The important role alcohol plays in physical and mental health from Spira Care’s Harley Hawkins

When it comes to the impact alcohol can have on someone’s health, Spira Care Behavioral Health Consultant Harley Hawkins loves to share the story of one of his patients who he first saw during an annual wellness visit.

“He was overweight, drinking excessively and we had to put him on blood pressure medication,” Hawkins recalls. “During this time, his anxiety turned into anger, and he was about to lose his job. He said, ‘What do I do?’ We developed a plan to eat healthier, reduce stress, sleep better and reduce alcohol intake.”

The plan involved helping the patient reduce his alcohol usage by following a 2-2-2 system (no more than 2 drinks, every 2 days, followed by 2 days off).

“After developing that strategy, he started sleeping better!” Hawkins said “That positive result motivated him. He watches what he eats, has lost over 100 pounds, improved his job performance and eliminated alcohol!”

Alcohol impacts your physical health

Hawkins said some of the health issues he sees tied to alcohol, include:

• High blood pressure
  • Once we get to where alcohol is managed, a lot of times, we see blood pressure go down.
• Poor sleep quality
  • Although alcohol may help someone go to sleep quicker, it negatively affects the quality of sleep. That includes not being able to experience Rapid Eye Movement (REM) and deep sleep. It’s like when IT tells us to shut our computers down to help them work better. That’s what happens when we go into REM and deep sleep. The brain regulates blood sugar and strengthens our immune system.
• Alcohol is also linked to cancer, according to a January 2025 report from former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.
  • Alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S.
  • Consuming alcohol increases the risk of developing at least seven types of cancer
  • Alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer more than any other cancer in women

Alcohol affects your mental health

According to Hawkins, alcohol usage impacts mental health in the following ways:

• Initially, when we use alcohol, there’s a dopamine release, and we feel good. But when our blood alcohol content reaches .05% or higher, alcohol becomes more of a depressant that can slow brain activity.
• Then, you get to that next stage of anxiety when you are craving more. That’s part of the dependency that keeps that alcohol hold over us. You get anxious, and that’s when we drink again.
• Depression is a major mental health disorder tied to alcohol consumption.

How Spira Care can help

“At Spira Care, our patients can get to us quickly, usually the same day¹,” Hawkins said.

If you have a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) plan² with exclusive access to nine Kansas City area Spira Care Centers, Hawkins and his fellow Behavioral Health Consultants partner with your primary care provider to support you through life’s challenges, health concerns or new diagnoses, and transitions at every age.

Behavioral Health Consultants can help when alcohol causes stress and anxiety and can assist patients with treatment options and resources.³

“A lot of people, because of their business, might have to take clients out to drink,” he said. “They may fall in that excessive drinking category and come to us for help.”

Here are strategies Hawkins passes along to his patients to help them drink responsibly:

• Request more tonic water. A lot of bartenders recognize this, and they’ll serve tonic water in a bourbon glass with cubed ice. You can indulge in tonic water with lemon, and no one is going to know whether you are drinking an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage. Feeling like you are a part of the group can help trick your brain.
• Have a good excuse to exit, like saying you have to tell your kids good night, or you have a work project. Preplanning is key.

Another strategy Hawkins finds helpful is sharing the patient success story mentioned at the beginning of this article.

“That patient still sees me every three months to tell me he’s doing all right and wants me to use his story to help other patients,” Hawkins said. “When I told him his story helped a 27-year-old patient of mine, he loved that! We’re on the front row at Spira Care seeing all of that. It’s great to truly realize the impact we are making.”

If you have a Blue KC plan with exclusive access to Spira Care, talk to a Spira Care Primary Care Provider about connecting with an on-site behavioral health consultant.

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest Emergency Department. In case of a mental health emergency, call or text 988.

Harley Hawkins, MSW, LCSW, Behavioral Health Consultant, Spira Care Liberty

1 Appointment availability varies based on demand and capacity at each Care Center location on any given day.

2 Health plans with exclusive access to Spira Care are available through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

3 Spira Care does not provide psychiatric care, ongoing psychotherapy, or intensive mental or behavioral healthcare. If you and your Care Team determine that you would benefit from more intensive or ongoing support, we’ll connect you with an in-network provider outside Spira Care. Costs outside Spira Care Centers are subject to your plan’s deductible or applicable copay.