What are the risks?
Even at low levels, alcohol can impact decision making, memory, coordination, and concentration.
There are many risks associated with alcohol consumption. Even at low levels, alcohol can impact decision making, memory, coordination, and concentration. Alcohol can have negative, sometimes irreversible, impacts on some of our essential organs, including the liver, heart, and brain and may cause long-term damage to a person’s body. Drinking alcohol increases a person’s risk for developing many types of cancer.
No matter how much you drink, driving is not safe. The national Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit is 0.08.
People who drink to excess and are physically dependent on alcohol may be diagnosed with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Symptoms of withdrawal, including headaches, nausea, anxiety, hallucinations, and seizures, will begin just 8 hours after a person’s last drink. These symptoms are extremely serious and can result in death. For a person whose body has become physically addicted to alcohol, it is important to seek medical help when decreasing or stopping alcohol use.
Withdrawal from alcohol without oversight from a medical professional can be life-threatening.