Welcome to the Simple Steps to Improved Health Challenge Day 12 Drink Alcohol in Moderation
Reminder to choose 1 of the first two actions to work on this week starting today or whatever day you want the week to start on for you. See Day 1 for more information about the challenge.
How Does Drinking Alcohol in Moderation Improve Health
Excess alcohol can have a negative impact on your health so it is better for your body to drink alcohol in moderation if at all.
If you are drinking alcohol in moderation then consider what you are drinking. There are some studies that indicate there is a health benefit to drinking red wine in moderation due to its antioxidant effect.
The connection you get when you drink socially and have a connection with your peers can also give a health benefit. There is a benefit to drinking that allows some people to be bolder and less reserved so they gain the social benefits of being with others.
If you like to have a drink then have a drink. You need to know and understand the risks of excess alcohol.
You need to take responsibility and decide for yourself if alcohol is something you want in your life.
Some Risks of Drinking Excess Alcohol
When a person drinks excess alcohol the body starts to rebel. The liver must detox the alcohol from the body and prioritizes that over other detox functions. Large amounts of alcohol can hold up the liver from other functions for hours and hours. The liver then has to let other toxins run free in the body or stick them in fat. This can result in inflammation of the liver and the risk of cirrhosis and/or fatty liver.
Excess alcohol also puts a burden on the heart and blood vessels increasing the risk of heart disease and increased blood pressure. Not to mention that the extra toxins and hormones that cannot be processed by the liver start to cause problems in the body increasing the risk of cancer.
Overuse of alcohol also messes with your sleep and your mood. Additionally, having alcohol with some prescription medications can be dangerous and cause many problems including death.
We have been told all our lives that alcohol is involved in some automobile accidents and violent crimes.
Also, alcohol can be addictive. The sugar in many alcoholic beverages also gives empty calories with no nutritional benefits adding weight gain.
So what is a person to do that likes to drink alcohol for the social benefits above?
How to Take Action to Drink Alcohol in Moderation
The important thing when taking action on alcohol is to assess how much you drink and determine how much you want to drink.
The liver can handle about 1 drink per day for women and 1-2 drinks per day for a man a maximum of 5 days a week and still complete its other functions. That means your body needs rest days from alcohol to recover.
One drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. This is important because most people will fill the glass with wine or have a large glass of beer and think they have only had one drink.
Once you know how much you are drinking you can decide how much you want to drink to get it into the recommendations.
Whether you are or are not in the recommendations, it is also important to ask the question, “Is your drinking causing you any problems with your health, energy, or relationships?”
You could be within the recommended number of drinks but because of your body type and past experience with alcohol, your body may be having trouble processing it.
If so consider in what situations you want to drink and give yourself a limit. What if you only drink on the weekends? Great that meets the drink no more than 5 days a week. Does it meet the 1-2 drinks a day? If not, understand that messes with your liver’s ability to detox your body during that time that it is processing the alcohol.
Go Do it
Track how much alcohol you drink in a week and take action to decrease your alcohol intake to 1-2 drinks a day for a maximum of 5 days in a week.
Make sure your liver gets the minimum of 2 days of rest it needs from alcohol.
Know what amounts of alcohol make up 1 drink so you are not thinking you are having 1 drink when you may be having more.
Consider what you are drinking especially if you are trying to lose weight. Have drinks without sugar or that are lower in sugar.
Consider an alcohol detox. I have a friend that drinks about 1 alcoholic beverage a night a few days a week. When he notices that creep up to 2 a night a couple of times a week or when he drinks heavily on the weekend, he takes a break from alcohol.
My friend with stop consuming alcohol for a minimum of 2 weeks to a couple of months to clear his body and allow his liver a break.
It is much easier for him to return to the recommended amounts or less of alcohol in a week after this break.
Enjoy your life and alcoholic beverages in a way that fits you, your body, and your health.
