If you ask the average American about the potential problems associated with alcohol use, they would probably say, “Let me count the ways.” Most people know that intoxication from wine, beer, or spirits can cause serious health issues if you drink heavily for a number of years. It seems lightyears away to young adults in dorms or fraternities, or men and women just getting their feet wet in the working world who tend to think they’re immortal. The only things on their radar might be anecdotal stories about drunk driving arrests and the legal limit where they live, but perhaps by raising some awareness, their lifestyle choices won’t result in a tall order of potential health problems.
Whether it’s Spring Break, March Madness, St. Patrick’s Day, or it’s simply 5 o’clock somewhere, some people like to party whether or not there’s a reason to celebrate. If they were more informed about the toll it’s taking on their bodies, they might take it more seriously.
The MedicalNewsToday website has some facts about alcohol that bring its impact into greater focus.
Whether you drink with your college buddies or belly up to the bar for business lunches or Happy Hours, you may gauge your intake according to the legal limit for driving. If you don’t own a breathalyzer, you may be consulting the charts that tell you how many drinks per hour you can have. It’s not a bad idea, but it helps to understand the measurements in the guide.
One drink is typically defined as:
An article by the Mayo Clinic talks about the damage to the brain caused by alcohol consumption. As a neurotoxin, alcohol blocks communication among neuropathways and slows your thinking. There is no lack of irony for college students, who often use their four years of schooling to drink without reservation at a time when absorbing and retaining information, and clear-headed thinking, is so important.
As innocuous as a pint of beer or a chardonnay with friends may sound, there are notable changes that occur when you imbibe. When considering the impact of alcohol, people tend to be aware of the immediate feeling of being intoxicated and they know that heavy drinking can have a serious impact on your health over time. UK-based healthcare provider Priory has an article outlining the short- and long-term effects of alcohol use.
Long-term drinking may result in:
Drinking has a cumulative impact on your internal health as well, says an article by the Australian healthcare website Health Direct. It affects vital organs including your:
Obviously, there’s a lot to process, but if you’ve had a few drinks, processing might not be your strong game.
Aside from the obvious effects of drinking, from feeling calm to getting tipsy, there are aspects of alcohol that impact your lifestyle.
The relaxation brought on by even a glass of wine can aid you in falling asleep, but it can have a negative impact on the quality of your sleep. The level to which you’re affected depends on many factors, according to the Sleep Foundation.
A Finnish study of more than 4,000 subjects monitored their physiological state during the first three hours of sleep after drinking. The findings show a link between sleep disturbances and the quantity of alcohol consumed.
Results of the study show:
Timing also has a bearing on the effects of alcohol where your sleep quality is concerned. If your body has time to metabolize the alcohol before you go to sleep -- approximately four hours -- there’s a lower chance it will suppress your ability to get the rest you need.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol, drinking affects the way the brain functions because it interferes with its pathways of communication. Long-term use can change the structure of your brain, including the health of the neurons.
Alcohol impedes function in areas controlling:
The cognitive impairment it causes can lead to injuries or other problems for adults, but from pre-birth to adolescence the damage caused by alcohol can be severe. Drinking during pregnancy can disrupt fetal development in parts of the brain and lead to cognitive and behavioral problems for their unborn child.
One of the down sides of deciding to quit drinking -- or severely curtail it -- is the change to your social situation. Sometimes it means you have to find a new friend group, but sometimes your decision can galvanize your relationships with people who mean the most to you.
HelpGuide.org has some tips for telling your friends and family that you’re no longer drinking alcohol.
But even if you do drink, there are a couple of strategies to prevent overdoing it. Hydrate before the party. Follow every alcoholic beverage with a glass or bottle of water. Bring along a friend to make sure you don’t overdo it (extra points if they are a designated driver). Eat beforehand and during the party. Skip the drinking games and shots. If it can be done, BYONB -- bring your own near beer -- or consume virgin drinks.
Most high schools in the United States have a curriculum covering alcohol consumption and its worst outcomes. It may scare young people away from drinking for a while, but there’s a lot more to learn about the problems associated with patterns such as binge drinking and alcohol abuse. If you’ve decided to leave “beer with the bros” behind and you’re thinking twice about day drinking with colleagues, there are numerous health reasons to back you up.
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