Dr. Elizabeth Landsverk, a geriatrician and dementia expert, tells HuffPost that the way alcohol impacts the body will vary based on your age. If your 2024 goals include plans to drink in moderation, here’s what she wants you to know. Certain medications and excessive alcohol can work in tandem to suppress or amplify the effects of the other. Alcohol can diminish the effectiveness of medications, and medications can amplify the effect of alcohol on the body.

Psoriasis and Other Skin Conditions

• Additionally, your body’s cells don’t bounce back as they once did; their repair process slows down, making recovery a lengthy ordeal.
• Dehydration and visible blood vessels make your eyes red and dull.
• However, because the way our body handles alcohol changes as we get older, late onset alcoholism can be especially dangerous.
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• When you drink alcohol, it’s absorbed through the small intestine, processed by the liver, and circulated through your major organs.

In darker-skinned people, it may be more noticeable in the whites of the eye. Even diet-conscious alcoholic beverages like vodka sodas can lead to disproportionate belly weight if you drink enough of them. These findings may help people make lifestyle changes to promote healthy aging. Liver disease isn’t reversible, but you can treat some of the skin conditions it causes to help make  symptoms less noticeable.

Alcohol Interrupts Your Body’s Healing Processes

Many people in recovery report shinier, fuller hair now that they are sober. As the human body’s largest organ, skin performs several essential functions. does alcohol make you look older Your skin is responsible for immunity, sensation, vitamin D production, temperature regulation and protection from microorganisms, disease and toxins.

Can You Become an Alcoholic Later in Life?

Although alcohol might make you feel more relaxed in the moment, in the long run it can increase anxiety and depression, feeding into a negative cycle. And then there are the frequent hangovers from binge drinking. Overall, the less you drink, the more energetic and youthful you will feel. Feeling better inside almost always means looking better on the outside. When a person drinks large amounts of alcohol, it is easy to make poor decisions.

To help battle the effects of drinking alcohol, drink plenty of water when you drink alcohol to stay hydrated. Stick to the guideline units of alcohol and have consecutive non-drinking days. This can manifest as visible dehydration, as alcohol saps your skin of fluid. In a study examining long-term weight loss and drinking, participants who abstained from alcohol lost more weight — and kept it off — compared to those who continued to drink. Removing alcohol from your lifestyle can reduce the risk for obesity in some individuals and improve healthy weight management for people with Type 2 diabetes.

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