What is blood pressure and how does alcohol consumption affect it?
Blood pressure is simply a measurement of the fluid pressure in your blood vessels. When the heart muscle contracts, there is a blood pressure measurement known as systolic blood pressure, the higher number. When the heart relaxes, the measurement is known as diastolic.
Together, systolic and diastolic numbers are combined to indicate a blood pressure reading. Years of experience and clinical studies have provided the medical community with a solid understanding of what numbers are good, indicating a lower blood pressure, and what numbers are high, meaning a high blood pressure.
It is well known that alcohol abuse can raise blood pressure. Whether alcohol use is daily heavy drinking, or if the person drinking alcohol only engages in occasional binge drinking, blood vessels can be affected.
What about moderate drinking and hypertension?
Hypertension is the medical name for high blood pressure. As you may be aware, hypertension is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke.
Many people are under the impression that light or moderate alcohol intake may support heart health. They believe that heart rate will be lower and that the risk of heart disease is lower for drinkers who have, for example, a glass or two of red wine each evening.
The fact is that even modest alcohol consumption can lead to an increased blood pressure. Over the long term, high blood pressure can lead to serious heart problems, including heart failure or even an irregular heartbeat.
While low level and moderate drinking can increase the risk of heart problems, and even cancer, excessive drinking is much worse. A heavy drinker has a much higher risk of developing alcohol induced hypertension.
What does the American Heart Association have to say about alcohol and blood pressure?
The American Heart Association is an organization concerned with educating the public on how to keep our hearts healthy by watching what we eat and drink, and getting proper exercise. For example, sodium intake, and fat intake in the diet can raise blood pressure.
The AHA also supports the use of blood pressure medication and disease control of hypertension to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Diabetes is another concern of the AHA, because diabetes can also lead to heart disease.
Regarding alcohol, the AHA is firmly against alcohol consumption, because it is well known that alcohol raises blood pressure and increases the risk of developing heart disease. Alcohol does raise blood sugar, but it also causes direct damage to blood vessels and the heart, over time.
The American Heart Association and the World Health Organization support public health efforts to reduce alcohol consumption and improve overall health by reducing cancers and heart disease cases. Reducing alcohol intake will also reduce the incidence of addiction to alcohol.
Does alcohol addiction increase the risk of high blood pressure?
Rehab facilities, such as American Addiction Centers, provide mental health care and addiction treatment to people struggling with alcohol addiction. Going through alcohol withdrawal is traumatic to the body, and can also result in a transient increase in blood pressure.
After giving up alcohol, a person addicted to alcohol who also has high blood pressure may notice that their blood pressure returns to normal over time. As their systems adjust to not consuming alcohol frequently, blood pressure and overall health will improve.
Do people who practice the Sinclair Method (TSM) have improved blood pressure as they reduce their alcohol intake?
Does TSM reduce blood pressure? The Sinclair Method is unique in that it helps people to gradually cut back on alcohol intake with the help of the medication, naltrexone.
For more information on TSM, you may be interested in listening to my interview with Jenny Williamson of the C3 Foundation. The C3 Foundation educates the public on the benefits of The Sinclair Method in helping people to cut back on alcohol consumption.
We know that quitting alcohol will help with improving blood pressure. What happens if a person goes from consuming many alcoholic drinks daily to just drinking one or two drinks daily?
So far, there have not been specific studies on people following TSM with respect to their blood pressure. One advantage associated with TSM is that the alcoholic does not have to quit cold turkey.
Quitting alcohol cold turkey can be traumatic to the body, leading to anxiety, stress, and dramatically increased blood pressure. We would expect the more gentle reduction of alcohol consumption with TSM would result in less stress to the system, and less risk of cardiovascular events overall.
Can I stop taking my blood pressure medication when I stop drinking?
People are different in how their bodies work and how they respond to changes in their health status. For example, if a person starts walking 30 minutes daily, they may notice immediate improvements in blood sugar or blood pressure.
Other people may not notice a difference right away. Improving health habits is always a good idea, but not everyone will respond in the same way at the same rate. The same thinking applies to quitting alcohol.
While we expect blood pressure to improve after a person quits drinking, there is no guarantee that it will go down quickly, or if it will go down enough to justify quitting blood pressure medication. The best course of action is to visit the doctor and discuss the possibility of reducing blood pressure medications gradually over time, after quitting alcohol consumption or making a significant long-term reduction.
If alcohol is a relaxing drug, why does it raise blood pressure?
It does seem as if alcohol relaxes the brain and body. When a person enters a loud, busy bar or nightclub, they are often overcome with a stress reaction. Crowded, loud drinking establishments, blasting loud music, and people shouting to be heard only adds to the stress level.
Is it possible that nightclubs plan it that way? Do they want you to be stressed to the point where you need a drink to calm down?
I do not know how much planning goes into the atmosphere of a nightclub in order to increase alcohol sales, but I would not be surprised if adjustments are made to see if sales increase. If raising the volume of the music, or using music with a faster tempo increases sales, the management will make appropriate adjustments until sales are maximized.
Business decisions that increase sales do not take into account the mental and emotional health of the customers, at least in a bar. The goal is to sell alcoholic beverages, not to improve the lives of customers.
So, when a person has a drink, or two, or three, are they then relaxed?
