The Long Term Impacts of Alcohol: What Happens If I Don’t Quit?
- Jul 3
- 6 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
If you’re like many of the people we’ve worked with, you might still be telling yourself:
“It’s not that bad yet. I’ve got this under control. I still get up and function every day, don’t I?”
And maybe you do. For now
But after decades helping thousands face the harsh realities of their drinking, I’ve learned one uncomfortable truth: high-functioning is often just denial in disguise.
Through this article, we want to help you cut through that illusion by explaining the long term impacts of alcohol and the options available to you before it’s too late.
The 6 Long Term Impacts of Alcohol on Your Life
Physical Damage Beyond Hangovers
Liver Damage
Every time you drink, your liver works overtime to process the alcohol. Over time, this can progress to permanent damage that may lead to liver failure.
The scary part? Many people don’t realise anything’s wrong until it’s too late.
Heart Disease
Regular drinking can quietly raise your blood pressure, weaken your heart muscle, and increase your chances of a heart attack or stroke.
Increased Cancer Risk
Alcohol is linked to several types of cancer, especially cancers of the mouth, throat, breast, liver, and bowel.
Weakened Immune System
Consistent drinking weakens your immune system. You’ll be more susceptible to infections, illness, and longer recovery times.
Brain and Cognitive Decline
Chronic alcohol use shrinks the brain and impairs memory, decision-making, coordination, and executive function. There’s even a name for this: Alcohol-Related Brain Impairment (ARBI).
The symptoms depend on which areas of the brain are affected. ARBI progresses slowly and the damage can become permanent, even after months of being alcohol-free.
Mental Health Spiral
Perhaps you’ve started drinking to ease anxiety or relieve stress.
It’s a common trap.
But alcohol doesn’t relieve stress, it compounds it. Anxiety deepens, depression darkens, and alcohol quickly becomes the poison pretending to be a cure.
Shame, Regret, and Loss Relationship
Behind closed doors, alcohol steals far more than your health. It steals your dreams, potential, relationships, and the years you’ll never get back. Clients often tell me:
“I wasted the best years of my life drinking.”
“I could’ve achieved so much more.”
“I regret every minute spent under the influence.”
Alcohol corrodes relationships gradually. Often quietly
Arguments increase, trust declines, intimacy fades, until one day you barely recognise the person beside you, or yourself.
Career & Financial Consequences
Your professional reputation and financial stability can slowly unravel. Missed opportunities, poor judgement, and subtle slips can put your career on shaky ground.
Many successful people I’ve helped didn’t The Long Term Impacts of Alcohol: What Happens If I Don’t Quit?
Jul 3
Man showing the long term impacts of alcohol with head down holding glass of alcohol
Alcohol’s long-term impacts don’t always look dramatic sometimes, they’re silent and slow, but no less destructive.
If you’re like many of the people we’ve worked with, you might still be telling yourself:
“It’s not that bad yet. I’ve got this under control. I still get up and function every day, don’t I?”
And maybe you do. For now
But after decades helping thousands face the harsh realities of their drinking, I’ve learned one uncomfortable truth: high-functioning is often just denial in disguise.
Through this article, we want to help you cut through that illusion by explaining the long term impacts of alcohol and the options available to you before it’s too late.
The 6 Long Term Impacts of Alcohol on Your Life
Physical Damage Beyond Hangovers
Liver Damage
Every time you drink, your liver works overtime to process the alcohol. Over time, this can progress to permanent damage that may lead to liver failure.
The scary part? Many people don’t realise anything’s wrong until it’s too late.
Heart Disease
Regular drinking can quietly raise your blood pressure, weaken your heart muscle, and increase your chances of a heart attack or stroke.
Increased Cancer Risk
Alcohol is linked to several types of cancer, especially cancers of the mouth, throat, breast, liver, and bowel.
Weakened Immune System
Consistent drinking weakens your immune system. You’ll be more susceptible to infections, illness, and longer recovery times.
