Avoid Excess Alcohol |
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Alcohol probably ranks above eating as the most common stress reliever. While modest alcohol consumption-for example, a glass of red wine with dinner-is a healthy habit, excessive alcohol consumption, or alcohol abuse, is a deadly practice. Alcohol abuse can cause serious physical as well as social problems, because it destroys your body from within.
Alcohol is a toxin; it crosses the blood-brain barrier and at high enough levels can cause the brain to stop functioning. W/hen a person eats while drinking, his blood alcohol doesn't rise as rapidly (That is one good reason to always drink socially and take food at the same time.) However, you can't rely on food to prevent the effects of alcohol.
Because alcohol is a toxin, the body detoxifies alcohol as quickly as possible by metabolizing (burning) it to become carbon dioxide and water. In fact, when alcohol enters the blood, the liver stops metabolizing everything else and focuses all its attention and effort on eliminating the alcohol. That means that any fat or carbohydrate circulating in the blood will have to wait for processing until the alcohol is reduced to a manageable level. Excess blood fat is first stored in the liver; sugar simply stays in the blood, and its level continues to rise. This is why excessive alcohol consumption on a regular basis causes fatty deposits in the liver, which leads to cirrhosis of the liver.
The excess sugar is converted to fat and often winds up in the same place. In addition, the excess sugar can cause a similar excess of insulin production, and when the alcohol is gone, the blood sugar drops. The drinker usually goes for more alcohol when that happens.
Low blood sugar is one of the worst messages the brain can receive. It is a signal that the energy necessary to keep its critical processes going is dwindling. Anxiety follows that signal, which manifests itself in no time as irritability and erratic behavior. When blood sugar drops, the person usually eats more food or drinks more alcohol-neither of which is a good idea. This proves the old saying about alcohol: Moderation is the only way to go!
People who drink socially consume, on average, about 2 percent of their calories in alcoholic beverages, with no adverse effects. Active people who are physically fit can usually handle much more than 2 percent of calories; probably 4 to 5 percent. If you're 5 feet 5 inches tall, you probably burn about 1,800 calories daily; if you’re 6 feet tall, you use 2,200 calories or more daily. Two percent of these levels is 35 to 45 calories daily. One and a half ounces of whiskey contain 105 calories, and a 3 1/2-ounce glass of wine has 75 calories of alcohol. What that translates to is a few glasses of wine or beer every week, probably on weekends or occasionally with dinner.
Since the liver can process about 1 to 2 ounces of alcohol per hour, the social drinking described above is no problem. Indeed, in recent years scientists have found that one glass of wine daily or even a mixed drink or beer reduces the risk of heart disease by helping to elevate a fraction of the "good" cholesterol. Social drinking is not a bad habit and actually has some health benefits.
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