They find themselves enjoying the sound of the music, dancing, talking, and generally spending time with friends or strangers. inhibitions are reduced. Interestingly, the effects of alcohol are not necessarily relaxing, as far as the brain and body are concerned. While a person is able to overcome inhibitions and act in ways they would not normally act while sober, they are not relaxed.
Alcohol is a toxin that strains the human nervous system. A person does not get good quality sleep after a night of drinking. They are not relaxed.
If a person chooses to continue drinking, and they have high blood pressure, is it fine to take blood pressure medication to treat the high blood pressure caused by alcohol intake?
Changing a habit, such as regular alcohol use, is not easy. There are people who face serious consequences from drinking over the long-term, and they are still not able to easily quit.
Does this mean that the person is addicted to alcohol, if they cannot quit, knowing that excessive drinking may cause cardiovascular disease later in life? If a person would rather have a beer or two each night, and also take a blood pressure pill, are they an alcoholic?
There may be some flexibility in the definition of alcohol addiction, alcoholism, and alcohol use disorder.
If a person has multiple arrests due to driving while drunk, they almost certainly have an alcohol addiction problem. The same is true of a person who has blackouts from drinking heavily, or if they drink in the morning to chase away a hangover. If a person is told by their doctor that alcohol is damaging their liver, and they still cannot quit, there is likely an alcohol addiction problem.
Yet, people may not agree on labeling a person as being addicted to alcohol if the issue is that they continue to drink and they have high blood pressure. Doctors are not always eager to jump at making a diagnosis of alcohol use disorder. There is an old joke that says an alcoholic is a person who drinks more than their doctor.
There is an interesting, and more socially acceptable label for people who should slow down on drinking to prevent long-term possible consequences. The term for pre-alcoholic people who drink a bit too much, or occasionally binge drink is “gray area drinker.”
A gray area drinker drinks more than they should, but they do not have all of the immediately threatening consequences occurring that would make a clear diagnosis of alcohol use disorder. A gray area drinker might be a college student who works hard throughout the week, yet they drink to get drunk on the weekend nights.
If you’re drinking alcohol regularly, it’s important to be aware of the six stages of alcoholism. To find out which stage you’re currently in, read – The Stages Of Alcoholism And Recovery .
Should everyone quit drinking?
This is a good question. Many people would not be happy if they were told that alcohol was no longer available. It has been nearly a century since the end of prohibition, when alcohol became legal again. It is hard to imagine what it was like for alcohol to be an illegal street drug.
There was a time when healthcare scientists were recommending a glass of red wine daily for heart health benefits. At this time, the healthcare community agrees that this is no longer a good idea. The risks of ongoing drinking, even at a low level, outweighs any possible risk.
Alcohol is a carcinogen. People who drink even a small amount of alcohol are increasing their risk of developing a variety of dangerous cancers.
While it would be best to quit drinking altogether, any reduction in alcohol intake will reduce risks. There are numerous benefits to quitting alcohol & less alcohol is always better.
What can a person do if they are finding it difficult to reduce their drinking? There are medications that can help. Recently, I interviewed the CEO and co-founder of the pharmaceutical company, Adial, about this topic.
What medications help people to reduce their alcohol consumption?
Adial is in the final phase of trials that will lead to FDA approval of their groundbreaking drug that will help a significant portion of the population to reduce alcohol intake. We may see their drug on the market very soon. It will be the first genetically targeted drug for treating alcohol use disorder.
Adial’s drug can be taken while a person is still drinking. The medication helps reduce alcohol cravings, and patients who take the medication tend to drink less and have less alcohol-related problems.
In the meantime, until this new medication is available, there is naltrexone. Naltrexone has been used for treating alcoholism since the 1990s. It is a relatively safe drug that works by blocking opioid receptors.
Naltrexone is one of several medications that are available now, or will soon be available to help people to stop drinking or to cut back on drinking alcohol.
Naltrexone prescribed to a person who is still drinking is consistent with The Sinclair Method (TSM) .TSM is a method of taking naltrexone to reduce alcohol cravings and the compulsion to keep drinking after the first drink of the day.
There are other medications that are known to help people to reduce drinking alcohol. The goal of harm reduction with medication assisted treatment of alcoholism is to work towards abstinence.
Some people might reach abstinence within a short time, maybe a few weeks to a few months. Other people might find that it takes longer to get to the point where they no longer care about drinking.
People who follow TSM call the state of mind where they no longer feel any alcohol cravings, “extinction.” Technically, TSM experts refer to it as pharmacological extinction.
How can a person get started on medical treatment to reduce alcohol intake?
Doctors are becoming more aware of alcoholism as a medical condition that can be treated with medications. They no longer send patients away to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
While AA meetings may be helpful, they are only part of the solution. Medical treatment is available, it is relatively safe, and it is effective. Plus there’s a podcast that goes along with it called “Alcoholics Anonymous Podcast“.
The best step to take next, if you are considering reducing your alcohol use, is to make an appointment to see a doctor who is knowledgeable about helping people to reduce alcohol intake with medical treatment.
There are a variety of approaches to implementing a medical treatment plan, and a alcohol treatment doctor will listen carefully to the patient and formulate a plan that will work best for that individual patient. Alcohol is legal, but it is also a dangerous toxin. “Now is the best time to make plans to cut back on drinking alcohol.
If you are planning to quit drinking read our blog – How To Quit Drinking Alcohol?
