Does Alcohol Shorten Your Life?

Drinking alcohol has come under increased scrutiny recently as more evidence is emerging about its connection with cancer and even shortening our lives. So, many are asking: Is alcohol bad for you? But it has been socially accepted for a very long time. Restaurants make their money from alcohol sales.

Many of my clients significantly increased their alcohol intake during the pandemic as it was one of the few things we were permitted to indulge in. Now the legalized drug is drawing some serious health scrutiny.

 

Recently, there’s been a lot of talk about the negative effects of drinking alcohol. In December of last year, the U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory warning about the direct relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer.

Around the same time, new research challenged long-held beliefs about the safety of moderate drinking.

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New Study on How Alcohol Can Shorten Your Life

In a study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Dr. Tim Stockwell and colleagues found that even low levels of alcohol consumption are linked to increased mortality.

Dr. Stockwell later estimated, in media interviews, how this risk might translate into days or years of life lost depending on drinking level. He told the Daily Mail that consuming just two drinks per week may shorten your life by three to six days.

And, according to Dr. Stockwell. for frequent imbibers, the numbers get even bleaker.

• If a person were to drink seven alcoholic beverages a week (beer, wine, or spirits), they risk cutting their life expectancy by two and a half months.
• A person who drinks 35 alcoholic beverages a week could shorten their life by two years, based on his interpretation of the research.

Dr. Stockwell told the Daily Mail that these numbers are averages, and some people could end up luckier than others. He discouraged people from considering alcohol as something that is okay or even healthy to consume in moderation.

The CDC defines moderate drinking as one drink or less per day for women and two or less for men. For years, moderate drinking was considered okay, if not beneficial.

However, Dr. Stockwell’s research—and a 2023 meta-analysis he co-authored, which analyzed 107 studies from over 40 years—disputed that belief.

Impact of the New Research

“Dr. Stockwell’s review of years of research really challenges the old idea that a little alcohol is good for you. What he and his team found is that even small amounts of alcohol can shorten your lifespan,” Dr. Raj Dasgupta, Chief Medical Advisor for Sleepopolis.

Dr. Dasgupta explains that both how much you drink and how often you drink impacts life expectancy. And as drinking increases, he says there’s a greater risk to long-term health, such as liver problems, cancer, heart disease, and accidents — all common effects of alcohol on the body.

“Alcohol’s effect on each person is different. My advice: if you do drink, try to keep it in moderation,” he says.

Click here to read more about the research,

Enjoyed learning about alcohol and its effects on your health? Ready to personalize your nutrition and wellness journey?
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