These disruptions can change mood and behavior and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination. More information about alcohol’s effects on the brain is available on NIAAA’s topic page on Alcohol and The Brain. NIAAA-sponsored studies have shown that chronic use of alcohol impairs the body’s immune system, possibly setting the stage for respiratory and liver infections as well as AIDS (Roselle 1992; Rosman 1992; Kruger and Jerrells 1992).
Brain/Neurological System
- The specific type of birth defect produced appears to depend on which organ systems are undergoing development at the time of alcohol exposure (Webster 1989).
- Short-term adverse effects include generalized impairment of neurocognitive function, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and symptoms of hangover.
- In the United States, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is the most common diagnostic guide for substance use disorders, whereas most countries use the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) for diagnostic (and other) purposes.
- NIAAA helped launch a website to share funding opportunities and research resources readily with the public.
Supervised detox or a careful taper can prevent complications and make you far more comfortable. Thiamine protects vulnerable brain regions by supporting energy pathways. If there’s any concern about deficiency—or if you’re a heavy drinker—clinicians often start thiamine early. Poor oxygenation at night plus neuroinflammation can accelerate cognitive problems. If you snore loudly or feel wiped out despite sleep, getting evaluated can protect your brain as much as cutting back on alcohol.
What are the immediate short‑term effects of alcohol on the brain?
Short-term adverse effects include generalized impairment of neurocognitive function, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and symptoms of hangover. Alcohol is addictive and can result in alcohol use disorder, dependence, and withdrawal upon cessation. Many governmental agencies and organizations issue Alcohol consumption recommendations. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is a key component of the National Institutes of Health, established on December 31, 1970, to address alcohol’s effects on health national institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism niaaa the significant public health issue of alcohol abuse and alcoholism in the United States. Its mission centers on conducting and supporting research aimed at understanding alcohol use disorders (AUD) and their health and societal impacts.
Research in the past 25 years has brought about an increasing awareness of the multiplicity of alcohol’s medical effects and the mechanisms by which these effects occur. Some of these effects include alcoholic cirrhosis; cancer; immune defects; cognitive impairment; fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS); and alcohol-related trauma, including accidents, traffic crashes, and personal violence. Some prevention efforts aimed at alcohol-involved driving also are discussed below. The creation in 1970 of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) led to major national interest in research toward solving the problems of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Although several distinguished scientists had made important contributions to the field prior to that time, funding had been inconsistent, and multidisciplinary research on alcoholism was almost nonexistent (Lieber 1989). With a portfolio that includes internationally respected investigators in a broad range of biomedical and psychosocial disciplines, NIAAA today provides leadership and financial support for approximately 90 percent of all alcohol-related research in the United States.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
- One standard drink is roughly 14 g of pure alcohol (about 12 oz beer, 5 oz wine, or 1.5 oz spirits).
- 2018—CRAN, based on the need to understand how substance use and other experiences during adolescence influence development, established the Adolescent Behavioral and Cognitive (ABCD) Study, a large scale, long-term, longitudinal study.
- 1999—NIAAA organized the first National Alcohol Screening Day, created to provide public education, screening, and referral for treatment when indicated.
- Patients who are taking metronidazole are sometimes advised to avoid alcohol, even after 1 hour following the last dose.
Prioritize thiamine and a B-complex if you’re cutting back (ask your clinician), and lean on whole foods, hydration, and regular exercise. Alcohol sedates you, but it robs REM sleep—the stage tied to emotional regulation and memory consolidation. That REM deficit can make the next day feel brittle, irritable, and blue. At any given time, NIH is funding thousands of research studies and clinical trials across the U.S.Some studies… Drinking alcohol is so common that people may not question how even one beer, cocktail, or glass of wine could… For more information about alcohol and cancer, please visit the National Cancer Institute’s webpage “Alcohol and Cancer Risk” (last accessed June 6, 2024).
Attention, coordination, reaction time: why driving risk spikes
For global public health perspectives and low-risk drinking frameworks, see a study and policy summaries from the World Health Organization. The NIAAA continues to evolve its research strategies, recently focusing on the biological mechanisms of alcohol misuse, improving treatment disparities, and enhancing public health responses to alcohol-related challenges. With ongoing support for studies and outreach, the NIAAA remains committed to fostering a better understanding of alcohol-related problems and promoting healthier communities. As these findings illustrate, susceptibility to complex behavioral disorders such as alcoholism is not likely to be determined by a single gene.
The Surgeon General released the Surgeon General’s Advisory on Alcohol Use in Pregnancy(link is external), updated from the original advisory released in 1981. The series pays tribute to Mark Keller, a pioneer in the field of alcohol research, and features a lecture each year by an outstanding alcohol researcher who has made significant and long-term contributions to our understanding of alcohol’s effects on the body and mind. 1991—NIAAA began the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey, designed to study drinking practices, behaviors, and related problems. That sobering statistic comes from Gallup, which has polled Americans on their drinking habits since 1939. The record low of 54% in 2025 compares with the all-time high, 71%, reported from 1976 to 1978.
As basic research expands our knowledge base, a consistent pattern appears to be emerging that ultimately will help guide improved prevention and treatment efforts. NIAAA-sponsored researchers have conducted studies using experimental animals to answer many important questions about FAS. One of the first issues that researchers addressed was whether alcohol itself is responsible for FAS. Alcoholic women frequently smoke tobacco, have poor health, and are malnourished, any of which factors can cause birth defects. Two different laboratories reported that alcohol administration to pregnant mice resulted in birth defects similar to those of FAS (Chernoff 1977; Randall et al. 1977), suggesting that alcohol itself caused the defects.
What happens after a few drinks?
Alcoholism is characterized by abnormal alcohol-seeking behavior and impaired control over drinking. Significant phenomena related to the development of alcoholism include reinforcement, tolerance, and both physical and psychological dependence. These phenomena contribute to the rewarding effects of alcohol, the persistence of drinking, and the ultimate development of alcoholism in people who are vulnerable to the disease for underlying genetic/environmental reasons. The mission of the NIAAA, which believes that AUD is a curable public health problem, is to conduct, promote, and support research on alcohol abuse and its health and societal consequences. It promotes research in a wide range of scientific disciplines, including genetics, epidemiology, neuroscience, and the behavioral sciences to determine the most effective ways to prevent and treat alcoholism and to reduce the consequences of alcohol abuse. Research has demonstrated that long-term heavy drinking weakens the heart muscle, causing cardiomyopathy.
More than half of those surveyed said drinking is bad for your health, up from 45% in 2024. In the United States, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is the most common diagnostic guide for substance use disorders, whereas most countries use the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) for diagnostic (and other) purposes. The two manuals use similar but not identical nomenclature to classify alcohol problems.
Deixe um comentário