Reverse Course: Reducing Alcohol Consumption Can Reverse Some Damage

Existing data seems to show that Americans are drinking less alcohol than they used to. A Gallup survey conducted in 2025 showed declining consumption, which is expected to continue this year. It appears that some people are finally absorbing the messages about the health dangers posed by alcohol, especially as they relate to raising the risk for various cancers, even as alcohol is still largely considered an acceptable and even normal part of everyday life. The health news site STAT, however, is trying to raise the alarm about what alcohol is doing to our country. According to the new 7-part STAT series on what it calls America’s “Deadliest Drug,” alcohol is responsible for more deaths each year than opioids, fentanyl, and heroin combined, causing over 170,000 deaths annually and countless more serious injuries and illnesses. Given our country’s limited ability to detect and treat alcohol problems, there appears to be a growing epidemic of combined alcohol and metabolic disease (obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease) that is fueling a significant rise in Americans dying from liver disease. In fact, according to a new study from VCU Health, alcohol-related liver disease may be twice as common as previously thought, with many underreporting how much they are drinking, and with binge drinking heavily implicated in the rise of liver disease and resulting premature deaths. 

Research to date has regularly demonstrated harmful health effects from alcohol consumption. New research continues to suggest that even small quantities of alcohol can have harmful consequences. For example, a new study published in the journal Alcohol suggests that in older adults with aging brains, even light alcohol consumption can lead to reduced brain blood flow and thinner brain tissue. In particular, the more someone has consumed alcohol over their lifetime and the older they become, the greater the risk for decreased blood flow and decreased thickness in the brain cortex. Participants in this study were healthy adults, aged 22-70, who were considered to have consumed low levels of alcohol during their lifetime. Even so, the older they were, and the more lifetime exposure to even low levels of alcohol, the more widespread was the reduced blood flow to most areas of the brain, along with the thinning of the brain cortex, developments that may increase the risk of cognitive decline or dementia in older adults. Bottom line? “Even alcohol intake within traditional ‘low-risk’ ranges may be associated with measurable brain changes.”

So, the question is, does cutting back on alcohol consumption help slow down or even reverse some of the damage that alcohol can cause? A new report in the journal Addiction seems to suggest this is so, at least for some types of damage. First, it’s important to understand that the report found that alcohol consumption was in some cases 100% the cause of 62 different diseases. Among the categories of disease and harm at least partly attributable to alcohol were certain cancers, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, and GI disorders. Harm to self or others was also attributable to alcohol, as were several infectious diseases, including HIV, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases, and pneumonia. The study found that many conditions, like brain damage and cardiovascular disease, are not fully reversible even with alcohol abstinence, while other conditions may slow down or even reverse once a person reduces or abstains from alcohol.

It’s clear that the more you drink, the higher your risk for many of these diseases and conditions. In essence, alcohol carries a “dose-related” risk, meaning the more you consume, the higher the risk, and the less you drink, the lower your risk for many conditions. The good news is that cutting back can yield positive health results. As this report made clear, “According to the review, certain alcohol-related risks decrease quickly after drinking stops, especially risks tied to intoxication, such as injuries and sexually transmitted infections. Some cardiovascular effects, including increased blood pressure, may also improve within days to weeks after a person reduces or stops drinking. Immune function can also recover, although long-term heavy drinking may leave lasting damage. Some liver damage, such as fatty liver changes, may also be reversible when people cut back on alcohol. More advanced liver disease, such as cirrhosis, may not fully reverse, but stopping alcohol can slow progression and meaningfully reduce complications. Brain health may also partially improve when alcohol use is reduced or stopped.”

So, while experts continue to advise that even low levels of alcohol consumption can be dangerous, the reality that alcohol is so normalized in our country means that a significant portion of the population continues to drink, many in excess, to the detriment of their health. But efforts to cut back, either reducing intake or even abstaining, can result in certain positive health benefits, information that should be widely shared as we continue to struggle with the dangers and harms described by STAT as “America’s deadliest drug epidemic.”