The short answer
Drinking too much alcohol is one of the causes of high blood pressure the NHS lists. In a review of 36 trials, cutting down lowered blood pressure in people who drank more than two drinks a day, and the drop was largest, about 5.5 mmHg systolic, in those who drank six or more a day and halved their intake. In people who drank two or fewer a day, cutting down made no significant difference.
Key takeaways
- The NHS lists drinking too much alcohol among the things that raise your risk of high blood pressure.
- In 36 trials, cutting down lowered blood pressure in people who drank more than two drinks a day (a drink being 12 g of alcohol).
- The biggest effect, about 5.5 mmHg systolic and 4 mmHg diastolic, was in people drinking six or more a day who roughly halved it.
- In a 2018 study, a month without alcohol lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure by about 6% in regular drinkers.
- To help lower blood pressure, the NHS advises avoiding more than 14 units of alcohol a week on a regular basis.
Is alcohol a cause of high blood pressure?
Yes, when you drink too much. The NHS lists drinking too much alcohol alongside an unhealthy diet high in salt, being overweight, smoking and long-term stress as things that increase your risk of high blood pressure. Among the longer-term risks of drinking too much, it also lists high blood pressure and stroke.
The NHS says there are usually no symptoms, so you may not realise you have high blood pressure. It says you are usually considered to have high blood pressure if your reading is 140/90 or higher when checked by a healthcare professional, or 135/85 or higher when checked at home.
What 36 trials found when people drank less
A 2017 systematic review in The Lancet Public Health pulled together 36 trials with 2,865 participants, most of them men. Each trial changed how much people drank for at least a week and measured their blood pressure. The researchers counted a drink as 12 g of pure alcohol.
The results depended on how much people drank to begin with. In people who drank two or fewer drinks a day, cutting down was not linked with a significant drop in blood pressure. In people who drank more than two a day, it was, and the more they had been drinking, the bigger the drop. People who drank six or more drinks a day and cut their intake by about half saw their systolic blood pressure fall by an average of 5.5 mmHg and their diastolic pressure by about 4 mmHg.
The authors concluded that reducing alcohol lowers blood pressure in a dose-dependent way with an apparent threshold, and that helping people who drink more than two drinks a day cut down should be a priority.
What those amounts mean in units and standard drinks
The trials counted in 12 g drinks, which are not the same size as UK units (8 g) or US standard drinks (14 g). By our arithmetic, the threshold of two drinks a day is 24 g of alcohol a day: 3 UK units a day, or 21 units a week, which is above the NHS guideline of 14 units a week. Six drinks a day is 72 g: 9 UK units, or about 5 US standard drinks, every day.
Our standard drink calculator shows what your usual drinks hold, and the guidelines by country page compares a week of drinking with official advice.
A month off and blood pressure
A 2018 study in BMJ Open followed 94 healthy regular drinkers who stopped for a month and 47 who kept drinking. The abstainers had been drinking about 258 g of alcohol a week, around 32 UK units. After the month, their systolic blood pressure had fallen by 6.6% and their diastolic blood pressure by 6.3%, while the group that kept drinking showed no significant changes.
It was an observational study of volunteers, so it cannot prove the drop came from stopping alone, although the changes were not explained by diet, exercise or smoking. Our guide to what happens when you stop drinking covers the rest of its findings.
If you already have high blood pressure
Among the healthy lifestyle changes the NHS says can help lower your blood pressure is not drinking too much alcohol: avoid drinking more than 14 units a week on a regular basis. The others include a healthy, balanced diet, less salt, regular exercise and losing weight if you are overweight. It adds that lowering your blood pressure even a small amount can help reduce your risk of problems such as heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease.
If you take medicine for blood pressure or anything else, ask your doctor or pharmacist about alcohol. NIAAA notes that mixing alcohol with certain medicines can cause harmful effects or make a medicine less effective, and lists taking a medicine that interacts with alcohol as a reason quitting is strongly advised.
If you drink heavily and want to stop, do not stop suddenly without advice: withdrawal can cause a racing heartbeat among other symptoms, and the NHS says to get medical help before you stop if you get withdrawal symptoms.
Common questions
How long after stopping drinking does blood pressure go down?
The trials in the 2017 review changed drinking for at least a week, and the 2018 BMJ Open study measured a fall of about 6% after one month without alcohol. Neither gives a day-by-day schedule, so check your readings with your doctor rather than expecting a set date.
Does one or two drinks a day raise blood pressure?
In the 2017 review of 36 trials, people who drank two or fewer 12 g drinks a day did not see a significant drop in blood pressure when they cut down. That is not the same as saying such drinking is risk-free for health in general.
Can I drink alcohol if I have high blood pressure?
To help lower blood pressure, the NHS advises avoiding more than 14 units a week on a regular basis. If you take blood pressure medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist whether alcohol affects it, because some medicines interact with alcohol.
Which alcohol is best for blood pressure?
The 2017 review measured how much alcohol people cut, not which drinks they gave up. A unit of alcohol is the same whether it comes from wine, beer or spirits, so the amount you drink is what to change, not the drink.
When to get help
This site offers self-help tools and information, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor, or call one of the lines below, if:
- you feel shaky, sweaty, sick or anxious when you haven't had a drink;
- you find it hard to stop once you start, or you want to cut down and can't;
- drinking is causing problems with your health, work or the people close to you.
Before you stop: It can be very dangerous to stop drinking suddenly if you are dependent on alcohol. If you get withdrawal symptoms, get medical help before you try to stop drinking.
Free, confidential helplines
- United States:SAMHSA National Helpline1-800-662-HELP (4357)Treatment referral and information, 24/7.
- United States:988 Suicide & Crisis LifelineCall or text 988Free and confidential support for people in distress, 24/7.
- United Kingdom:Drinkline0300 123 1110The national alcohol helpline, free and in complete confidence. Weekdays 9am to 8pm, weekends 11am to 4pm.
In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
Sources
- High blood pressure. NHS. nhs.uk
- Roerecke M, Kaczorowski J, Tobe SW, Gmel G, Hasan OSM, Rehm J (2017). The effect of a reduction in alcohol consumption on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Public Health. PMID 29253389
- Mehta G, Macdonald S, Cronberg A, et al. (2018). Short-term abstinence from alcohol and changes in cardiovascular risk factors, liver function tests and cancer-related growth factors: a prospective observational study. BMJ Open, 8(5), e020673. PMID 29730627
- Alcohol-use disorder. NHS. nhs.uk
- To Cut Down or to Quit (Rethinking Drinking). National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov
- Alcohol units. NHS. nhs.uk
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