How does alcohol make you feel?
When you had your first drink, did you already have expectations for how it would make you feel? Do you seek it out to feed your creative spark? Does it make you feel better about your stress in life? Does it help you keep your relationships with your friends? Does it allow you to relax at the end of the day?
Alcohol side effects are more complex than just the temporary euphoria you experience while you’re drinking. It relates to your thoughts about alcohol, how you feel and act after you drink, and how you approach your desire to drink in the first place. At Recovery Center for the Arts, we’ve seen how relationships with alcohol can sour. The side effects of alcohol can sneak up on us, chipping away at our spirit before we realize the damage that’s been done.
In today’s blog, we’re going to talk about the side effects of alcohol, the short-term and long-term, and how you can address these symptoms.
How Does Drinking Alcohol Impact the Body?
So what exactly is it about alcohol that makes you feel the way it does?
The primary component in alcohol that causes the majority of the side effects associated with it is ethanol. Ethanol is processed through the body via the liver and other organs in the digestive tract. As it’s processed, it not only transforms itself but impacts the production of cellular energy within the body.
The transformation of ethanol through the digestive process turns it into acetaldehyde, which is a carcinogen. Over time, the continued exposure of ethanol and acetaldehyde to the organs within the body leads to the negative side effects associated with alcohol use.
The cellular energy increase, which occurs when alcohol is currently present in your system, is what causes the immediate effects associated with being drunk. This energy influx increased dopamine production. Dopamine, often referred to as the “feel-good” hormone, causes feelings of happiness and motivation.
Do Different Types of Alcohol Cause Different Side Effects?
The primary difference between different types of alcohol is the percentage of alcohol in the drink. Of course, there’s also personal preference and taste that differentiates, but those won’t actually change the side effects you experience.
As you likely know, a shot generally has a much higher percentage of alcohol versus something like a beer or wine. This is why the CDC specifies types of alcohol when referring to how many “drinks” constitute binge drinking. If you had the same amount of different types of alcohol, you wouldn’t be consuming the same percentage of alcohol with each drink. Not all alcohols are created equal, so it’s not wise to compare them as if they were the same.
Why Do People Say “Beer Before Liquor, Never Sicker?”
Have you heard the saying, “Beer before liquor, never sicker. Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear?” Maybe your friends were talking about the ways they “avoided hangovers” or it was given as a well-meaning tip from someone at a party. Is there any truth to this saying?
As we touched on just a moment ago, the only difference between types of drinks is the alcohol content levels within them. These sayings originate from people theorizing ways to not feel sick after drinking, but at the end of the day, it’s a myth.
So, why might some people find truth in these sayings?
A lot of these sayings develop from happenstance. If someone tends to chug cocktails but nurse a beer, they might assume “beer before liquor makes you sicker” because they rapidly ingested their cocktails, increasing their chances of negative side effects. Additionally, alcohol messes with your memory. Many people will continue to believe in sayings like this because they either don’t remember the exact order of events of the night or because they engage with alcohol in a way that confirms this saying per their own experiences.
No matter what you drink, your body has a certain threshold of alcohol it can handle. This won’t change just because you change the drinks you’re having.
What Factors Can Influence the Side Effects You Experience?
No two people will experience the same side effects in the same manner. Some people, for example, may never get headaches after drinking while another person might find their tolerance levels hardly changed even after years of drinking.
While something as simple as how your body functions can make a difference in side effects, there are certain identifiable factors that also play a role. Here are some of the most common ones.
- How much you’ve had to eat/drink before and during alcohol consumption
- If you have other substances in your body when drinking
- Your personal health and metabolism
- Your history of alcohol use
- Your genetics/family history of alcohol use
Can You Spot the Long-Term Effects of Alcohol Use?
As frequent or consistent alcohol use persists, the chance of experiencing long-term side effects increases. The majority of the side effects of long-term alcohol use are internal, either physically or mentally, so they’re not always immediately noticeable.
Those who are dealing with binge drinking and/or an alcohol use disorder are at an increased risk of developing cancer, experiencing a stroke, and having high blood pressure. Over time, alcohol use will damage the brain often leading to memory loss and confusion, with an increased chance of developing dementia.
Through a combination of cravings and withdrawal symptoms, many people might also showcase personality changes. They may withdraw from loved ones, have worse performance at work, show increased signs of anger, or become reckless with their actions or finances.
Many of these changes don’t happen overnight. With such a gradual change, many people might not notice how severe the side effects have become until they’re severe.
The Silent Changes That Alcohol Causes to the Liver
One of the side effects that has a high potential for lasting damage is how alcohol slowly chips away at your liver’s health.
There are three primary stages of alcohol-related liver damage (ARLD).
Alcoholic fatty liver disease – This stage of liver damage is hard to detect, rarely causing any symptoms. If spotted, it’s a clear warning sign that your alcohol consumption levels aren’t healthy for your body. Fatty liver disease is reversible if caught and addressed properly.
Alcoholic hepatitis – Unlike fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis is often accompanied by side effects such as appetite loss, abdominal pain, the appearance of bloating, weight loss, and nausea. It can range from mild to severe, with mild cases having a chance of being reversed with proper treatment. With the continued development of hepatitis, your liver will slowly develop scar tissue, which leads to cirrhosis.
Cirrhosis – Severe scarring of the liver is what leads to cirrhosis. The scarring in your liver greatly reduces liver functionality, leading to many side effects. The most common include itchiness, fatigue, fever, weight loss, and yellowing of the skin and eyes.
Can You Heal From the Damage of Alcohol Use?
Alcohol impacts many organs and systems within the body. While not every condition that can develop from long-term alcohol use is fully reversible, much of the damage that can be done has the potential to be healed with proper care.
The first step to undoing the effects of alcohol is to stop the cause of the damage in the first place.
It may seem daunting to change a component of your life that can feel all-encompassing, or even essential, but it is possible. It’s easy to overlook the vast impact that an alcohol use disorder can have on your life, but that doesn’t mean that the effects aren’t there. You deserve to have access to proper care that will help heal your inner child, letting you find your passion and creative spirit once more.
Finding Treatment for Alcohol Use in Arizona
If you’re looking for alcohol use rehab options here in Arizona, there are many choices available for you. How, then, do you find one that’s going to actually work for you and your needs?
Not every rehab center is built the same, that’s why it’s important to know what you should look for when finding a place for your recovery. You deserve access to resources and support while in care, with a team that understands your wants and needs for your recovery. You deserve a strong support system, whether you’re staying on-site at a facility, or going home to your own bed at night.
You deserve a team that knows what they’re doing and wants to work with you to help you understand what the road ahead is going to entail.
With our trained team of licensed professionals who understand how creativity ties innately into healing, Recovery Center for the Arts is here to help. You can get started with our alcohol recovery program today by giving us a call at 602-579-9023.
Recovery Center for the Arts – Finding recovery through creativity.