So about a few months ago, I made the decision to stop drinking socially. This was mainly triggered by what I saw in patients who were chronic alcoholics.
I was so scared that I decided to totally stop drinking. I went on to stop fizzy drinks also.
In today's post, I will be talking about the benefits and risks of taking alcohol, and then I will give you the option of choosing what you want.
Introduction
It is very important to note that the internet is littered with conflicting messages about alcohol. Some of them are research-based, while others are based on assumptions.
While a lot of people claim that alcohol is bad, moderate amounts, on the other hand, have been linked to health benefits.
For starters, alcohol is highly addictive and toxic, especially when consumed in excess. I once had a man who was a friend to my mother who consumed outrageous amounts of alcohol. In the morning, he will start with gin as early as 7 a.m. In the afternoon, he drinks about 2 bottles of beer, and at night, he drinks stout.
I wonder how he is able to do some things.
The truth is that the health effects of alcohol differ from person to person and are dependent on the amount and type of alcohol consumed. This is why some people are called light brains and some people are called heavy drinkers. Some people take a bit of alcohol and go, while some take a crate of beer and are still conscious and alert.
Pixabay
What Exactly Is Alcohol?
Ethanol, ethanol, ethanol
Ethanol is the primary psychoactive ingredient in all alcoholic beverages. So it is safe to say that alcohol is ethanol.
The intoxication caused by alcohol is solely due to ethanol.
Ethanol is made by yeasts that digest sugar in carbohydrate-rich foods like grapes or grains. When it is from grapes, wine is made; when it comes from grain , beer is the product.
One of the most commonly utilized psychoactive chemicals on the planet is alcohol. It can have a significant impact on your mood and mental state.
Alcohol may encourage people to act without inhibition by reducing self-consciousness and shyness. At the same time, it impairs judgment and encourages behaviour that people may come to regret. This is one reason I backed out of alcohol. I once had a neighbour who would beat his wife after drinking a lot of alcohol.
Some people drink in small amounts at a time, while others binge. Binge drinking is when you consume a large amount of alcohol at once in order to get drunk. From all my experience of bingeing anything, it is always bad.
The liver and alcohol
The liver is a remarkably vital organ that performs hundreds of critical functions.
One of its primary functions is to neutralize various toxic substances that you consume.
As a result, your liver is especially vulnerable to alcohol-related damage.
Alcoholic liver diseases are a group of liver diseases caused by excessive alcohol consumption.
The first of these is fatty liver, which is characterized by an increase in fat within liver cells.
Fatty liver develops gradually in 9 out of 10 people who consume more than 1/2 ounce (15 ml) of alcohol per day, and it is usually symptomless and completely reversible. I once had an ex who had fatty liver disease and had never tasted alcohol. This is because fatty liver disease is of two types:
- Alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Back to the topic
Binge drinking may cause liver inflammation in heavy drinkers. In the worst-case scenario, liver cells die and are replaced by scar tissue, resulting in cirrhosis, which is a very serious condition.
Cirrhosis is irreversible and is linked to a slew of serious health issues. A liver transplant is the only option for people with advanced cirrhosis.
Alcohol and the Brain
Excessive alcohol consumption can have a variety of negative effects on your brain.
Ethanol reduces interactions between brain cells, which is responsible for many of the symptoms of intoxication.
Binge drinking can even cause a blackout. Some people experience memory loss, or amnesia after an episode of binging.
These effects are only temporary, but chronic alcohol abuse can cause permanent brain changes, often resulting in impaired brain function.
Chronic alcohol abuse may increase your risk of dementia and cause brain shrinkage in middle-aged and older adults because your brain is very sensitive to damage.
Severe alcohol-induced brain damage may impair people's ability to live independently in the worst-case scenario.
Moderate drinking, on the other hand, has been linked to a lower risk of dementia, particularly in older adults.
Depression
Pixabay
Alcohol consumption and depression are inextricably linked.
While both alcohol consumption and depression appear to increase the risk of one another, alcohol abuse may be the more significant causal factor.
Many people who suffer from anxiety and depression drink to relieve stress and improve their mood. While drinking may provide temporary relief, it will deteriorate your overall mental health and set off a vicious cycle.
Indeed, because heavy drinking is a major cause of depression in some people, treating the underlying alcohol abuse results in significant improvements.
Obesity is a serious public health issue.
Alcohol is the second most calorie-dense nutrient after fat, with approximately 7 calories per gram.
Beer has the same number of calories as sugary soft drinks, ounce for ounce, but red wine has twice as many.
While growing up, my uncle would say that anyone who says beer is bitter doesn't know what he is saying. It makes sense now. He was talking from a scientific point of view.
Despite all these facts, studies on the relationship between alcohol and weight have yielded inconclusive results.
It appears that drinking habits and preferences may be involved.
For example, moderate drinking is associated with lower weight gain, whereas heavy drinking is associated with increased weight gain.
In fact, while drinking beer on a regular basis may cause weight gain, drinking wine may cause weight loss.
