ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

Hello folks, you might be wondering “what’s up with this topic”? I have read/heard it about a thousand times and I am sick of it but I want to talk about the does and don’ts of drinking from my own perspective. Before I continue with this piece, I just want to say that I am not judgemental about drinking. I may have been on the one side of this argument that states that “alcohol is totally bad” but as I grew up, I realized that there are does and don’ts to consuming alcohol. Please, you are free to disagree, comment or criticize this article because I believe it is issues like this that break the chain of ignorance and illuminate our minds.

First of all what is alcohol? The Google dictionary describes alcohol as a colourless volatile flammable liquid which is the intoxicating constituent of wine, beer, spirits, and other drinks, and is also used as an industrial solvent and as fuel.

I cannot imagine what makes alcohol addictive because I am not an alcoholic. But from personal experience and what I have gathered online, I have managed to decipher what makes alcohol so addictive to an individual. It is what is called the “reward system”. It is believed that alcohol can temporarily solve problems when ingested because, alcohol releases certain “happy hormones” just like any other narcotic. Like I said earlier I am not a judgmental person and I have a philosophy of not “throwing the baby with the bathwater”. Here are some of the advantages of alcohol consumption.

According to medicaldaily.com, alcohol has the following advantages:

It Can Lower Your Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease

The School of Public Health at Harvard University found that "moderate amounts of alcohol raises levels of high-density lipoprotein, HDL, or 'good' cholesterol and higher HDL levels are associated with greater protection against heart disease. Moderate alcohol consumption has also been linked with beneficial changes ranging from better sensitivity to insulin to improvements in factors that influence blood clotting....Such changes would tend to prevent the formation of small blood clots that can block arteries in the heart, neck, and brain, the ultimate cause of many heart attacks and the most common kind of stroke." This finding is applicable to both men and women who have not been previously diagnosed with any type of cardiovascular disease.

It Can Lengthen Your Life

Drinking occasionally could add a few years to your life. A study by the Catholic University of Campobasso reported that drinking less than four or two drinks per day for men and women respectively could reduce the risk of death by 18 percent, as reported by Reuters. "Little amounts, preferably during meals, this appears to be the right way (to drink alcohol)," said Dr. Giovanni de Gaetano of Catholic University, another author on the study. "This is another feature of the Mediterranean diet, where alcohol, wine above all, is the ideal partner of a dinner or lunch, but that's all: the rest of the day must be absolutely alcohol-free."

It Can Improve Your Libido

Contrary to prior beliefs, newer research has found that moderate drinking might actually protect against erectile dysfunction in the same way that drinking red wine might benefit heart disease. In a 2009 study published in the, Journal of Sexual Medicine, researchers found that the chances of erectile dysfunction were reduced by 25 to 30 percent among alcohol drinkers. The lead researcher, Kew-Kim Chew, an epidemiologist at the University of West Australia, conducted the study with 1,770 Australian men. In his study, Chew cautiously noted that he and his team in no way are advising men to hit the bottle, and that further research is needed to accurately connect impotence and alcohol consumption.

It Helps Prevent Against the Common Cold

The Department of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University found that while susceptibility to the common cold was increased by smoking, moderate alcohol consumption led to a decrease in common cold cases for nonsmokers. This study was conducted in 1993 with 391 adults. In 2002, according to the New York Times, Spanish researchers found that by drinking eight to 14 glasses of wine per week, particularly red wine, one could see a 60-percent reduction in the risk of developing a cold. The scientists suspected that this had something to do with the antioxidant properties of wine.

It Can Decrease Chances Of Developing Dementia

In a study that included more than 365,000 participants since 1977, as reported in the journal Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, moderate drinkers were 23 percent less likely to develop cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. "Small amounts of alcohol might, in effect, make brain cells more fit. Alcohol in moderate amounts stresses cells and thus toughens them up to cope with major stresses down the road that could cause dementia," said Edward J. Neafsey, Ph.D., co-author of the study, as reported by Science Daily. "We don't recommend that nondrinkers start drinking," Neafsey said. "But moderate drinking — if it is truly moderate — can be beneficial."

It Can Reduce The Risk Of Gallstones

Drinking two units of alcohol per day can reduce the risk of gallstones by one-third, according to researchers at the University of East Anglia. The study found that those who reported consuming two UK units of alcohol per day had a one-third reduction in their risk of developing gallstones. "Researchers emphasized that their findings show the benefits of moderate alcohol intake but stress that excessive alcohol intake can cause health problems," according to the study.

