Alcohol is very present in our North American culture.
80% of Canadians are alcohol drinkers, and 57% of Canadians drink alcohol weekly.
Due to these high numbers, I know that endorsing a zero alcohol policy is quite unrealistic, and that is okay. I myself have not cut alcohol out of my life 100% so I can’t be pushing you to do it. Instead, we are going to explore what happens to alcohol when we consume it, it's effects on our body, possible benefits and potential negative side effects.
I believe it is important to know how the things that we consume affect our body.
Alcohol’s journey through our body
Let’s look at what happens when we drink alcohol. After we swallow it, it is absorbed into our blood. It works its way through our entire body and through every organ. While it moves around our body, our liver works hard to metabolize it, breaking it down and converting it into carbon dioxide and water. Now the buzz that you feel occurs when you are consuming alcohol faster than your liver can metabolize it. In other words, your liver can’t keep up to you, and the alcohol builds up in your blood, reaches your brain and starts to affect you on a neurological level. As alcohol is a toxic substance, you can imagine the negative effects that it would have on your brain and organs. But let me cool my jets on this negativity. Maybe there are some benefits to drinking alcohol?
Are there benefits to drinking alcohol?
If you look at the research, there is evidence to support some alcohol consumption. Research has found that consuming alcohol can:
- increase high density lipoproteins levels (HDL good cholesterol)
- reduce your risk of Alzheimer's disease
- improve insulin sensitivity and therefore decrease risk of diabetes
- reduce stress, therefore aiding in decreasing your risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Increased sexual satisfaction
- Decreased risk of kidney stones
BUT…there is a VERY thin line between accessing those benefits, and being predisposed to the negative side effects. The research that supports drinking is very specific on how much alcohol will give you these benefits.
For instance:
- 1 alcoholic beverage a day can increase high density lipoproteins levels (HDL good cholesterol), more than that can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
- 1 - 2 drinks a few days a week can reduce your risk of Alzheimer's disease, more than that can accelerate Alzheimer's and other cognitive ailments.
- 1 alcoholic beverage a day can improve insulin sensitivity and therefore decrease risk of diabetes,
more than that can increase your risk of diabetes due to sugar intake and carbohydrate metabolism.
- 1 alcoholic beverage a day can reduce stress, therefore aiding in decreasing your risk of heart attack and stroke, more than that could increase stress levels and increase risk of heart attack and stroke.
- 1 - 2 glasses of red wine can increase sexual satisfaction,
more than that has no benefits, can increase impotence, decrease testosterone levels and impair sexual function.
- 1 - 2 alcoholic beverages occasionally can decrease risk of kidney stones due to increased urination, more than that and it can cause dehydration which can increase your risk of kidney stones.
So really the bottom line is that occasionally consuming a very modest amount of alcohol could benefit you. Although I do want to make it clear that overconsumption of alcohol has many negative effects.
Just to name a few:
- Can cause nutrient deficiencies
- Has been implicated in malignancies (cancer) in esophagus, mouth, pancreas and breast.
- Is linked to a plethora of gastrointestinal disorders and diseases
- Can cause damage to your cardiovascular system
- Can damage the liver, contributing to liver disease, liver failure, fatty liver and diseases such as cirrhosis
Weight loss and alcohol
Trying to lose weight can be very difficult, but it is even more difficult when you are drinking regularly.
This is why:
- It stimulates your appetite and actually
makes you eat more.
- Increases fat storage,
because alcohol is used for fuel in your body before any carbohydrate, fat, or protein is. So when our body can use alcohol for fuel it will store anything else you have consumed (like the sugar in your drink) to fat. This leads to weight gain and obesity, especially around the abdomen which is the most dangerous area to hold fat.
- Increases fat deposits as the liver is responsible for metabolizing 95% of alcohol. That metabolism takes precedence over other important functions because it is a toxin we want to get rid of. This slows fat metabolism and causes
fat build up in the body and in the liver = fatty liver.
- Carbohydrate metabolism is impacted by alcohol, therefore
increases risk of diabetes and hypoglycemia. Unstable blood sugars can lead to depression, mood swings, emotional outbursts, anxiety and weight gain.
If you are trying to lose weight and you consume moderate to high amounts of alcohol, cutting down on your alcohol intake could be a great starting point for you.
So now what?
That was all very heavy and kind of depressing right? I know it is, especially if drinking alcohol is a normal part of your life, as it is with 80% of the Canadian population. But maybe think of this as motivational instead? If this article motivated you to quit drinking altogether, all the power to you, that is amazing and good luck! But for the rest of you who know that you won’t be quitting, but are motivated to slow down, then here are some tips for you.
1. Set a limit for yourself.
Come up with a number. How many drinks are you allowing yourself to drink in a day? Or a week? Or a month? Write it down. This will help to make it real. Don’t forget that any change is an accomplishment. For example, maybe you start with only allowing yourself to have 2 drinks a day. Once you have accomplished that, alter your goal. Write down your next goal and continue on until you are where you want to be.
2. Find an alternative that you enjoy.
Don’t expect to slow down your drinking without a plan. Experiment with some fun alternatives so you have something to look forward to. Check out some mocktails in my Mocktails post here.
3. Always be prepared.
Drinking is definitely a social activity. It is almost an expectation that you have an alcoholic beverage when socializing with friends or family. So mix your alcohol free drink beforehand, or have a carbonated water ready. You can pour it in a nice glass with lemon, lime, berries, etc, to make it look alcoholic. That way you don’t need to be pressured or feel left out.
If you have any health issues, your body systems are already impaired and struggling, let’s rethink our alcohol intake. Drinking alcohol when your body is already struggling is like throwing yourself a rock when you are already drowning. Take a little break from drinking, do what your body needs to get better and healthy, and then social drinking will become something that your body can handle, not something that drags it down even further.
If you would like support with getting your body back on track, don’t hesitate to reach out. I promise you, the way I will support your body is going to be much nicer than the way your doctor will if you wait too long.
Now for something fun!
Summer is a time of fruity, fun and refreshing drinks, but it is also the time for beach bodies. So let’s make reducing our alcohol intake fun. Check out my Cocktail & Mocktail article where we look at what cocktails are best for that beach body and what mocktails won’t make you miss that not-so-special ingredient.
If you have any questions or concerns about the content, you will have an opportunity to ask questions this month during one of the two video chats. Otherwise, please feel free to comment on the chat board, the coinciding Instagram post or contact me directly via email or Instagram.
Sources:
“Surprising Ways Alcohol May Be Good for You.” WebMD, Sept. 2020, https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-alcohol-health-benefits
Haas, Elson., Levin Buck, Staying Healthy with Nutrition, New York, Crown Publishing, 2006
Conway, Jan, “Alcohol Consumption in Canada - Statistics & Facts.” Statista, Dec. 2020, https://www.statista.com/topics/2998/alcohol-consumption-in-canada/