FEATURE
Here’s a sobering
thought – a study published in The Lancet says that alcohol is more harmful
than heroin and three times more harmful than cocaine or tobacco combined
especially when considering its overall dangers to the individual and society
at large.
Co-authored by Professor
David Nutt, a former government chief drugs adviser in the UK, the report says
this is so because alcohol is so widely used and that people who crave it are
willing to go to extraordinary lengths to get their hands on it.
To those of us who
practice moderation, the harm alcohol wreaks on our system is most likely
minimal. But for the many who go on drinking binges regularly, alcohol can turn
potentially deadly and yes, be even more harmful than hardcore drugs.
Brain
When alcohol saturates
your brain, your judgment, inhibitions and self-control slip followed by
slurring, impaired hearing and blurring of sight. This is because the first
spot alcohol interferes with is the brain’s cerebral cortex, where
thought-processes and consciousness are centered. If you continue drinking, the
cerebellum that controls your movements and balance goes bust. Now you’re
swooning and hanging on to chairs and walls for balance. At this point, you
know your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is sky high.
A scarier thought is
that many drinkers in this condition then stumble their way into the driver’s
seat for the journey home. In 2010, Malaysian police arrested some 536 drivers
for driving while intoxicated, the bulk of which (not surprisingly) were from
Kuala Lumpur.
If you are going to
drink, down a glass of water with every alcoholic drink you have. Or dilute
your drink with ice or soda. And NEVER drive home yourself.
Liver
90% of the alcohol you
consume is broken down in your liver by a naturally occurring enzyme called
acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Those deficient in ALDH tend to experience
extreme flushing and suffer from really bad hangovers. If you drink excessively
on a regular basis, your liver will suffer from oxidative stress, which is
damage to its cells as it works overtime to break down alcohol.
This kind of continued
damage can lead to inflammation and scarring. You only have one liver – better
treat it right.
Stomach
Even a little alcohol
has the ability to make your stomach produce more acid than it actually needs.
The presence of this acid sitting around in your gut causes gastritis. If you
drink more than your body can handle, get ready for tummy pains, vomiting, diarrhea
and if you persist, bleeding.
Not surprisingly,
excessive alcohol consumption over the long term can increase your chances of
cancer of the stomach, pancreas and colon. If you suffer from acid reflux,
drinking alcohol only increases the incidence of that stinging acid shooting up
your oesophagus.
Weight
One of the quickest ways
of putting on weight is going on a liquid diet of booze. A glass of wine has
the same number of calories as a slice of cake. A pint of beer? The same as a
slice of pizza! And think drinking wine is an exception? Think again. The
average wine drinker consumes 2,000 extra calories every month.
Calories from alcohol
are generally considered empty calories as it carries no nutritional value and
has the potential to do more harm than good to your internal organs. Alcohol
also stimulates the production of oestrogen in your bloodstream, which in turn
promotes fat storage around your waistline and stomach. It also decreases
muscle growth. Want to banish the belly? Ditch the booze.
Skin
Alcohol ages you.
Drinking alcohol dehydrates your skin, your body’s largest organ. It also
deprives your skin of the vital hydration, vitamins and nutrients it needs to
regenerate cells. For instance, alcohol destroys Vitamin A that is needed for
healthy skin and cell turnover as well as Vitamin B6, which assist the body in
storing and using energy. Vitamin C, a potent antioxidant, is also killed off.
If you drink like
there’s no tomorrow, you will experience an increase in fine lines and
wrinkles, hair and nails that become weak and dry as well as thinning lips.
With the thinning ozone layer, UV rays that destroy our cellular health and the
toll daily stress has on our skin, do we really need alcohol to do its part in
the process of ageing too?
So the next time you
bring that alcoholic drink to your lips, consider this – you’re no better than
a drug addict or chain smoker.
LINKS
http://www.healthchecksystems.com/alcohol.htm https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/check-the-facts/health-effects-of-alcohol
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11660210
Source : https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2013/05/23/alcohol-more-harmful-than-heroin/
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