinks on any day or more than seven drinks a week for women and for men older than age 65, and more than four drinks on any day or more than 14 drinks a week for men age 65 and younger.
Binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks within two hours for women and five or more drinks within two hours for men. In certain situations, the risks of alcohol may outweigh the possible health benefits. For example, check with your doctor about drinking if:. If you don't drink alcohol, don't start because of potential health benefits.
However, if you drink a light to moderate amount and you're healthy, you can probably continue as long as you drink responsibly. Be sure to check with your doctor about what's right for your health and safety. There is a problem with information submitted for this request.
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This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions. Healthy Lifestyle Nutrition and healthy eating. Products and services. Alcohol use: Weighing risks and benefits Moderate alcohol use has possible health benefits, but it's not risk-free. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information.
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