Why This Matters for You
Alcohol is a common part of life for many in Maryland. But drinking too much can cause serious problems for your health and for public safety. Knowing how alcohol affects your body and when drinking becomes risky can help you, your family, and health experts make good choices to stay healthy.
The CDC says that excessive alcohol use is a major cause of preventable deaths in the United States. Here in Maryland, excessive alcohol use plays a part in many health problems, hospital stays, and deaths each year.
How Alcohol Can Affect You Right Away
Even drinking too much just once in a while can lead to:
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Injuries and Accidents: Like car crashes, falls, drowning, and burns.
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Violence: Such as harm to yourself or others, or sexual assault.
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Alcohol Poisoning: This is very serious and can be deadly if you drink a lot of alcohol very fast.
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Risky Sexual Behaviors: Which can lead to unplanned pregnancies or diseases you can get from sex, like HIV.
These risks can happen even if you do not drink every day but sometimes drink a lot at one time (this is called binge drinking).
How Alcohol Can Affect You Over Time
Drinking too much alcohol often, over a long time, can raise your risk for:
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High Blood Pressure, Heart Problems, and Stroke.
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Liver Disease: Including a serious condition called cirrhosis.
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Several types of Cancer: Such as breast, liver, colon, and throat cancer.
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Mental Health Issues: Like feeling sad or worried.
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Memory and Thinking Problems.
In the US, over 178,000 people die each year because of health problems caused by excessive alcohol use. In Maryland, that number is almost 3,000 (CDC, ARDI, 2024). Excessive alcohol use takes over 73,000 years of potential life from Marylanders each year (CDC, ARDI, 2024).
