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Can Heavy Drinking Cause a Heart Attack?

Alcohol can contribute to different types of heart disease.

If you do choose to drink alcohol, keep to no more than moderate intake.

Person holding a glass of beer

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In 2024, the American College of Cardiology reported that drinking drastically increases risk of heart disease.

Quitting drinking can be really difficult, even if you only consider yourself a casual drinker.

If youre having a hard time stopping, learn use disorderand whether treatment is right for you.

Jeffrey S. Lander, MD

you’re able to also talk with your healthcare provider about medications that can help you stop drinking.

Can Someone With Heart Disease Drink Alcohol?

Alcohol can make heart disease worse.

However, you might not need to stop drinking entirely if you have heart disease.

Talk with your healthcare provider about what amount and key in of alcoholif anyis safe for you.

Black Americans have an especiallyhigh risk of heart disease.

These people didnt stop drinking entirely but reduced the amount they drank.

Summary

Alcohol can increase your risk for heart attack, both immediately and over time.

One study found that some people who binged alcohol increased their risk for a heart attack within an hour.

Even cutting down on alcohol can drastically lower your risk of a heart attack.

Chan School of Public Health.Binge drinking linked with higher heart attack risk.

  1. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.4013

John Hopkins Medicine.Alcohol and heart health: Separating fact from fiction.

American College of Cardiology.Alcohol raised heart disease risk, particularly among women.

2022;5(3):e223849.

doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.3849

Florida Heart Research.How alcohol affects your heart.

MedlinePlus.Wine and heart health.

Healthyheart.org.Risk factors for a second heart attack.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.Mixing alcohol with medicines.

American Addiction Centers.Risks and dangers of quitting alcohol cold turkey.