Health & Fitness

What fake alcohol does to your body

Paulette Mboga 01st September, 2026 12:39 AM

Fake alcohol can cause serious harm to the body because it may contain unsafe substances or high levels of chemicals that are not meant for drinking.

Unlike genuine alcoholic drinks, fake products may not go through proper production and safety checks. Drinking them can therefore expose the body to dangerous substances.

Here are five things fake alcohol can do to your body.

1. It can affect your eyesight

Some fake alcoholic drinks may contain methanol, a toxic type of alcohol that can be dangerous when swallowed. The body breaks methanol down into substances that can damage the optic nerve, which is linked to vision.

A person who drinks alcohol containing methanol may develop problems with their eyesight. In serious cases, methanol poisoning can lead to permanent blindness. This is one of the most serious dangers linked to drinking alcohol made with unsafe substances.

2. It can damage your nervous system

Toxic substances found in fake alcohol can affect the nervous system. A person may experience headaches, dizziness, confusion or problems with coordination after drinking a contaminated product.

Severe poisoning can affect how the brain and other parts of the nervous system work. The effects may become worse depending on the substance involved and how much was consumed.

3. It can cause breathing problems

Fake alcohol poisoning can also affect breathing. Some toxic substances can interfere with the body’s normal functions and make it difficult for a person to breathe properly.

A young man grips his head in extreme distress, sitting on his bed surrounded by commercial beer bottles and an unbranded container.

Severe poisoning can become an emergency, especially when a person becomes very weak, confused or loses consciousness. Difficulty breathing after drinking an unknown alcoholic product should therefore not be ignored.

4. It can harm your kidneys and liver

The liver helps the body process substances that are taken in through food and drinks, while the kidneys help remove waste from the body. Toxic substances in fake alcohol can place these organs under serious stress.

Depending on the substance involved, poisoning can lead to organ damage. This can be especially dangerous when a person drinks a large amount or continues drinking the contaminated product without knowing that it is unsafe.

5. It can cause severe poisoning or death

One of the biggest dangers of fake alcohol is that it can cause severe poisoning. A person may develop vomiting, stomach pain, dizziness, confusion, vision problems or extreme weakness after drinking a contaminated product.

In serious cases, poisoning can lead to loss of consciousness, organ failure and death. The danger can be difficult to identify because a fake drink may look similar to a genuine alcoholic product.

If someone becomes seriously ill after drinking alcohol, they should receive medical attention immediately. Symptoms such as vision problems, severe confusion, difficulty breathing, seizures or loss of consciousness require urgent help.

Fake alcohol is dangerous because you may not know what is inside the drink or how it was made. Avoiding drinks from unknown or untrusted sources can help reduce the risk of poisoning.