Any unconscious person, whether intoxicated or not, should be watched closely and should receive medical attention if they cannot be aroused. Death may also occur when moderate amounts of alcohol are combined with other depressant drugs such as sleeping pills and tranquillizers. The hangover experienced after a bout of heavy drinking is in part caused by mild alcohol withdrawal, and so is partly suppressed by additional alcohol. Fatigue, headache, nausea, and sometimes vomiting and shakiness usually occur 8 to 12 hours after drinking stops. Despite numerous home remedies, there is currently no effective cure for hangovers.
Blackouts are periods of memory loss that occur while a person is drinking heavily.
Although conscious and functioning, the person is later unable to recall what they did or said. Blackouts and morning drinking to treat hangovers are usually signs of problem drinking. Other short-term effects Alcohol increases stomach secretions, dilates blood vessels in the skin causing loss of body heat despite a feeling of warmth, increases urine production, and even in small amounts can lead to accumulations of fat in liver cells. Long-term effects Moderate and occasional use of alcohol in otherwise healthy persons is unlikely to cause significant health problems if no more than two standard drinks are consumed in any day. However, the adverse physical and psychological effects of long-term excessive use are numerous and can be fatal.