Alcohol
Alcohol (ethanol) is a central-nervous-system depressant that enhances GABA and inhibits glutamate, producing acute relaxation, disinhibition, and impaired coordination. It is among the most harmful recreational substances: chronic use drives dependence, liver disease, several cancers, cardiovascular harm, and cognitive and brain injury, and large analyses find no clearly "safe" level for some outcomes. Any short-term subjective benefits are outweighed by well-documented long-term risks.
Too little may be associated with
No requirement; none needed by the body.
Too much may be associated with
Intoxication, addiction, liver and brain damage.
Informational only — not medical advice.
Body systems
Functions
- Arousal (−)
- Circadian Rhythm Regulation (−)
- Motor Control (−)
- Pain Perception (−)
- Sleep Regulation (−)
- Voluntary Movement (−)
- Wakefulness (−)
Diseases
- Atrial fibrillation (−)
- Cirrhosis (−)
- Coronary artery disease (−)
- Erectile dysfunction (−)
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) (−)
- Gout (−)
- Heart failure (−)
- Hyperlipidemia (−)
- Hypertension (−)
- Metabolic syndrome (−)
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (−)
- Obesity (−)
- Obstructive sleep apnea (−)
- Osteoporosis (−)
- Peptic ulcer disease (−)
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus (−)
Hormones
Neurotransmitters
Books (20)
A Gentle Path through the Twelve Steps
Alcohol Explained
Alcohol Lied to Me: The Intelligent Way to Escape Alcohol Addiction
Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book 4th Edition
Beyond the Influence: Understanding and Defeating Alcoholism
Dopamine Nation
Drink?: The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health
Drinking: A Love Story
Dry: A Memoir
Kick the Drink… Easily!
Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol
Sober Curious
The Alcohol Experiment: A 30-Day, Alcohol-Free Challenge to Interrupt Your Habits
The Compass of Pleasure
The Easy Way to Control Alcohol
The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath
The Sober Diaries: How One Woman Stopped Drinking and Started Living
The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober
This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol
We Are the Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life
Podcasts
- Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction
Raw, honest stories of drug addiction and recovery.
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- Sober Powered: The Neuroscience of Being Sober
Gill Tietz on the neuroscience of alcohol and why quitting is hard.
- Take 12 Recovery Radio Network
Monty Reece interviews people in recovery from addiction.
- That Sober Guy Podcast
Shane Ramer on sobriety, recovery, and living alcohol-free.
- The Addicted Mind Podcast
Conversations on addiction, recovery, and the science behind them.
- The Bubble Hour
Honest conversations about alcohol use disorder and recovery.
- The Rich Roll Podcast
Deep conversations on wellness, recovery, and personal transformation.
- This Naked Mind Podcast
Annie Grace on rethinking your relationship with alcohol.
- Untoxicated Podcast
Candid conversations about alcohol, sobriety, and recovery.
Research (32)
- Folate Deficiency-Induced Pseudo-Thrombotic Microangiopathy Allemand et al. (2026)
- Gel nail polish does not have a negative impact on the nail bacterial burden nor on the quality of hand hygiene with an alcohol-based hand rub Arreba et al. (2025)
- Alcohol and the cardiovascular system Seidlerová (2025)
- Gout: global epidemiology, risk factors, comorbidities and complications: a narrative review Asghari et al. (2024)
- Dynamic compliance penis enlargement patch Shi et al. (2024)
- Steatotic liver disease Israelsen et al. (2024)
- A neural circuit for alcohol withdrawal-induced hyperalgesia in a nondependent state Zhang et al. (2024)
- Association of genetic risk, lifestyle, and their interaction with obesity and obesity-related morbidities Kim et al. (2024)
- Association between alcohol use and retinal dysfunctions in patients with alcohol use disorder: A window on GABA, glutamate, and dopamine modulations Polli et al. (2024)
- Alcohol and the dopamine system Söderpalm et al. (2024)
- Current treatments of alcohol use disorder Dionisi et al. (2024)
- GABAergic mechanisms in alcohol dependence Uusi-Oukari et al. (2024)
- Global epidemiology of cirrhosis - aetiology, trends and predictions Huang et al. (2023)
- Epidemiology of liver cirrhosis and associated complications: Current knowledge and future directions Liu et al. (2022)
- GABA(B) Receptors and Alcohol Use Disorders: Preclinical Studies Holtyn et al. (2022)
Links
Recovery resources
Help for alcohol use and recovery. Not an endorsement or medical advice — see all recovery resources.
SAMHSA National Helpline (US)
A free, confidential, 24/7 US treatment-referral and information line for individuals and families facing substance use or mental health disorders.
Adult Children of Alcoholics & Dysfunctional Families (ACA/ACoA)
A 12-step program for adults who grew up in alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional homes and want to heal the lasting effects.
Al-Anon Family Groups
Mutual support for the families and friends of alcoholics, whether or not the drinker seeks help.
A part of Al-Anon for teenagers whose lives have been affected by someone else's drinking.
Families Anonymous (FA)
A 12-step fellowship for the relatives and friends of people affected by drug abuse or related behavioral problems.
Dual Recovery Anonymous (DRA)
A 12-step fellowship for people managing both a substance addiction and a co-occurring mental illness.
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
The original 12-step fellowship, where people recovering from alcoholism support one another in staying sober.
- Celebrate Recovery
A Christ-centered 12-step program for people working through addictions and other hurts, habits, and hang-ups.
SMART Recovery
A secular, science-based recovery program using cognitive-behavioral tools for any addictive behavior.
Community
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