Health impacts

The BMA also summarises the health effects of alcohol. As a central nervous system (CN) depressant, it impairs balance, co-ordination, perception, reaction time and reasoning, and it is associated with medical conditions including an increased risk of cancers of the lip, oral cavity, pharynx, oesophagus and breast from even low levels of consumption.

According to the British Heart Foundation report, Health at work: Alcohol awareness, when drinking over the recommended guidelines, men are up to 2.5 times, and women are up to 1.7 times more likely to get mouth, neck and throat cancer and women are 20% more likely to get breast cancer.

At higher levels, says the BMA, there is increased risk of liver and colorectal cancers, for example, and alcohol also contributes to the risk of epilepsy, hypertension, arrhythmias (irregular heart beat), cardiomyopathy, stroke, cirrhosis, pancreatitis and polyneuropathy.