Cardiovascular Health and Alcohol
In today's society, heart disease is the leading cause of death.
It encompasses a wide range of diseases, the most common of which are heart attacks and strokes.
The link between alcohol and heart disease is complicated and depends on a number of factors.
Light to moderate drinking appears to lower the risk of heart disease, whereas heavy drinking appears to raise the risk. I will always say "too much of everything is bad."
There are so many possible explanations for the beneficial effects of moderate drinking.
Moderate alcohol consumption may have
• Increase "good" HDL cholesterol levels in the blood. HDL cholesterol is high density cholesterol and it is said to be the good cholesterol. Cholesterol is a topic for another day.
• Reduce blood pressure, a significant risk factor for heart disease.
Reduce your blood concentration of fibrinogen, a substance that aids in the formation of blood clots. This reduction in the formation of blood clots can significantly reduce the risk of having a type of stroke.
• Lower your risk of diabetes, which is another major risk factor for heart disease.
• Temporarily reduce stress and anxiety
Diabetes Type 2
Type 2 diabetes affects approximately 8% of the world's population. In fact, rumours have it that every family has a patient with DM. This might be due to the westernization of diet and a sedentary lifestyle.
Type 2 diabetes, characterized by abnormally high blood sugar levels, is caused by a decrease in the uptake of glucose, or blood sugar, by the cells—a phenomenon known as insulin resistance.
Moderate alcohol consumption appears to reduce insulin resistance, thereby combating the main symptoms of diabetes. However, there is limited experience of this. However, since moderate alcohol consumption causes weight loss and a reduction in weight reduces insulin resistance, there might be a connection.
Some studies suggest that drinking alcohol with meals may reduce blood sugar levels by 16-37 percent more than drinking water.
In fact, moderate alcohol consumption lowers your overall diabetes risk. However, your risk increases when you drink heavily or binge.
Cancer
Unusual cell proliferation is the underlying cause of cancer.
Alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, colon, breast, and liver.
The cells that line the mouth and throat are particularly vulnerable to the damaging effects of alcohol.
Even moderate alcohol consumption (up to one drink per day) is associated with a 20% increased risk of mouth and throat cancer.
The more you consume, the greater your risk. More than four drinks per day appear to increase your risk of mouth and throat cancer by a factor of five, as well as your risk of breast, colon, and liver cancer.
Alcohol and birth defects
When I was in Warri, I heard women say things like, when they were pregnant with their child, they took small stout
It was shocking to me.
Alcohol abuse is the leading preventable cause of birth defects in the United States.
Binge drinking during pregnancy is especially dangerous for the developing baby .
In fact, it may have a negative impact on development, growth, intelligence, and behavior, potentially affecting the child for the rest of his or her life .
Although it may be difficult to believe, alcohol may help you live longer.
Light and moderate alcohol consumption, according to studies, may reduce the risk of premature death, particularly in Western societies.
At the same time, alcohol abuse is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States, as it plays a significant role in chronic diseases, accidents, traffic crashes, and social problems.
Dangers of addiction
Pexels
Some people develop an addiction to the effects of alcohol, which is referred to as alcohol dependence or alcoholism.
An estimated 12% of people living in America are thought to have been dependent on alcohol at some point in their lives.
Alcohol dependence is one of the leading causes of alcohol abuse and disability in the United States, as well as a significant risk factor for a variety of diseases.
Numerous factors can predispose people to problematic drinking, including family history, social environment, mental health, and genetics.
There are numerous subtypes of alcoholism, each characterized by alcohol cravings, inability to abstain, or loss of self-control when drinking.
As a general rule, if alcohol is negatively affecting your quality of life, you may have an alcohol dependence or alcoholism problem. I pretty much diagnose alcohol dependence as when it starts to affect your relationship, your health, and your finances and yet you are not able to stop.
Alcohol Abuse is a serious hazard to one's health.
The most common type of drug abuse is binge drinking.
Chronic alcohol abuse can have disastrous health consequences, affecting your entire body and causing a variety of health issues.
It can, for example, cause liver damage (including cirrhosis), brain damage, heart failure, diabetes, cancer, and other problems. Just so you know, alcohol can cause a cardiac attack.
Following a healthy diet and exercise routine should be the least of your concerns if you are a heavy drinker.
Getting your alcohol consumption under control, or completely abstaining, should be your first priority.
Which Alcoholic Drink Is the Best?
Pixabay
"How much you drink is more significant than what you drink." Read again.
However, some alcoholic beverages are superior to others.
Red wine appears to be especially beneficial due to its high antioxidant content.
Red wine, in fact, has been linked to more health benefits than any other alcoholic drink.
However, consuming large amounts does not provide additional health benefits. Heavy drinking is harmful to one's health regardless of the type of beverage consumed.
What is the limit?
Alcohol consumption recommendations are typically based on the number of standard drinks consumed per day.
This should be all for now.
In my next post, I will be narrowing it down to alcohol and men's health.
Till then, thank you for reading.
