HERE’S TO ALCOHOL, THE CAUSE OF, AND SOLUTION TO, ALL LIFE’S PROBLEMS.” ~ THE SIMPSONS
Lately, there have been a lot of people saying that drinking alcohol daily can be part of a healthy diet with no idea where that comes from. Dr. George Koob, Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (the NIAAA), has completed studies that show daily moderate alcohol consumption is indeed healthy. Koob courted several alcohol companies to fund the study while simultaneously vowing to them that he’d deny funding for studies showing the connection between alcohol marketing and underage drinking. This must have been valuable to those companies because Koob received 67 million dollars to do that study in 2015. True to that promise, Dr. David Jernigan, Dr. Michael Siegel, Dr. Jernigan, and Dr. Siegel, researchers that were trying to show the connection, each had to seek funding elsewhere or change their topic altogether. Interesting huh? Anyhoo, I am obligated to say that even though there are major health publications that agree with Dr. Koob, people who do not drink should not start drinking because there no amount of drinking that is healthier than not drinking at all… I’m just saying. I’m not here to booze bash. Alcohol is fun, relaxing and gets the party going, but there’s one tricky word… Moderation. “In moderation” can be relative but research shows, the more we like something, the larger that “moderate” serving is.
So how do we enjoy alcohol, “in moderation?
What is textbook moderate drinking?
- 1 drink a day for women
- 2 drinks a day for men.
What’s in your drink?
- 12 oz of beer at 5% alcohol
- 5 oz of wine at 12% alcohol
- Mixed drinks vary in alcohol content
How much is too much?
- 4+ drink a day or 8 drinks a week for women.
- 5+ drinks a day or 15 drinks a week for men.
What is binge drinking?
- 4+ drinks within 2 hours for women
- 5 + drinks within 2 hours for men
Binge Drinking Leads To Alcohol Poisoning!
The symptoms of alcohol poisoning are….
- Confusion
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Slow breathing (less than eight breaths a minute)
- Irregular breathing (10 second or more gaps between breaths)
- Blue-tinged skin or pale skin
- Low body temperature (hypothermia)
- Passing out (unconsciousness) and can’t be awakened
“FIRST YOU TAKE A DRINK, THEN THE DRINK TAKES A DRINK, THEN THE DRINK TAKES YOU.” ~ F. SCOTT FITZGERALD
Doctors Orders
Here’s some tips on how to keep your drinking in moderation:
- Follow the daily drink limits.
- Make a list of reasons not to drink and keep it in your smartphone.
- Do not drink when you are upset.
- Limit how much alcohol you keep at home.
- Choose a day of the week on which you will not drink.
- Try to avoid places where people drink a lot.
Remember, you don’t need ALL of the aforementioned symptoms to have alcohol poisoning. If you suspect it, call 911 and get to an ER. Do not assume a person can just sleep it off.
“Be safe. Be successful.” – Dr. Kadisha