KNOW

ALCOHOL

Alcohol's Impacts

Physical Health

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Drinking alcohol, even a little bit, can damage your health. The more alcohol you drink, the greater your risk of:

  • Cancers (e.g., breast, liver, colon, stomach, pancreatic, prostate, oral, and esophageal cancer)
  • Cardiovascular diseases (e.g., heart attacks, stroke, heart failure, high blood pressure)
  • Gastrointestinal problems (e.g., damage to the liver, pancreas, and stomach)
  • Neurological disorders (e.g., seizures, dementia, alcohol use disorder, developmental disabilities from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder)
  • Infectious diseases (e.g., tuberculosis)
  • Diabetes (including worsening existing diabetes)
  • Injuries (e.g., falling, drowning, homicide, suicide)
  • Disability (e.g., from injuries or health problems caused by alcohol)
  • Dying early

That’s why, if you drink, it’s better to drink less. Use our calculator to explore your health risks from alcohol and how much you can lower them by drinking less.

If you take prescribed medications, drinking alcohol can interfere with their intended effects, and make you less likely to take your medications or take them on time. Ask your healthcare provider how alcohol may interact with your medications or medical conditions.

Mental Health

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Alcohol use can cause or worsen various mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety. Heavy drinking and having an alcohol use disorder can also increase these risks.

Alcohol use can also lead to suicidal thoughts and behaviours. Being intoxicated can make a suicidal person less emotionally stable and more impulsive, leading to suicide attempts. Approximately 25% of people who die from suicide are intoxicated. 

Are mental health challenges affecting you or a loved one? Help is available. See our resources for support.

Quality of Life

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The more alcohol you drink and the more often you drink, the negative effects will start to outweigh the positive ones.

Sleep

While drinking alcohol may help you fall asleep, it can cause frequent waking and fragmented, low-quality sleep. This pattern of sleep can have harmful effects on your health and well-being. If you snore or have sleep apnea, alcohol use can aggravate your symptoms. Heavy drinking can also cause sleep disorders, including insomnia.

Sex

Drinking a little alcohol may increase your sexual desire, but drinking a lot can interfere with it. Alcohol can decrease alertness, sensitivity, and arousal during sex. This can make it harder to get and stay naturally lubricated or erect and to achieve an orgasm. Heavy drinking over the long term can also cause erectile dysfunction and fertility problems. Since alcohol use impairs judgment, you’re more likely to have unprotected sex when drinking, which can result in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancies. Alcohol use can also lead to sexual violence. Speak with your healthcare provider if you have concerns about your sexual health.

Money

Drinking may temporarily lift your spirits, but it weighs down your finances. Alcohol is relatively expensive, especially in clubs, bars, and restaurants. Drinking may also result in other costs, like impulse purchases, taxis, hotel stays, or sick days from work. Do you know how much alcohol costs you? Use our calculator and explore how much you could save by drinking less.

Relationships

Having a drink may help you relax, celebrate, and socialize with others. However, consuming 2 or more standard drinks during a drinking occasion can cause a loss of inhibitions and increased aggression, making you more likely to say or do something you might later regret. If you drink heavily, you may neglect your romantic partner, friends, or family members. Continued alcohol use, despite interpersonal problems, can be a sign of an alcohol use disorder.

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