Can Alcohol Cause a Heart Attack?

Alcohol consumption, especially heavy drinking, can increase your risk of heart attack

Drinking may immediately increase the risk for a heart attack, and over time, alcohol contributes to heart disease in women and men, increasing the risk of a heart attack. Heavy drinking is especially dangerous: One study found that binge drinkers are 72% more likely to have a heart attack than people who don’t binge drink.

Alcohol can raise blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and heavy drinkers might even develop alcoholic cardiomyopathy, a condition that causes the heart to enlarge. Fortunately, cutting back on alcohol consumption can significantly reduce your risk of heart attack even if you've been a heavy drinker in the past.

Continue reading to learn more about alcohol use and heart health.

Can Heavy Drinking Cause a Heart Attack?

Heavy drinking is associated with an increased risk of heart disease. There’s a lot of research that shows heavy drinking is bad for heart health, but the answer to whether drinking directly causes a heart attack is complicated.

One study looked at 4,000 people who had had heart attacks and asked them about their drinking habits, both over time and immediately before the heart attack. The study found that people who binge drank were 72% more likely to have a heart attack than those who didn’t. Interestingly, the study found that people who didn’t usually drink every day but who binged were more likely to experience a heart attack than those who drank every day.

In this case, researchers concluded that for some people, binge drinking increased the immediate risk of a heart attack.

A Word From Verywell

When it comes to heart health and alcohol, in general, less is more. Alcohol can contribute to different types of heart disease. If you do choose to drink alcohol, keep to no more than moderate intake.

— JEFFREY S. LANDER, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD

How Alcohol Affects the Heart and Other Organs

There’s a lot more research showing that over time, alcohol can impact heart health, including by raising the risk of heart attack.

In 2024, the American College of Cardiology reported that drinking drastically increases risk of heart disease. Studying more than 400,000 people, the researchers found:

• Women who were moderate (i.e, 3–7 drinks per week) drinkers were 29% more likely to develop heart disease than women who were light drinkers.

• Women who were heavy drinkers (eight or more drinks per week) were 45% more likely to develop heart disease than women who were moderate drinkers.

• Men who were heavy drinkers (15 or more drinks per week) were 22% more likely to develop heart disease compared to men who were moderate drinkers.

Even moderate drinking is associated with:

•     30% higher chance of high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart attacks.

•     40% higher chance of coronary heart disease.

The risks “increase exponentially” with heavy drinking, researchers found.

Short-Term Effects of Heavy Drinking

Drinking alcohol can have the following effects:

•     Increases heart rate, which can increase the risk for irregular heartbeat

•     Increases blood pressure (both immediately and over the long term)

•     Causes irregular heartbeats, which increase the risk for heart attack

•     Increases“bad” cholesterol levels (LDL cholesterol)

Red Wine and Heart Health

Some research has linked light to moderate red wine consumption to better cardiovascular health. Because the risks of drinking outweigh the benefits, it's not advised to start drinking for potential health reasons.

Recovering From an Alcohol-Related Heart Attack

If you’ve experienced a heart attack, you should talk with your healthcare provider. Any amount of drinking can make heart disease worse.7 People who have had a heart attack are at increased risk for another one, so implementing healthy lifestyle changes, including reducing your alcohol intake, is important.

Quitting drinking can be really difficult, even if you only consider yourself a casual drinker. If you’re having a hard time stopping, learn more about alcohol use disorder and whether treatment is right for you. You can 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 type of alcohol—if any—is safe for you.

Remember that alcohol could interact negatively with medications.9 Talk with your healthcare provider about all medicines you’re taking and whether they’re safe.

Risk Factors for Heart Disease

Heart disease can impact anyone: In fact, it’s the leading cause of U.S. deaths. Black American have an especially high risk of heart disease.1

People are at a higher risk for heart disease if they:10

•     Have diabetes

•     Are overweight or have obesity

•     Drink moderately or heavily

•     Smoke

•     Don’t exercise

•     Have high blood pressure

•     Have high cholesterol

Can Limiting Alcohol Help Lower the Risk for a Heart Attack?

Reducing your alcohol intake can lower your risk for heart attack, even if you’ve been a heavy drinker in the past. A 2024 study of more than 20,000 heavy drinkers found those who reduced their alcohol intake cut their risk of cardiovascular disease by 23%.

These people didn’t stop drinking entirely but reduced the amount they drank. "Heavy drinking" in the study was defined as more than four drinks per day or 14 per week for males and three drinks per day or seven per week for females.

If you’re a heavy drinker, you should talk with your healthcare provider before stopping entirely, since stopping suddenly without medical supervision can be dangerous.

When to Contact a Healthcare Provider

Any time you are worried about your heart health or your drinking habits, you should talk with your healthcare provider. Heavy drinking is linked to many ill effects, but there are treatments available that can help you reduce your intake or stop drinking. If you’re already experiencing heart disease or high blood pressure, work closely with your healthcare provider to decide what amount of alcohol, if any, is healthy for you.

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. In addition, research is very clear that over time alcohol can increase blood pressure and raise “bad” cholesterol, both of which can increase your risk for a heart attack.

If you’re drinking too much and worried about the impact on your health, talk with your healthcare provider about treatments that could help you reduce your alcohol intake. Even cutting down on alcohol can drastically lower your risk of a heart attack.

Source