However, for skin conditions related to AUD, liver disease, or excessive alcohol consumption, the best preventive measure is to stop drinking alcohol. Over time, drinking a lot of alcohol can cause many health problems. It increases the risk of many types of cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Chronic alcohol misuse can also lead to liver disease, which often causes bruising. Although stopping drinking alcohol is the most effective treatment for alcoholic liver disease, it is not a complete cure. People who have progressed to alcoholic hepatitis or cirrhosis most likely will not be able to reverse the disease.
Reasons for Bruises After Drinking
Someone who lives with an alcohol use disorder may experience lasting brain changes that make it difficult to stop drinking. If you’re aware that drinking is causing health problems, such as liver issues and bruising from alcohol, but you’re unable to stop drinking on your own, it’s time to seek treatment. In addition, a support group can help you cope with the life changes you’re experiencing as a result of your condition.
- They may be able to provide emotional support or help with finding solutions.
- Heavy drinking can cause risky sexual behavior and unintended pregnancy.
- I consider what I do for the addicted population as a calling versus a “career,” because I too was once an “addict and alcoholic.” Today I am 45.5 years alcohol and substance free.
- The problem is that alcohol is a wellspring of empty calories—which are calories with minimal nutritional value.
- Second, alcoholism can lead to a condition called thrombocytopenia, which is a low level of platelets in the blood.
Short-term effects
When you get a bruise, an injury crushes blood vessels, but the skin doesn’t break, so there’s no external bleeding. In the short term, it can lead to injuries, violence, and alcohol poisoning. It also increases the risk of suicide, sexual assault, and homicide. Heavy drinking can cause risky sexual behavior and unintended pregnancy. Robert is our health care professional reviewer of this website. He has a nursing and business/technology degrees from The Johns Hopkins University.
Addiction Therapist: What They Do & How to Find the Right One
Treatment will depend on the type, location, and severity of your symptoms. Dr. Kling recommends that people going through menopause limit alcohol to one drink a day or less, in addition to eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly. Dr. Oesterle leads Mayo Clinic’s inpatient rehabilitation program for addiction and says he often sees alcohol use become a problem for people after they retire. When these people were employed, they may have been too busy to consume copious amounts of alcohol. But without a routine or daily responsibilities, alcohol use can more easily spiral, he says.
- However, stopping consuming alcohol sooner can help stop the progression of nerve damage.
- If you have cirrhosis from alcohol liver damage, you’re also more likely to bleed and bruise easily.
- Consuming too much alcohol can inhibit the breakdown of fats in the liver, causing fat accumulation.
- A person may also develop a tolerance for alcohol, meaning that they need larger and larger amounts to obtain the desired effects.
- However, nerve damage is sometimes permanent, and your symptoms are likely to worsen if you don’t stop drinking.
Confirming Alcoholic Liver Disease Through Diagnosis
- Alcohol is a blood thinner, which means it affects the platelet count and quality in people who drink too much.
- However, if the disease progresses, it is often not reversible.
- But if the neuropathy becomes advanced, it might not be reversible.
- While throwing up can make you feel miserable, it is one of your body’s self-defense mechanisms to remove excess toxins from the alcohol consumed.
- I remember what it was like sitting across from someone thinking there is no way they could ever understand what I was going through.
This is of particular concern when you’re taking certain medications that also depress the brain’s function. Many people with alcohol use disorder hesitate to get treatment because they don’t recognize that they have a problem. An intervention from loved ones can help some people recognize and accept that they need professional help. If you’re concerned about someone who drinks too much, ask a professional experienced in alcohol treatment for advice on how to approach that person.
Alcoholic cirrhosis is a progression of ALD in which scarring in the liver makes it difficult for that organ to function properly. Symptoms include weight loss, can alcohol cause bruising fatigue, muscle cramps, easy bruising, and jaundice. Alcohol is one of several substances that can damage your liver. Excessive alcohol consumption can cause fat to build up in your liver.
These effects are temporary, and a person can notice them the day after a night of drinking, whether or not they have AUD. However, prolonged alcohol use can cause other complications that affect the skin, such as liver disease. It’s also very rare, but sometimes, a bruise on your breast may be a sign of a breast infection (mastitis) or inflammatory breast cancer. You may also notice swollen lymph nodes in your armpit or near your collarbone on the same side as the bruised breast. You may get it if you hit your thumb with a hammer or stub your toe, but you may also get it from wearing tight shoes or training for a marathon. At the time of injury, your nail may feel sore or tender, but the pressure that builds up under your nail as the blood pools can cause severe pain.