How Much Alcohol Can You Drink Without Seriously Harming Your Health?

blood alcohol

Many people don't drink alcohol during the work week, but relax on the weekends by drinking a few beers or stronger drinks a day. It should be noted that this approach is dangerous and can lead to health problems. This is due to the fact that it is difficult for the body to process a large dose of alcohol that has been received in 2 days.

To avoid serious problems, you need to know what daily dose of alcohol is considered safe.

How much alcohol not to drink?

I'll say right away: there is no consensus on this issue. Some scientists say that even in small amounts, alcohol has a devastating effect on the body. Others believe that, in small doses, alcohol is even beneficial. And there are recommendations from the WHO (World Health Organization), according to which,a dangerous dose of alcoholis ​​60 ml of ethanol for menand50 mlfor women. But since very few people consume ethanol in its pure form (well, I hope), this is what an absolutely dangerous dose of alcohol looks like in terms of drinks familiar to most:

  • 180 g of vodka for men and 150 g of vodka for women
  • 1. 5 l. beer
  • 0. 5 l. wine

Absolutely dangerous dose of alcohol: the average value of the amount of alcohol consumed, enough to cause death.

But don't think that if you drink less than these values, nothing will happen to your body. Even if you consume the equivalent of 30 ml of ethanol a day (90 g of vodka, 800 ml of beer or a large glass of wine), it can seriously harm your health.

ideal alcohol rate

The formula to determine the individual alcohol content

Health professionals have developed a formula that can be used to calculate a person's alcohol intake. Using this method, you can independently determine how much alcohol you can drink per day without harm to your health.

The basis is 1. 5 g of ethyl alcohol per 1 kg of human weight. If a person weighs 70 kg, the individual dose of ethanol is 105 ml. In any case, it should be understood that such values ​​are averaged, since much depends on the age, sex and physiological characteristics of the organism.

What happens if you drink alcohol every day?

Scientists have been researching this problem for a long time. Recent evidence suggests thatalcohol reduces the risk of atherosclerosis. In part, it helps prevent blockage of blood vessels by cholesterol plaques. Why is cholesterol dangerous? It causes circulatory problems. Blood stops flowing normally through the vessels, as they are full of cholesterol and the person may even die. Alcohol, on the other hand, "cleanses" the blood vessels and does not allow cholesterol to stagnate.

Does this mean you can drink alcohol every day? No. In this case, we are talking about extremely low doses of alcohol. Based on the sameWHO recommendations, experts recommend at least two days a week that youcompletely abstain from alcohol. Of course, the longer you don't drink, the better.

The optimal doseof alcohol, which is not very harmful to health, and can even bring certain benefits, is ​​considered 150 mldry red wine.

But this does not mean that you needto drink every daya small glass of wine, despite numerous stories circulating on the Web, about how a grandfather drank a glass every day and lived to90 years. Here everything is individual and it is necessary to take into account many factors, from chronic diseases to hereditary predispositions. Not to mention the fact thatalcohol is categorically contraindicatedfor minors and pregnant women.

Did you know that alcohol stays in your hair for longer?

If you drink alcohol every day, the body will not be able to eliminate it from the body and a disease such as alcoholism will start. It has 3 stages, and in this article we will cover them. But first, let's find out: how does alcohol affect a person in general?

A wonderful intoxicating drink has been known for many millennia, although it was called differently in each country: digest, ale, panty, etc. In ancient times it was believed that an amber drink improved appetite, strengthens health, helps to grow and develop, so it was considered the norm to give it to children. Beer can delight you both on a hot day and on a cool night. For example, in the mid-20th century in Italy, they were encouraged to have fun all year round, not just during hot summer. At that time, beer was associated with the urban lifestyle, fashion trends, and even progress. And now there are many connoisseurs of this sparkling drink, confident that it can be enjoyed during breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The well-known joke "There are 24 hours in a day, 24 bottles in a case of beer, a coincidence? " this confirms. But jokes, jokes, and from the foam you can get good problems for your health, if you do not know the measures. In this article we will discover what are the benefits and harms of this drink, in what quantities it can be consumed and if there are any contraindications.

How alcohol works

how alcohol works

The brain of an ordinary person and alcoholic. In the second case, most of the brain's connections are destroyed

What is alcohol in the scientific sense? This isethyl alcohol, which is made by fermenting sugar, yeast, and starch. And all this "nuclear" mixture has an amazing property: it goes through all the stages of digestion incredibly fast. That is, while digesting lunch soup (about 30 minutes) or chicken meat (up to 2 hours), alcohol quickly reaches its goal - the human circulatory system, sometimes even bypassing the liver, if you drink on a serious scale. . She simply cannot pass such a large amount of alcohol on herself.