Lowers The Chance Of Diabetes

Results of a Dutch study showed that healthy adults who drink one to two glasses per day have a decreased chance of developing type 2 diabetes, in comparison to those who don't drink at all. "The results of the investigation show that moderate alcohol consumption can play a part in a healthy lifestyle to help reduce the risk of developing diabetes type 2," researchers said in a statement to Reuters.

There is a bible quotation that gives a reasonable excuse for drinking. 1 Timothy 5:23 - Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities. This happened because Timothy had a stomach problem not because he is an alcoholic. As you can see, from the listed advantages, alcohol consumption is fine if you do it in moderation.

Now that we know the upsides of alcohol consumption here are the downsides of drinking alcohol 

Cancer

"Habitual drinking increases the risk of cancer," says Jurgen Rehm, PhD, chairman of the University of Toronto's department of addiction policy and a senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, also in Toronto. Scientists believe the increased risk comes when the body converts alcohol into acetaldehyde, a potent carcinogen. Cancer sites linked to alcohol use include the mouth, pharynx (throat), larynx (voice box), esophagus, liver, breast, and colorectal region. Cancer risk rises even higher in heavy drinkers who also use tobacco.

Cardiovascular disease

Heavy drinking, especially bingeing makes platelets more likely to clump together into blood clots, which can lead to heart attack or stroke. In a landmark study published in 2005, Harvard researchers found that binge drinking doubled the risk of death among people who initially survived a heart attack.

Heavy drinking can also cause cardiomyopathy, a potentially deadly condition in which the heart muscle weakens and eventually fails, as well as heart rhythm abnormalities such as atrial and ventricular fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation, in which the heart's upper chambers (atria) twitch chaotically rather than constrict rhythmically, can cause blood clots that can trigger a stroke. Ventricular fibrillation causes chaotic twitching in the heart's main pumping chambers (ventricles). It causes rapid loss of consciousness and, in the absence of immediate treatment, sudden death.

Depression

It's long been known that heavy drinking often goes hand in hand with depression, but there has been debate about which came first -- the drinking or the depression. One theory is that depressed people turned to alcohol in an attempt to "self-medicate" to ease their emotional pain. But a large study from New Zealand showed that it was probably the other way around -- that is, heavy drinking led to depression.

Research has also shown that depression improves when heavy drinkers go on the wagon, Saitz says.

Seizures

Heavy drinking can cause epilepsy and can trigger seizures even in people who don't have epilepsy. It can also interfere with the action of the medications used to treat convulsions.

Gout

A painful condition, gout is caused by the formation of uric acid crystals in the joints. Although some cases are largely hereditary, alcohol and other dietary factors seem to play a role. Alcohol also seems to aggravate existing cases of gout.

The bible also gives certain quotes to support these theories.

Proverbs 20:1 - Wine [is] a mocker, strong drink [is] raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. Proverbs 23:29-35 - Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?  Luke 7:34 - The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!

In my own opinion to solution(s) to combating the over-indulgence of alcohol consumption is to reset what we think alcohol can do to you as an individual. As you have seen earlier in this piece, alcohol can be used as a drug. So are you sick, and the doctor says that you should consume a specified volume of alcohol? I don’t have a problem. But if you see alcohol as an escape route from your problems, I suggest you see a therapist or a religious figure (preferably a pastor). Why I said this, is that if you are trying to escape your problems you don’t need a drink, you need a friend or someone you can talk to and can help you. A problem shared is a problem half solved. The remaining half is up to you.

Another solution is looking for other habits that can replace your alcohol addiction. Do you have some other talent you want to explore? Use these avenues as a gateway to your freedom from alcohol addiction. I know what you might say “easier said than done” but it’s the truth. We are humans and whatever occupies our hearts the most is what dominates our lives. If you can make music the paramount gateway in your life and alcohol dead last, you will keep the “fire” of music up because, you don’t want anything to spoil your zeal. No one wants to hear your sing with a slurry voice. If you can replace alcohol with Christianity, you will live a healthier lifestyle because you have God as your master and not alcohol. Instead to of a bottle or pint of beer or vodka, you will have the bible as your daily fix for your alcohol addiction.

I look forward to reading your comments.

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So everyone, LIVE LONG AND EXCEL.