Can drinking too much alcohol put a strain on your heart?

Yes: Some people can develop an enlarged heart from too much alcohol called alcoholic cardiomyopathy. The heart does not function well at pumping the blood through the body, people can get fluid accumulation in the lungs, legs and abdomen. Excessive alcohol also causes increased blood pressure and pulse which is also a strain on the heart.

In some people: Alcohol has many potential deleterious effects on the heart, all of these in people who are clearly drinking way too much! it causes rhythm disturbances that interfere with proper heart function. In some people, it causes an actual weakening of heart muscle causing heart failure (alcoholic cardiomyopathy). Alcohol also interferes with many medications used to treat heart problems. Talk to your md.