Sign #1: Elevated Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is frequently referred to as the silent killer, and rightly so. It often presents no overt symptoms, making it crucial to regularly monitor it. High blood pressure significantly increases the risk of various life-threatening conditions, particularly stroke, heart disease, and heart failure. According to the CDC, over 350,000 Americans lose their lives each year due to complications directly linked to high blood pressure.

To enhance your chances of living a longer and healthier life, maintaining low blood pressure is vital. Unfortunately, one of the initial health impacts of consistent drinking is elevated blood pressure. Women who consume alcohol double their chances of developing hypertension, while men increase their risk by an astonishing four times. This phenomenon is known as alcohol-induced hypertension, and it serves as a clear warning sign that your drinking habits may be detrimental to your health.

The good news is twofold: First, checking your blood pressure is remarkably simple. If you have any concerns, schedule a checkup today. Second, a highly effective method to reverse alcohol-induced hypertension is to cease drinking.

Sign #2: Weight Gain

While this is closely linked to blood pressure, alcohol offers little in terms of nutrition. It could be considered the ultimate junk food—perhaps even a mild poison. With each drink typically containing between 100 to 200 calories, consuming just two or three drinks daily can add up to an additional 500 calories. Although alcoholic beverages are calorie-dense, the ethanol in them often increases your appetite for other foods. Scientists are still investigating why this occurs, but it likely affects the hormones that control hunger.

Excess weight raises the risk of premature death from various causes, including:

• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Stroke
• Sleep apnea and other respiratory issues
• Various cancers

Sign #3: Memory Impairment

Alcohol can affect cognitive functions in numerous ways. At advanced stages, it may lead to alcohol-related dementia, but the first signs often manifest as memory impairment. Memory blackouts are a common symptom of binge drinking—periods where you are heavily intoxicated and cannot recall anything. In some cases, these blackouts are incomplete, leaving you with only fragments of your actions during that time.

What’s alarming is that these blackouts can occur while you are fully conscious and interacting with those around you; however, the alcohol impairs your brain's ability to form and retain memories. These memory lapses serve as an obvious indication that your drinking is becoming excessive. Concurrently, alcohol gradually diminishes various cognitive functions, including attention, decision-making, motor skills, and emotional processing.

Sign #4: Changes in Facial Appearance

A noticeable red flag is the alteration in your facial appearance. Many individuals may experience a puffy or swollen face, often accompanied by slight redness due to blood vessel dilation. Alcohol can hinder your skin's capacity to neutralize free radicals, leading to premature aging. Initially, heavy drinking results in an unhealthy-looking face, but over time, this can lead to more permanent changes, such as forehead lines, crow's feet, puffy eyes, and a loss of facial fat. This transformation can make you appear several years older than you actually are.

Sign #5: Irregular Heartbeat

Ethanol is classified as cardiotoxic, meaning it can be harmful to both the heart and the cardiovascular system. We previously noted its role in increasing blood pressure, but the damage extends beyond that. When the body metabolizes alcohol, it first converts it into a toxic substance known as acetaldehyde, which is even more detrimental to the heart. This can eventually result in a condition called alcoholic cardiomyopathy, where certain heart muscles enlarge and struggle to pump blood effectively.

Up to 30% of heavy drinkers seeking treatment for addiction suffer from this condition, and sadly, many of them could face life-threatening consequences if they do not stop drinking. It's worth remembering this the next time you're exposed to claims about the supposed heart benefits of red wine. However, cardiomyopathy typically develops over many years of heavy drinking. A more immediate warning sign of potential heart damage is an irregular heartbeat, which may present as paroxysmal atrial fibrillation when it lasts only a few days. If it persists, it becomes persistent atrial fibrillation—a signal from your heart that must not be ignored.

Doctors previously referred to this as “holiday heart syndrome,” as it was observed that individuals returning from binge-drinking vacations often experienced irregular heartbeats. Heavy drinkers face a 50% higher likelihood of developing this type of arrhythmia compared to non-drinkers, with estimates suggesting that up to 30% of these arrhythmias in the general population are linked to alcohol. The most effective approach to address this issue? You guessed it—stop drinking.

The first video discusses "5 Early Warning Signs Alcohol Is Killing You SLOWLY," providing insights into how alcohol can slowly deteriorate health and the signs to watch for.

The second video, titled "Alcohol Poisoning Symptoms: What to do if you have alcohol overdose," outlines the dangers of excessive drinking and the appropriate responses to alcohol-related emergencies.