As the alcohol reaches your mid-brain, reflexes diminish, you experience confusion, stupor, and may lapse into a coma. Once the alcohol finally reaches the medulla, or inner core of the brain, your heart rate drops and breathing ceases, resulting in death. Research suggests that continued alcohol use can cause depression. Alcohol robs brain cells of water and glucose, the brain's food, contributing to a hangover the next day. The stomach is irritated by alcohol, causing increased stomach acid production, causing heartburn and eventually ulcers.
Alcohol use is linked to cancer of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and intestines.
The liver, due to its role in breaking down alcohol, suffers the most damage. Alcohol use leads to destruction of liver cells, fat accumulation around the liver, and cirrhosis, which is a fatal condition. Alcohol is also a diuretic, which causes the kidneys to increase urinary output, contributing to dehydration and your hangover. Although the research here is new, it is known that alcohol decreases the male hormone testosterone. The use of alcohol in men and women causes increased sexual desire, but decreased performance.