Long-Term Alcohol Consumption is Associated with Deterioration of Mental and Physical Quality of Life

Alcohol consumption is widely practiced but associated with serious long-term health risks. Understanding alcohol exposure effects on both physical and mental health is essential for effective prevention strategies.

The Munich-BREW II study is a prospective, single-center cohort study conducted at the LMU University Hospital Munich, Germany. Between October 2016 and July 2017, 193 participants engaging in study-supervised acute alcohol consumption were enrolled and drinking habits were assessed. Physical and mental well-being were assessed at baseline and after a 7-year follow-up using SF-12 and WHO-5 scores.

No significant differences in physical and mental health scores were observed between participants with high or low frequency of binge drinking events or between those with higher or lower daily alcohol consumption at baseline. At follow-up, 142 participants (73.6%) were re-assessed. Higher daily alcohol consumption at follow-up was associated with significantly lower physical health (PCS: 53.8 vs. 55.9; p = 0.003) and well-being scores (WHO-5: 59.8 vs. 69.1; p < 0.001). Mental health scores (MCS) showed a decline not reaching statistical significance. The subgroup with sustained higher daily alcohol consumption at baseline and follow-up reported lower scores across all measures when compared to participants with consistently lower alcohol consumption (PCS: 53.1 vs. 55.7, p = 0.016*, MCS: 47.7 vs. 51.8, p = 0.026*, WHO-5: 58.9 vs. 69.7, p = 0.002*).

While acute binge drinking at baseline had no immediate measurable effects on physical and mental health, chronic high alcohol consumption was associated with significant declines in physical and overall well-being. These findings emphasize the need for public health initiatives promoting healthier drinking behaviors.