The
immediate or short term effects of alcohol include
impaired judgment, impaired coordination, impaired
vision, and a delayed reaction time to outside
stimuli.
Medical complications and effects
of long term use include:
ALCOHOL-RELATED BIRTH
DEFECTS
If you are pregnant or trying
to get pregnant, you should not drink alcohol.
Drinking alcohol while you are pregnant can cause
a range of birth defects, and children exposed
to alcohol before birth can have lifelong learning
and behavioral problems. The most serious problem
that can be caused by drinking during pregnancy
is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Children born
with FAS have severe physical, mental, and behavioral
problems. Because scientists do not know exactly
how much alcohol it takes to cause alcohol-related
birth defects, it is best not to drink any alcohol
during this time.
LONG-TERM
HEALTH PROBLEMS
Some problems, like those mentioned above, can
occur after drinking over a relatively short period
of time. But other problems—such as liver
disease, heart disease, certain forms of cancer,
and pancreatitis—often develop more gradually
and may become evident only after many years of
heavy drinking. Women may develop alcohol-related
health problems sooner than men, and from drinking
less alcohol than men. Because alcohol affects
nearly every organ in the body, long-term heavy
drinking increases the risk for many serious health
problems, some of which are described on the following
page.
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