Alcohol: pros and cons, recommendations for use. The benefits and harms of alcohol
Alcohol: pros and cons, recommendations for use. The benefits and harms of alcohol
Anonim

"The truth is in wine" - this old saying is known to almost everyone. But modern scientists completely disagree with him, they argue that the worst enemy of mankind is alcohol.

What is alcohol

And really, are there any advantages to alcohol? What is it? Alcohol in its pure form is ethyl alcohol, it can be obtained from any sugar by fermentation. Ethanol is quickly absorbed into the blood, in just 5-10 minutes, while it instantly affects the nervous system.

glass of beer
glass of beer

Most often people like this state, they feel confident, easy and comfortable, alcohol provokes a false sense of happiness. All problems fade into the background, and it seems that you can fully enjoy life.

But do not forget that alcohol is a narcotic substance, and its use in any case is associated with great risks. Now more and more people are turning to specialists for help in order to get rid of alcohol addiction.

Not everyone handles drinking the same way. One will rejoice and have fun, while the other will end up in the hospital with severe intoxication. So the benefits of alcohol are highly questionable.

Alcohol metabolism

How quickly the first effect appears, and how quickly the substance is completely eliminated from the body, depends on several factors. But to drink or not to drink, it is better to decide in advance.

Red wine in a glass
Red wine in a glass
  1. Quite a strong influence of general metabolism and genetics. For example, how active the thyroid gland is or the rate at which certain enzymes in the liver are produced that are responsible for the breakdown of ethanol.
  2. Age plays a significant role. Oddly enough, alcohol is slowly coming out of young people. The weak activity of ADH (alcohol dehydrogenase) is to blame for this, it is she who makes acetaldehyde from alcohol. The paradox is that when there is too much ADH, it threatens with intoxication, since in this case it is already slowly decomposing with the help of ACDH (acetaldehyde dehydrogenase). The elderly are also at risk. Everything is much simpler here, the volume of water in the body and the liver itself decrease. So teenagers and old people get drunk faster.
  3. Gender and weight are also very important. These two factors are interrelated. No wonder it is considered that the most dangerous is female alcoholism.
A stack of cognac
A stack of cognac

After all, women are often smaller than men, and even though the excretion rate is the same, you need to remember that the lower the weight, the higher the peak of the effect of intoxication. After one hundred grams of vodka, a person weighing 60 kg will be much drunker than a hundred-kilogram strong man. For someone who is lighter, even ppm will be higher. How much alcohol you can drink without harm depends on the person's weight.

4. On theThe degree of intoxication also affects how full the stomach is. A hungry person will get drunk much faster, and earning an ulcer in such a situation is a piece of cake. But drinking and a good snack can lead to an unexpected situation. After a rich, fatty meal, alcohol is absorbed longer, but it is still absorbed. A person does not get drunk for a long time and at the same time drinks a lot. And when alcohol does reach the blood, it becomes drunk for a long time.

5. It must be remembered that drunkenness is stronger in the morning than in the evening.

6. Various substances. Those that act on the GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) system increase the effect of alcohol, but norepinephrine, on the contrary, makes it weaker.

Different dosages

Many people think that alcohol in small doses is even he althy, is it? Indeed, the effect of intoxication is very dependent on how much is drunk. A strong psychostimulating effect is exerted by 20 ml of alcohol per person weighing about seventy kilograms. He will become cheerful, talkative and quite mobile. If you translate this into understandable doses, you get about 60 ml of vodka or a bottle of beer.

Two glasses with beer
Two glasses with beer

But if you drink more than 30 ml, then this dose affects the GABA system, and here you can’t talk about the advantages of alcohol at all. There is a noticeable dullness. A person's behavior becomes inadequate, now a lot depends on upbringing and promiscuity. As the dose increases, it becomes more difficult to control yourself. So the best advice for drinking alcohol is to drink as little as possible.

Alcohol duration

Here you need to return to metabolism again. How much alcohol works depends on many factors. If you average all the indicators, you get a rather rough result. This is approximately 7 grams per hour. That is, if the dose is 20 mg of alcohol, then it will be released in three hours.

Two glasses of wine
Two glasses of wine

Alcohol begins to act after a few tens of minutes. Here, too, everything depends on various factors.

Seven grams per hour is quite relative. If the stomach is full, then the indicator decreases. Especially if the weight of a person is above average. If the body is trained, then alcohol will come out a little faster, due to the fact that more anabolic hormones are produced, namely, they increase blood volume.

For and against

The benefits and harms of alcohol have been debated for many centuries. Fans of the "green snake" are finding more and more advantages, but the research of modern scientists refutes almost all of them. As a result, to drink or not to drink is the personal decision of each person.

Relaxing action

Indeed, sometimes alcohol acts as an antidepressant. If consumed in moderation, it can help you relax and relieve stress. But here it's all about volume. In order to relax and not overdo it, a couple of glasses of natural wine or a glass of high-quality strong alcohol is enough. And if you choose the right snack, you can fully enjoy the taste of both the drink and the dish.

Causes cirrhosis of the liver

Excessive libations negatively affect the entire body. But the mostalcohol hits hard on the liver. And most often the consequences are really terrible. Cirrhosis of the liver is a very serious disease in which he althy cells of this organ die off on their own, and fibrous tissue appears in their place. Naturally, the liver will no longer function properly.

Reason for rapprochement

If most of the people in the company are strangers to each other, then a small amount of alcohol will work as a link.

Champagne glasses
Champagne glasses

And in this case we are not talking about a mass drinking party. In order to relax and overcome the threshold of embarrassment and awkwardness, a glass of wine or a bottle of beer is enough.

Hangover

Often, after drinking cheerful drinks, the state in the morning leaves much to be desired. A hangover is by no means an advantage of alcohol. Most often, this is severe dehydration, a terrible headache, problems with the gastrointestinal tract, pain in the eyes. Usually a person spends the whole day in torment and trying to get rid of painful symptoms.

French paradox

There are constant disputes between scientists. The French prefer fatty foods and drink wine daily, but people of this nationality are the least likely to suffer from diseases of the cardiovascular system. Either red wine in small quantities is really he althy, or this particular nation has some kind of immunity to such diseases.

Negative effect on the digestive system

When drinking alcohol, intoxication of the body almost always occurs. Naturally,it does nothing to aid digestion. Dehydration also slows down your metabolism. The only thing that can be advised in this situation is to drink as much clean water as possible along with alcohol.

One can argue endlessly about the benefits and harms of alcohol. One thing is clear, if you drink alcohol, then only high-quality and in small quantities.

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