Drinking too much? Here are some of the physical changes you can look forward to

Drinking too much alcohol might make you think you’re as smooth with the ladies as Don Juan, but it actually has the opposite affect.

Have you started to notice a spare tyre forming around your belly? Is your skin looking a bit dry? Or have you noticed a few fresh bruises that definitely weren’t there last night? If so, you may want to rethink your drinking.

Drinking too much might make you feel like an absolute stud, but it’s actually having the opposite effect on your body. Heavy, or regular drinkers, have a whole host of aliments to look forward to including weight gain, red eyes and bad smells.

Did you know that a pint of larger contains 210 calories, while a pint of cider contains 216? If you head out for a session then you could see yourself drinking up to half your daily allowance in one sitting – if not more!

But putting a bit of extra weight on isn’t the only thing that affects heavy and regular drinkers. You’ll also find that dry skin, broken veins, bloodshot eyes and bad bodily odours are all symptoms of drinking too much, too often. You can read more about the affects that drink has on your beauty over here.

If you’re one of those people who thinks beauty is only skin deep then think again. Other health problems associated with drinking too much include alcohol dependence or ‘alcoholism’, sexual difficulties, including impotence, cirrhosis of the liver and alcoholic fatty liver, pancreatitis, stomach disorders, such as ulcers and mood swings. They don’t sound too appealing do they?

Even only getting drunk occasionally can have serious consequences. It impairs your judgement and can increase risky behaviour. You could find yourself having unsafe sex, being mugged or robbed or getting into trouble with the Gardaí, which could see you getting a criminal record meaning you might be refused entry into the US or Australia - if you ever decided to visit, that is.

So as you can see, drinking too much can often lead to more than just an embarrassing conversation with your mates the next morning. Just remember to drink at your own pace on a night out and make sure to have a non-alcoholic drink every now and again. For more on sensible drinking head over to drinkaware.ie.