Alcohol(HARMFUL)
Alcohol (ethanol) is a central-nervous-system depressant that enhances GABA and inhibits glutamate, producing acute relaxation, disinhibition, and impaired coordination. It is among the most harmful recreational substances: chronic use drives dependence, liver disease, several cancers, cardiovascular harm, and cognitive and brain injury, and large analyses find no clearly "safe" level for some outcomes. Any short-term subjective benefits are outweighed by well-documented long-term risks.
Too little may be associated with
No requirement; none needed by the body.
Too much may be associated with
Intoxication, addiction, liver and brain damage.
Informational only β not medical advice.
Benefits
Widely used socially for relaxation; despite some unfounded claims of benefits, no health authority recommends drinking for health.
Risks
Addictive and a group-1 carcinogen. Raises risk of liver disease, several cancers, high blood pressure, dependence, accidents, and fetal harm in pregnancy. Risk rises with dose and no fully "safe" level is established.
Informational only β not medical advice.
Body systems
Organs
Functions
- ArousalΒ (β)
- Circadian Rhythm RegulationΒ (β)
- Motor ControlΒ (β)
- Pain PerceptionΒ (β)
- Sleep RegulationΒ (β)
- Voluntary MovementΒ (β)
- WakefulnessΒ (β)
Diseases
- Atrial fibrillationΒ (β)
- CirrhosisΒ (β)
- Coronary artery diseaseΒ (β)
- Erectile dysfunctionΒ (β)
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)Β (β)
- GoutΒ (β)
- Heart failureΒ (β)
- HyperlipidemiaΒ (β)
- HypertensionΒ (β)
- Metabolic syndromeΒ (β)
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver diseaseΒ (β)
- ObesityΒ (β)
- Obstructive sleep apneaΒ (β)
- OsteoporosisΒ (β)
- Peptic ulcer diseaseΒ (β)
- Type 2 diabetes mellitusΒ (β)
Hormones
Neurotransmitters
Books (20)
A Gentle Path through the Twelve Steps
Alcohol Explained
Alcohol Lied to Me: The Intelligent Way to Escape Alcohol Addiction
Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book 4th Edition
Beyond the Influence: Understanding and Defeating Alcoholism
Dopamine Nation
Drink?: The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health
Drinking: A Love Story
Dry: A Memoir
Kick the Drink⦠Easily!
Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol
Sober Curious
The Alcohol Experiment: A 30-Day, Alcohol-Free Challenge to Interrupt Your Habits
The Compass of Pleasure
The Easy Way to Control Alcohol
The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath
The Sober Diaries: How One Woman Stopped Drinking and Started Living
The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober
This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol
We Are the Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life
Podcasts
- Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction
Raw, honest stories of drug addiction and recovery.

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- Sober Powered: The Neuroscience of Being Sober
Gill Tietz on the neuroscience of alcohol and why quitting is hard.

- Take 12 Recovery Radio Network
Monty Reece interviews people in recovery from addiction.

- That Sober Guy Podcast
Shane Ramer on sobriety, recovery, and living alcohol-free.

- The Addicted Mind Podcast
Conversations on addiction, recovery, and the science behind them.

- The Bubble Hour
Honest conversations about alcohol use disorder and recovery.

- The Rich Roll Podcast
Deep conversations on wellness, recovery, and personal transformation.

- This Naked Mind Podcast
Annie Grace on rethinking your relationship with alcohol.

- Untoxicated Podcast
Candid conversations about alcohol, sobriety, and recovery.

Research (70)
- Diagnosis and Management of Resistant Hypertension: A Review Azizi et al. (2026) Full text β PubMed β
- Peripheral Neuropathy: A Review Mauermann et al. (2026) Full text β PubMed β
- Folate Deficiency-Induced Pseudo-Thrombotic Microangiopathy Allemand et al. (2026) Full text β PubMed β
- REM Rebound Effect Singh et al. (2026) PubMed β
- [Nutrition in improving sleep quality and fighting insomnia] Ortega et al. (2025) Full text β PubMed β
- ACG Clinical Guideline: Malnutrition and Nutritional Recommendations in Liver Disease Singal et al. (2025) PubMed β
- Gel nail polish does not have a negative impact on the nail bacterial burden nor on the quality of hand hygiene with an alcohol-based hand rub Arreba et al. (2025) Full text β PubMed β
- Update on the Epidemiology and Management of Microscopic Colitis Peery et al. (2025) PubMed β
- Alcohol and the cardiovascular system SeidlerovΓ‘ (2025) PubMed β
- Alcohol Withdrawal Meloy et al. (2025) Full text β PubMed β
- The involvement of GABA-rho receptors in regulating ethanol-induced elevation of dopamine, glycine and taurine within the nucleus accumbens of Wistar rats Cadeddu et al. (2025) Full text β PubMed β
- Gout: global epidemiology, risk factors, comorbidities and complications: a narrative review Asghari et al. (2024) Full text β PubMed β
- Dynamic compliance penis enlargement patch Shi et al. (2024) Full text β PubMed β
- Steatotic liver disease Israelsen et al. (2024) Full text β PubMed β
- A neural circuit for alcohol withdrawal-induced hyperalgesia in a nondependent state Zhang et al. (2024) Full text β PubMed β
Links
Recovery resources
Help for alcohol use and recovery. Not an endorsement or medical advice β see all recovery resources.
SAMHSA National Helpline (US)
β 1-800-662-4357A free, confidential, 24/7 US treatment-referral and information line for individuals and families facing substance use or mental health disorders.
Adult Children of Alcoholics & Dysfunctional Families (ACA/ACoA)
A 12-step program for adults who grew up in alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional homes and want to heal the lasting effects.
Al-Anon Family Groups
Mutual support for the families and friends of alcoholics, whether or not the drinker seeks help.
Alateen
A part of Al-Anon for teenagers whose lives have been affected by someone else's drinking.
Families Anonymous (FA)
A 12-step fellowship for the relatives and friends of people affected by drug abuse or related behavioral problems.
Dual Recovery Anonymous (DRA)
A 12-step fellowship for people managing both a substance addiction and a co-occurring mental illness.
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
The original 12-step fellowship, where people recovering from alcoholism support one another in staying sober.
- Celebrate Recovery
A Christ-centered 12-step program for people working through addictions and other hurts, habits, and hang-ups.
SMART Recovery
A secular, science-based recovery program using cognitive-behavioral tools for any addictive behavior.
Community
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