Alcohol begins to do its bad business in the circulatory system: it damages red blood cells (the tiny bodies that make up blood), so they stick together and form blood clots. Blood clots, in turn, block the flow of blood in the small arteries and this leads to blockage of blood vessels in the brain. Hence the sensation of intoxication, which is similar to when the brain lacks oxygen.

Red blood cells from a person who has consumed large amounts of alcohol. Almost everyone stuck

Therefore, if you do not drink alcohol in moderation, the brain will be constantly in this state. This will lead to the degradation of many physical and mental functions, a condition comparable to drinking a lot of alcohol at the same time. A person cannot stand normally and does not account for his actions.

Scientists have already shown that alcohol damages DNA and increases the risk of cancer.

Beer in the modern world

Any store now offers a large selection of spirits. To make the right choice, you need to understand what types of foam they are and how they differ from each other. Beer can be divided into 2 types: simple and strong.

Plain beer contains little alcohol, about 4 percent. In addition, it is divided into 2 types: light and dark. The strength of a draft drink can reach 8 percent.

beer in the modern world

Strong drinks can contain up to 12 percent alcohol. It differs from simple in that it has an unusual rich taste, smell, and slightly bitter aftertaste.

This drink is considered whole. It is worth noting that about 90% of the assortment provided to customers specifically refers to the set. The average alcohol content in this form is approximately 7 percent.

Stages of alcoholism

Consistentalcohol consumption leads to alcoholism, which has three stages.

  1. Withthe first stagealcohol dependence, a person gradually loses control of the amount of drink they drink, leading to the appearance of a pathological craving for alcohol.
  2. In thesecond stagea person even develops "immunity" to alcohol, or rather, so it seems. In fact, if a person in this stage consumes more than 1 liter of alcohol, the body will apparently begin to perceive alcohol more easily. In fact, this hides the development of serious diseases: hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, esophageal cancer and stomach cancer.
  3. Alcoholismthird stageis ​​characterized by the complete degradation of the personality on the physical and mental planes. A person can no longer drink alcohol and in most cases dies.

Scientists believe that alcoholism is influenced by a hereditary predisposition caused by insufficient production of enzymes that metabolize alcohol. But, in fact, the amount of alcohol consumed affects this. You just don't need to drink if you realize that you are losing control of yourself and an unpleasant state of the body arises.

alcoholism disease

Alcoholism is a disease and must be treated

Benefits of the drink

Interestingly, beer also has valuable health benefits, but most of them are not related to ingestion. Used externally:

  1. Beer foam is used to smooth wrinkles in masks that improve the condition of the facial skin.
  2. Beer is an essential ingredient in hair masks, making them strong, voluminous and silky.
  3. If a person falls ill with acute respiratory infections and drinks some hot beer, recovery and improved health will come faster.
  4. A reasonable dose of beer will help remove harmful heavy metals from the body, so drink the beverage at an acceptable rate and your kidneys will be healthy.
  5. If you drink beer from time to time, due to the silicon content it contains, the skeletal system will become stronger.

Take care of your health!

WARNING! The information published in the article is for informational purposes only and is not an instruction for use. Be sure to consult your doctor!

Why does a hangover occur?

Many ask this question the next morning after a hectic party (usually with the words "well, I definitely won't drink any more"). In fact, the explanation is quite simple: alcohol enters the body's bloodstream terribly fast, but leaves it VERY slowly. And the human body cannot fully recover after a stormy night until the substance is completely destroyed and digested. This is how thehangoverhappens.

Last year in our country they tried to make a beer without a hangover with vitamins. I wonder if they did.

Surely many asked,how to avoid a hangover, before starting to celebrate the next event with alcohol. But the answer can be summed up in one sentence: don't drink in large quantities, then the alcohol will have time to leave the body before your head comes into contact with the pillow.

How to drink alcohol?

Researchers distinguish between the so-called "northern" drinking model and the "southern" model. The first includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Baltic countries, which drink a lot of alcohol and in shock doses, and not always often. The "southern" model is typical of Spain, Italy, Greece, where you can drink more often, but less and less alcohol: for example, a glass of dry wine at dinner. Nobody drinks 100g of vodka every day.

Scientists agree that the southern model is safer for health, although they still point out that daily alcohol consumption is harmful to health. So don't abuse each other.

Historical data

Beer is one of the oldest drinks. According to history, it was first prepared about 8000 years ago. It should be noted that at that time it was women who were engaged in the manufacture of the drink. It was produced mainly at home. Only after beer began to gain popularity and began to be sold did men become interested in the production business.

Of course, today brewing is considered an exclusively male occupation, although, as we know from history, it all started in a completely different way. Most of the drink was produced in the Middle Ages and was famous for its wonderful taste in England, the Czech Republic and Germany. That is why these countries have not lost their title and continue to produce a delicious intoxicating drink.

This case was popular in many countries. People who knew how to make beer were highly esteemed. Various ingredients were chosen for the production, so the taste of the beer was also different.