By Sola Kuti
The World Health Organization has warned that no level of alcohol consumption is safe, stressing that every drink carries health risks.
Alcohol is officially classified as a Group One (1) carcinogen, the same category as tobacco, and is linked to at least seven types of cancer.
Research confirms that even light or moderate drinking raises the risk of heart disease, liver damage, depression and other conditions.
Doctors emphasize, however, that the body begins to repair itself once alcohol use stops.
A liver specialist at King’s College Hospital, London, Professor Debbie Shawcross, explained that the benefits of quitting start quickly. “In the first few weeks there will be improvements in sleep quality, concentration, hydration and digestion. In the long term, blood pressure will drop and stress on the liver will reduce,” she said.
Alcohol affects nearly every part of the body. It sedates the brain instead of promoting restful sleep, irritates the stomach, raises blood pressure and fuels inflammation that can cause clots, heart attacks and strokes.
It also shrinks brain tissue, distorts memory and disrupts mood by interfering with dopamine and serotonin. The liver, which processes almost all alcohol consumed, becomes overworked, and prolonged damage can lead to cirrhosis, a life-threatening condition that dramatically increases cancer risk.
The good news, experts note, is that the body is remarkably resilient. Within days of quitting, sleep deepens, digestion improves and energy levels rise. Within weeks, blood pressure begins to fall. Over months and years, the brain’s chemistry rebalances and the risk of cirrhosis, heart disease and cancer steadily declines.
While Guidelines advise drinking no more than 14 units of alcohol a week which is the equivalent of six pints of beer or 10 small glasses of wine, studies, however, show that even one drink a week raises cancer risk by three percent, while a daily small glass of wine increases breast cancer risk by 15 percent.
Two bottles of wine a week also raise the risk by 27 percent.
Alcohol remains a leading cause of preventable disease worldwide, responsible for thousands of deaths every year.
Health experts are united in their advice that every drink adds to the danger, but every day without alcohol allows the body to heal. From the first hangover-free morning, recovery is already underway.