Brain and Cognitive Decline
Chronic alcohol use shrinks the brain and impairs memory, decision-making, coordination, and executive function. There’s even a name for this: Alcohol-Related Brain Impairment (ARBI).
The symptoms depend on which areas of the brain are affected. ARBI progresses slowly and the damage can become permanent, even after months of being alcohol-free.
Mental Health Spiral
Perhaps you’ve started drinking to ease anxiety or relieve stress.
It’s a common trap.
But alcohol doesn’t relieve stress, it compounds it. Anxiety deepens, depression darkens, and alcohol quickly becomes the poison pretending to be a cure.
Shame, Regret, and Loss Relationship
Behind closed doors, alcohol steals far more than your health. It steals your dreams, potential, relationships, and the years you’ll never get back. Clients often tell me:
“I wasted the best years of my life drinking.”
“I could’ve achieved so much more.”
“I regret every minute spent under the influence.”
Alcohol corrodes relationships gradually. Often quietly
Arguments increase, trust declines, intimacy fades, until one day you barely recognise the person beside you, or yourself.
Career & Financial Consequences
Stressed employee with alcohol in hand showing long term impacts of alcohol on mental health and career
Alcohol doesn’t just affect your health. It can quietly derail your career, your confidence, and your future.
Your professional reputation and financial stability can slowly unravel. Missed opportunities, poor judgement, and subtle slips can put your career on shaky ground.
Many successful people I’ve helped didn’t realise how close they’d come to losing everything until it nearly happened
Take Gabe, for example.
When he first realised he needed help, his personal, mental, and professional life were all in
chaos. He was, in his words, "pretty desperate and in a fair bit of pain.”
His professional direction had stalled. His confidence was gone. And like so many others, he was
stuck in that dangerous space where drinking or drug use isn’t completely ruining your life but it’s
keeping you stuck in a version of life that’s far beneath your potential.
Listen to Gabe’s story on our podcast
Conclusion: It’s Never Too Early, But It Can Become Too Late
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you already suspect that drinking is causing subtle harm.
Trust that instinct.
Remember, alcohol’s greatest trick is convincing you it’s harmless, until the damage becomes undeniable.
If something in this article resonated with you, let today be the day you choose to interrupt the cycle.
You don’t have to commit to anything. You don’t need to have all the answers. Just take one small, meaningful step. how close they’d come to losing everything until it nearly happened
Take Gabe, for example.
When he first realised he needed help, his personal, mental, and professional life were all in
chaos. He was, in his words, "pretty desperate and in a fair bit of pain.”
His professional direction had stalled. His confidence was gone. And like so many others, he was
stuck in that dangerous space where drinking or drug use isn’t completely ruining your life but it’s
keeping you stuck in a version of life that’s far beneath your potential.
Conclusion: It’s Never Too Early, But It Can Become Too Late
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you already suspect that drinking is causing subtle harm.
Trust that instinct.
Remember, alcohol’s greatest trick is convincing you it’s harmless, until the damage becomes undeniable.
If something in this article resonated with you, let today be the day you choose to interrupt the cycle.
You don’t have to commit to anything. You don’t need to have all the answers. Just take one small, meaningful step.
Book a Free, Pressure-Free Consultation
No judgement. No expectations. Just a genuine conversation with someone who understands.
Source:
About the Author
Graeme Alford is the founder of Reset My Future and has been sober for over 40 years. Once a high-functioning alcoholic whose addiction cost him everything—including his career and freedom—Graeme rebuilt his life from the ground up. Today, he leads a one-on-one recovery program that helps people stop drinking, reset their thinking, and start living a life they’re proud of. He holds a Diploma in Alcohol, Other Drugs & Mental Health and has worked with hundreds of clients who want a real alternative to traditional rehab. His approach blends lived experience with evidence-based strategies—and a deep belief that no one is too far gone to change.
