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Does Alcohol Affect Your Kidneys?

Our kidneys filter waste and excess fluid from the body, maintaining our balance of electrolytes and regulating blood pressure. In moderation, alcohol consumption may not be harmful to the kidneys, but chronic or excessive drinking can have major effects on the function of the kidneys.

When you understand how alcohol affects your kidneys, it can help prevent long-term damage and maintain overall health.

The Effects of Alcohol on Your Organs

In the short and long term, alcohol consumption can have major effects on the organs.

In the short term, some of the effects of alcohol on various organs include:

Alcohol affects the brain, which can cause blackouts, memory lapses and impaired cognitive function.
Short-term liver effects can cause fat buildup and inflammation of liver cells.
Alcohol temporarily affects heart rate and blood pressure, and binge drinking can cause irregular heartbeats.
Drinking in the short term can potentially irritate the stomach lining and digestive system, leading to gastritis as well as symptoms like nausea and vomiting.

Long-term effects of alcohol use on the organs include:

Permanent brain damage and mental health disorders.
Liver scarring and impaired liver function, as well as a higher risk of liver cancer.
Cardiomyopathy starts when the heart muscle is weakened, which can cause heart failure.
Long-term drinking can inflame the pancreas and lead to acute or chronic pancreatitis.
Chronic drinking is linked to a higher risk of mouth, esophagus, stomach and colon cancers.

Does Alcohol Affect Your Kidneys?

The kidneys are a pair of organs below the rib cage. They’re on either side of the spine. These organs are around the size of a fist, and they’re responsible for maintaining your overall health in some of the following ways:

Filtration: Kidneys filter waste products, extra water and other impurities from the blood. The waste is then removed from your body through your urine.
Blood pressure: Kidneys help to regulate your blood pressure by controlling the volume of blood through the regulation of water balance
Electrolyte balance: Your kidneys maintain your electrolyte balance, including calcium, potassium and sodium, which are needed for the proper nerve and muscle function.
Acid-base balance: These organs maintain your body’s pH balance by getting rid of hydrogen ions and reabsorbing bicarbonate from urine.
Erythropoiesis: Your kidneys produce a hormone called erythropoietin. This stimulates your bone marrow’s production of red blood cells.

So, does alcohol affect your kidneys? In short, yes, it can.

While the liver is the primary organ metabolizing alcohol, the kidneys also manage the body’s response to its consumption.

For example, the kidneys are strained by alcohol as they work to reabsorb water and electrolytes to compensate for loss from the diuretic effect of alcohol. After alcohol is metabolized in the liver, its byproducts circulate in the bloodstream and are eventually filtered by the kidneys. The kidneys also continuously filter the blood to remove waste products and toxins, including the ones that come from alcohol metabolism.

How Alcohol Abuse Affects the Kidneys

Some of the short-term effects of alcohol on the kidneys include:

Dehydration: Alcohol is a diuretic. It increases urine production, leading to dehydration because more fluid is lost than is taken in. The kidneys are strained by dehydration as they work to maintain your body’s fluid balance. Additionally, dehydration causes urine to be more concentrated, increasing the risk of kidney stones as well as urinary tract infections.
Electrolyte imbalance: Increased urination can lead to the loss of necessary electrolytes, and an imbalance in these affects heart rhythm and muscle function.
Acute kidney injury: Heavily consuming alcohol, especially in a situation involving binge drinking, can cause acute kidney injury and a sudden drop in kidney function. The temporary impairment reduces the ability of the kidneys to filter waste, which contributes to a buildup of toxins in the blood.

Long-term kidney damage from drinking alcohol can include:

Chronic kidney disease: Long-term, excessive alcohol use can lead to chronic kidney disease. This progressive condition means the kidneys gradually lose function over time, and that can lead to end-stage renal disease. End-stage renal disease can require kidney transplantation or dialysis.
Hypertension: Chronic alcohol consumption is linked to high blood pressure, and that’s a main cause of kidney damage. High blood pressure damages the blood vessels in the kidneys and reduces their ability to function properly.
Kidney stones: Chronic dehydration and electrolyte imbalance from alcohol consumption can raise the risk of kidney stones. Kidney stones can cause pain and block the urinary tract, worsening kidney damage.
Hepatorenal syndrome: Chronic alcohol abuse can lead to liver disease, and that can cause hepatorenal syndrome. A rapid deterioration in kidney function characterizes this condition, and it’s a serious, potentially life-threatening complication of advanced liver disease.
Proteinuria: Long-term alcohol abuse can cause proteinuria, which means there’s excess protein in the urine. It’s a sign of kidney damage and also a risk factor for kidney disease progression.

There’s also the potential for direct kidney damage from alcohol, including cellular damage. Alcohol and its metabolites can be toxic to kidney cells, damaging and killing cells. This can compromise your kidneys’ function and contribute to kidney disease development.

Alcohol can affect the glomeruli. These are small blood vessels in the kidneys that take waste out of the blood. When the glomeruli are impaired, it negatively affects the kidneys’ filtering capacity, leading to proteinuria and potentially progressing to chronic kidney disease.

Alcohol Addiction Treatment at Mandala Healing Center

At Mandala Healing Center, we inspire healing in our patients through compassionate care. Going beyond the conventional approach of alcohol detoxification, patients at our facility are inspired to fully heal in an environment designed to nourish their entire being.

Clients are taken on a journey of healing through complete immersion into evidence-based clinical modalities, multifaceted alternative therapies, and expert medical management, allowing them to fully detox and recover from alcoholism. Through a program of care designed to encourage change, a foundation is created that allows clients to find their higher purpose and reclaim their lives.

If you or a loved one are suffering from alcoholism or would like to learn more about your alcohol rehab options, please reach out to our dedicated admissions counselors today.

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