The chronic sensation of coldness or persistent chills is a frequent complaint among individuals with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). This feeling is a direct physiological consequence of alcohol’s interference with the body’s temperature regulation systems. The underlying causes are complex, involving the circulatory system, the central nervous system, and metabolic processes. Understanding this chronic chill requires looking at how alcohol affects heat distribution and how its long-term use damages the ability to generate and maintain warmth.
Alcohol’s Effect on Blood Flow and Skin Temperature
Alcohol acts as a potent vasodilator, causing blood vessels near the skin’s surface to widen and relax. This increases blood flow to the periphery, producing the immediate feeling of warmth and flushed skin observed shortly after drinking. This sensation is deceptive, as the increased blood flow rapidly shunts heat away from the body’s core.
The outward rush of warm blood leads to accelerated heat loss from the skin’s surface into the surrounding environment. This heat dissipation mechanism is normally used to cool down, but when triggered by alcohol, it causes a drop in core body temperature. This rapid loss of internal warmth significantly increases the risk of hypothermia, especially in cold environments.
The body is tricked into activating its cooling mechanisms when it should be conserving heat. By delivering more heat to the skin, the core becomes vulnerable. The long-term effect of repeated episodes contributes to a generalized feeling of being cold, compromising the body’s overall thermal balance.
Disruption of the Body’s Internal Thermostat
Beyond the peripheral circulatory effects, chronic alcohol use directly impairs the central nervous system’s ability to manage temperature. The hypothalamus, a small region in the brain, functions as the body’s thermostat, setting and maintaining the ideal core temperature. Alcohol disrupts the communication pathways and neurotransmitters the hypothalamus uses for thermal regulation.
This central interference leads to thermodysregulation, where the body’s temperature setpoint becomes altered. The hypothalamus may fail to accurately perceive the current cold level or struggle to initiate appropriate warming responses. This central impairment results in a decreased ability to maintain thermal homeostasis.
Chronic alcohol exposure compromises the body’s protective reactions against cold, such as the shivering response. Shivering is a muscular action that generates heat, but its effectiveness is diminished when the central control mechanism is damaged. The combination of an altered setpoint and a suppressed warming response makes individuals less resilient to changes in ambient temperature.
Metabolic Slowdown and Energy Depletion
The chronic cold sensation is driven by systemic damage that reduces the body’s capacity to generate heat internally. Heat production, or thermogenesis, is a metabolic process relying heavily on a healthy liver and adequate energy stores. Alcohol Use Disorder compromises both factors, leading to a metabolic slowdown.
The liver is the body’s primary metabolic engine and plays a central part in heat generation. Chronic alcohol consumption damages the liver, potentially leading to conditions like alcoholic hepatitis or cirrhosis. As liver function declines, its capacity to perform heat-producing metabolic work is diminished.
Alcohol also interferes with the liver’s ability to store and release glucose, resulting in hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. Glucose is the body’s primary fuel source, and a lack of it starves the cells of the energy required for heat production. This fuel shortage prevents the metabolic reactions necessary to generate internal warmth.
Individuals with AUD often suffer from severe malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies due to poor diet and impaired nutrient absorption. Alcohol displaces nutrient-dense foods from the diet while providing few vitamins or minerals. The chronic lack of essential nutrients, such as thiamine (Vitamin B1), lowers the overall metabolic rate, contributing to the persistent feeling of coldness.