Reversing Alcohol-Induced Damage: A New Medical Study Sheds Light
A comprehensive new review published today in the medical journal Addiction confirms that alcohol consumption is directly responsible for over 60 diseases and injuries. However, the study also reveals that many of these health harms can be slowed, stopped, or even reversed if individuals reduce or cease their drinking before permanent damage occurs.
The World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases lists over 60 conditions that are 100% attributable to alcohol. These include:
- Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (heart disease)
- Liver diseases such as cirrhosis
- Fetal alcohol syndrome
The review further confirms that alcohol increases the risk of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, HIV/AIDS, and sexually transmitted diseases. This is due to alcohol’s damaging effects on liver function and its ability to weaken immune responses.
Senior author Dr. Jürgen Rehm, a Senior Scientist at the Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), explains that short-term risks like injuries or sexually transmitted infections mainly occur during intoxication and decrease when drinking stops. While the immune system may recover after stopping drinking, long-term heavy drinking can cause lasting damage. However, some cardiovascular harms can improve within days to weeks of abstinence, and brain damage from heavy drinking may partially recover with long-term abstinence. Yet, risks such as dementia can persist.
Experts emphasize the importance of removing alcohol from daily life before permanent damage occurs. “The problem is that most people start thinking about stopping when they’re almost beyond the point that they experience the full benefits of reversal,” Rehm noted. For cancer specifically, it takes approximately 30 years of abstinence to eliminate alcohol-related cancer risk—the same timeframe as for tobacco.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/14/health/alcohol-harm-reversed-wellness