This Valentine’s period, many
of us are thinking about the healthy lifestyle changes we want to make for the
rest of the year. Do you plan to exercise more? Lose weight? Quit smoking? How
about cutting down on alcohol intake? While that last question may have
prompted a highly resistant shake of the head from many readers who enjoy their
after-work beer or a glass of wine with dinner, there is no better time to
review your alcohol intake.
The brain
Alcohol can
cause an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain.
Those of you who drink are likely to have experienced the
dreaded hangover at least
once. Feelings of sickness, dizziness,dehydration, and headache are all
caused by drinking too much the night before.
However, symptoms of excess alcohol intake can begin long before
a hangover. In fact, alcohol can cause problems soon after the first sip.
Alcohol disrupts
communication between nerve cells in the brain by causing an imbalance in the
levels of neurotransmitters - the chemicals that relay signals from one nerve
cell to another.
An imbalance of
neurotransmitters can cause changes to mood, behavior, and coordination that
are characteristic of excess alcohol intake.
Researchers
have found that the brain can adapt to changes in neurotransmitter levels
caused by alcohol, but this is not necessarily good news. An adjustment such as
this enables us to build tolerance to alcohol, and it may fuel the development
of alcohol use disorders.
In 2014, around 16.3 million adults in the U.S. had an alcohol use
disorder, and in 2010, alcohol abuse cost the country around $249 billion.
The heart
According to the American Heart Association,
excess alcohol consumption can increase levels of fats in the blood, which are
called triglycerides. High triglyceride levels are known to contribute to the
buildup of plaque in the arteries, known asatherosclerosis,
which can raise the risk of heart
attack and stroke.
Drinking too much -
particularly over a long period of time - can also lead to high
blood pressure, arrhythmia (irregular
heartbeat), cardiomyopathy (enlargement of the heart muscle), and stroke.
It should be mentioned,
however, that an increasing number of studies have suggested that moderate
drinking may actually benefit heart health. A study reported by Medical
News Today in
February, for example, linked moderate alcohol intake to reduced risk of heart attack and heart failure.
Still, some researchers
have questioned
the heart health benefits of
moderate drinking, and health organizations recommend not initiating alcohol
consumption solely to reap such - as yet unproven - rewards.
The liver
In 2011,
almost half of liver cirrhosis deaths in the U.S. were related to alcohol.
When we drink alcohol, the liver breaks it down so that it
can be eliminated from the body. Drinking too much over time, however, can
cause the liver to become seriously damaged.
Heavy alcohol intake can
lead to alcoholic fatty liver disease - characterized by a buildup of fat in
the arteries - alcoholic hepatitis (inflammation of the liver), and alcoholic cirrhosis (severe
liver scarring and structural damage).
The latter is the most
advanced form of liver injury caused by heavy alcohol use; according to the
NIAAA, of all cirrhosis deaths in the U.S. in 2011, around 48 percent were related to alcohol intake.
The pancreas
The pancreas is crucial
for digestion and energy production; it sends enzymes to the small intestine to
break down carbohydrates,
proteins, and fats.
However, drinking alcohol
excessively over a long period of time can disrupt pancreatic function;
instead of enzymes being sent to the small intestine to aid digestion, they are
secreted into the pancreas itself.
This can lead to pancreatitis,
which is characterized by inflammation and swelling of the blood vessels in the
pancreas. Around 5 percent of people with alcohol dependence develop the
condition.
Alcohol and
cancer
An increasing number of
studies have associated even light to moderate alcohol intake with increased
risk of certain cancers.
A recent study reported found that each glass of white wine
consumed daily may raise
the risk of melanoma by 13 percent, while an earlier study
linked low alcohol intake to a greater risk of breast
cancer.
Other cancers that have
been associated with alcohol use include mouth, esophageal, throat, and liver
cancers.
Ready to
cut down on drinking?
If cutting back on your
alcohol intake has now made it on to your list of New Year's resolutions, these tips can help you get started
§ Monitor how much you are drinking: carrying a drinking tracker card,
allowing you to track every alcoholic beverage consumed
§ Set a goal: do you want to give up alcohol completely, or just limit
alcohol intake to once or twice a week? Set yourself a goal of how much you
want to drink and when. The NIAAA recommend having some alcohol-free days
§ Avoid drinking "triggers": if you are more likely to drink around
certain people or environments, try to avoid such scenarios
§ Learn to say "no": it can be hard to turn down a drink when
offered one, especially on special occasions, but having a polite "no,
thank you" at the ready. The organization's module on building drink refusal skills may
help
§ Pace yourself: aim to consume no more than one standard
alcoholic beverage per hour when drinking, sip it slowly, and make every other
drink a nonalcoholic one such as water or juice
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