Cheers! Salud! Prost!
Drinking to one’s health is a common tradition. But it may also be self-defeating: the alcohol that’s part of many toasts can actually harm your health.
Of course, alcohol consumption extends well past toasts. For millions of people, it’s a regular part of the dining experience, social and sports events, celebrations, and milestones. Alcohol plays a key role in many religious traditions. And the alcoholic beverage industry is a major economic force, responsible for more than $250 billion in sales annually in the US.
But there are many downsides to drinking: some are likely familiar (spoiler alert: it’s not great for your liver) while others are less well appreciated. And concerns about the risks of even moderate drinking are on the rise.
The negative effects of alcohol
Here are some of the most common problems associated with alcohol consumption (especially if excessive):
- liver disease, including cirrhosis and life-threatening liver failure requiring a liver transplant
- a higher risk of high blood pressure, heart failure, and dementia
- an increased risk of cancer (more on this below)
- a higher risk of injury, especially from drunk driving and falls (homicides and suicides are also often alcohol-related)
- lapses in judgment —for example, people who are drunk may engage in risky sexual behavior or use other drugs
- an increased risk of depression, anxiety, and addiction: these problems may impact one’s ability to establish and maintain social relationships and employment
- fetal alcohol syndrome: alcohol can damage a baby’s developing brain and cause other developmental abnormalities
- alcohol poisoning: many people don’t realize that if you drink enough alcohol over a short period of time, it can be fatal.
Heavy drinking can also cause problems well beyond the health of the drinker — it can damage important relationships. It’s all too common that problem drinking disrupts bonds with a spouse, family members, friends, coworkers, or employers.
Alcohol and cancer: A growing concern
In recent decades, a number of studies have linked drinking to higher rates of cancer, including cancers involving the
- liver
- colon
- breast
- mouth
- throat and esophagus.
In many cases, even moderate drinking (defined below) appears to increase risk. Despite this, less than half of the US public is aware of any alcohol-cancer connection. That’s why the Surgeon General issued an advisory in January 2025 recommending that alcoholic beverages carry new labels warning of the alcohol-cancer link and highlighting that no safe low level of alcohol consumption has been established. Changing the labels as suggested by the Surgeon General will require congressional action that may never happen.
Current alcoholic beverage labels in the US warn of the risks of driving under the influence of alcohol, adverse effects on general health, and risks for a developing fetus — but there’s no mention of cancer.
Are there any health benefits to drinking alcohol?
Alcohol has long been considered a “social lubricant” because drinking may encourage social interaction. Having a drink while getting together with family or friends is often part of many special occasions.
And not so long ago there was general consensus that drinking in moderation also came with health advantages, including a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. More recently, this belief has been called into question.
Even among the positive studies, potential health benefits are often quite small. In addition, alcohol may reduce the risk of one condition (such as cardiovascular disease) while increasing the risk of another (such as cancer). So it’s hard to predict who might actually benefit and who may be harmed more than helped by alcohol consumption. And the balance of risk and benefit likely varies from person to person, based on individual factors such as genetics and lifestyle factors.
Is drinking some alcohol better than drinking none?
A number of studies suggest the answer may be yes. For example, a 2018 study found that light drinkers (those consuming one to three drinks per week) had lower rates of cancer or death than those drinking less than one drink per week or none at all.
More recent studies (all published in 2023) came to similar conclusions. For example:
By contrast, another 2023 study found similar rates of death between nondrinkers and light to moderate drinkers.
It’s worth noting that current guidelines advise against drinking alcohol as a way to improve health.
How much alcohol is too much?
The answer to this important question has varied over time, but current US guidelines recommend that men who drink should limit intake to two drinks/day or less and women who drink should have no more than one drink/day. The definitions for a drink in the US are the common serving sizes for beer (12 ounces), wine (5 ounces), or distilled spirits/hard liquor (1.5 ounces).
A number of experts have recommended revision of the guidelines toward lower amounts, as more studies have linked even moderate alcohol consumption to health risks. Predictably, the alcoholic beverage industry opposes more restrictive guidelines.
Of course, no one needs to wait for new guidelines or warning labels to curb their drinking. Many are exploring ways to cut back, including the Dry January Challenge or alcohol-free drinks.
What we don’t know: The significant limitations of alcohol-related health research
Nearly all large studies regarding alcohol’s impact on health assess associations, not causation. So a higher rate of certain cancers may be associated with more alcohol consumption, but that doesn’t prove alcohol caused the cancer.
In addition, most rely on self-reporting that may be inaccurate, do not analyze binge drinking, do not assess alcohol consumption over a lifetime, or do not account for the fact that some study subjects may change their alcohol consumption due to alcohol-related health problems. These limitations make it hard to know how much to rely on studies that find health risks (or benefits) to alcohol consumption.
The bottom line
Assessing the risks and benefits of alcohol consumption remains an active area of research that may lead to major changes in official guidelines or warning labels.
But here’s one thing that hasn’t changed: many people like to drink. Even with more restrictive guidelines or new warning labels, it’s likely that plenty of folks will accept the risks of drinking alcohol. Still, it’s important to know what those risks are.
So, stay tuned. You can expect to hear about more research, debate, and controversy in the near future regarding the potential risks and benefits of drinking, and how much — if any — is ideal.