"Drinking is going to affect the body much more prominently in your 40s," explains Dr. David Greuner of NYC Surgical Associates. Excessive drinking can cause a myriad of health issues that range from heart disease to hepatitis—but the more honest you are about your drinking habits, the better your odds will be. Patients who are diagnosed with alcoholic cirrhosis, for instance, have a five-year survival rate of 90 percent when they stop drinking compared to a five-year survival rate of 70 percent when they continue to hit the bottle. Plus, if your provider doesn't know that you're a heavy drinker, then they might just end up prescribing you something that really doesn't mix well with alcohol—but by the time you know it, it'll be too late.
