The effects of modest drinking on life expectancy and mortality risks: a population-based cohort study Scientific Reports

People with severe alcohol dependency may stay at an inpatient rehabilitation facility for closer monitoring. As the liver no longer processes toxins properly, a person will be more sensitive to medications and alcohol. Alcohol use speeds up the liver’s destruction, reducing the liver’s ability to compensate for the current damage. Once damage begins, it can take a long time to become noticeable, as the liver is generally highly effective at regenerating and repairing itself. In Denmark, the number of men and women hospitalized because of AUD was similar for the 5-year periods from 1987 to 2001 but increased for 2002 to 2006 (Table ​(Table1).1). In Finland, the number of men and women with AUD increased from 1987 to 2001 and remained unchanged for 2002 to 2006.

Since that year, researchers collected information on the participants’ drinking habits and interviewed them twice a year, every year, from 1998 through 2014. When you consume large amounts of alcohol, it causes disruptions in the brain specifically with the communication pathways, often resulting in changes in mood and behaviors. If you drink enough alcohol, it could affect your coordination and ability to think clearly. It’s no secret that alcohol can be harmful to the body when consumed in excess. While I could find fewer controlled trials demonstrating negative health impacts of low-doses of alcohol, I still did find a couple. Well, as just such a person, I decided I wanted an answer to the question of alcohol and aging for myself, so I dug into as much research as I possibly could until I had a conclusion I was satisfied with.

Stages

There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and the effects of alcohol can vary widely between individuals due to factors such as genetics, overall health status, and lifestyle. Therefore, while moderate drinking may not lead to the drastic decrease in life expectancy seen with heavy drinking, it does not guarantee a risk-free relationship with alcohol. Choosing to consume alcohol responsibly and seeking medical advice when necessary can help maintain a healthier, longer life. The exact figures on the life expectancy for alcoholics vary and are hard to determine. This is because some alcoholics may have concurrent medical conditions or live in environments that are not conducive to their well-being.

• This stage of alcoholism starts when people experience an increasing tolerance to alcohol and raise their alcohol intake with greater frequency and quantity.
• As opposed to moderate drinking, heavy alcohol consumption leads to a higher risk of coronary heart disease and heart attacks.
• Having hepatitis C increases the risk, and a person who consumes alcohol regularly and has had any type of hepatitis faces a higher chance of developing liver disease.
• As you grow older, health problems or prescribed medicines may require that you drink less alcohol or avoid it completely.

It’s essential to note that these factors do not necessarily mean a person with an alcohol addiction will experience all of them, as each person’s body reacts differently to alcohol consumption. However, the risk is significantly higher in individuals with long-term and heavy alcohol use. The average lifespan of an alcoholic tends to be shorter than that of the general public because heavy drinking on a regular and long-term basis can increase the risk of developing several life-threatening diseases and conditions. After a long period of continuous heavy drinking, alcohol has contributed to the damage and deterioration of vital organs such as the liver, heart, kidneys, pancreas, and brain. Mental problems such as dementia or delirium tremens (DTs) occur, and they face an increased risk of developing cancer.

What Are The Most Common Heavy Drinking Side Effects?

Dr. John and his team conclude that their results show that people abstaining from alcohol will not usually have a higher mortality risk than those who consume low to moderate amounts. This contradicts the idea that consuming low to moderate amounts of alcohol confers health benefits. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), in 2019, 85.6% of individuals in the United States aged 18 years or older reported that they had consumed an alcoholic beverage at one time in their life. There has been a long-term discussion among clinicians around excessive alcohol consumption and the adverse effects it causes on your immune system.

To answer these questions, let’s take a closer look at the research on alcoholic life expectancy. The alcoholic life expectancy calculator combines the latest scientific research on life expectancy and puts it into an easy-to-use calculator. And as I don’t find it hard to skip drinking I’ll probably average even lower than that, since on most days I don’t drink any alcohol at all. Continuing on with animals and alcohol life expectancy, several studies have also shown mice live longer with a little bit of alcohol compared to none at all.

Age

An individual diagnosed with liver cirrhosis has an expected life span thereafter of around 12 years [12]. Drinking alcohol can lead to the development of at least seven types of cancer, how long do alcoholics live including bowel, mouth, throat, and breast cancer [28]. People between the ages of 20 and 39 are the largest age group affected, as 13.5% of all deaths are alcohol-related [9].

All authors conceived and designed the study, analyzed and interpreted the data, critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content, and obtained funding. C.C.W., and C.P.W. supervised the study, provided quality control on statistical analysis, and reviewed and edited the main manuscript text, wrote the draft of main manuscript text, reviewed and interpreted all statistical results. C.C.W. and C.P.W. had final approval and overall responsibility for the published work. The corresponding author attests that all listed authors meet authorship criteria and that no others meeting the criteria have been omitted.

Facts About Aging and Alcohol

Different forms of psychotherapy, such as CBT, MI, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and interpersonal therapy, can also be effective in helping the individual get to the root cause of their addiction. Furthermore, support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) can provide a supportive community for individuals in early recovery. The person’s use becomes more frequent and risky, and they may begin to experience negative consequences such as health problems and job losses. They found people who drank the equivalent of about five to 10 drinks a week could shorten their lives by up to six months.

• Mental problems such as dementia or delirium tremens (DTs) occur, and they face an increased risk of developing cancer.
• C.C.W., and C.P.W. supervised the study, provided quality control on statistical analysis, and reviewed and edited the main manuscript text, wrote the draft of main manuscript text, reviewed and interpreted all statistical results.
• Now is the time to line up support from addiction specialists, mental health professionals, friends and family, and others living with an alcohol use disorder.
• And they warned that people who drink more than 18 drinks a week could lose four to five years of their lives.
• Changes in drinking behavior, whether increasing or decreasing, and underreporting of alcohol use may affect the quality of drinking data used in this study.

Risk predictors were subjected to Cox proportional hazards regression analysis to identify significant predictors in multivariate models and life expectancy analysis. Nearly one out of 4 males (23%) was a modest drinker, who gained 0.94 year (95% CI 0.65–1.23 year) in life over non-drinker and had 8% reduction in adjusted all-cause mortality (HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.86–0.97). In contrast, regular drinkers had 43% increase in overall mortality (HR 1.43, CI 1.35–1.52) and shortened life by 6.9 years (95% CI 6.6–7.1 years). As most drinkers also smoked, 59% in modest and 75% in regular, the combined effect shortened life by 2.0 years (95% CI 1.6–2.4 years) in modest drinker and 10.3 years (95% CI 9.8–10.7 years) in regular drinker.

A-Z Health Topics

Emily brings with her over 3 years of experience in the addiction field having previously worked for a local substance abuse treatment program. She also shares her 12 years of administrative & customer service experience as a member of the intake/admissions department. As the Clinical Nurse Manager for Hemet Valley Recovery Center & Sage Retreat, Crystal’s nursing career began as an LVN graduating from Concorde Career College in 2010.

Her purpose is to help individuals understand their past so they can create a future full of hope, growth, and success. Stephanie attributes a large portion of her success to the supportive culture and strong sense of community fostered by the Agape team. You may have a drinking problem if you have trouble controlling your alcohol consumption, have cravings for alcohol, continue to drink despite negative consequences, or experience withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop. No matter what stage of addiction you or a loved one may be in, addiction treatment is available to help you overcome alcoholism. Alcoholism is a chronic, often progressive disease involving excessive consumption of alcohol to the extent that it causes physical, mental, and social harm to an individual. “Our findings add one piece to the growing evidence that low to moderate alcohol drinking should not be recommended for health reasons,” Dr. John said.