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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Mulled cider, spiked eggnog, wine at dinner, champagne to toast the New Year -the temptation to drink too much during the holidays is everywhere you go. Every 40 minutes someone dies because of alcohol, resulting in over 80,000 alcohol-related deaths each year.
You may not be drinking but the person that just hit your car may be drunk. You may not be drinking but the person who just picked a fight with you may be drunk. Alcohol releases dopamine, a substance in the brain that gives you pleasure. Your inhibitions are lowered and your normal behavior loses its common sense monitor. At a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .05% you exhibit less anxiety, have personality changes, and your driving skills are affected, but you are not legally drunk. A 140 pound woman or a 180 pound man can reach this level with 2 drinks. Not an unusual amount to drink at an office Christmas party.
At a holiday party champagne is offered before the meal as appetizers are being passed. You drink one glass, than try some eggnog. Dinner is served with wine. After dinner your host serves hot spiked cider as the fireplace roars. You are laughing more loudly, you concentrate to walk straight, and the next morning you feel dizzy and your head hurts. This scenario illustrates how quickly and dramatically alcohol affects the brain.
Your brain is an intricate maze of connections that keeps your body running smoothly. Short term, alcohol changes the way the brain works. Long term it can damage the brain, making it smaller and inflamed. Your brain communicates with your body through a trillion tiny nerve cells called neurons. Chemicals called neurotransmitters carry messages between neurons. To keep your body working at the right pace the brain is constantly balancing between the neurotransmitters that speed things up and those that slow things down. Alcohol disrupts this system.
Researchers have identified that the regions of the brain responsible for coordination, memory, emotion, and our ability to interact socially are the most vulnerable to alcohol’s effects. Glutamate, a neurotransmitter that affects memory is susceptible to even small amounts of alcohol and may be the reason we do not remember much about a drinking episode. Serotonin regulates emotion and endorphins spark euphoria when intoxication takes over. The more you drink the more brain cells are damaged, some permanently.
Leonardo Pignataro, PhD, of The College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, believes the only approach to responsible alcohol use is education. He suggests 5 things to consider.
1. Keep track of how much you drink. One glass of wine a day is health promoting, while more can be a problem.
2. Know the size of a standard drink which in the US contains 14 grams of pure alcohol. A standard drink equals: 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of table wine, or 1.5 ounces (a jigger) of 80-proof whiskey, gin, rum, vodka or tequila.
3. Set a limit on how many days a week you will drink and how much you will drink on each day. Moderate drinking is considered 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women.
4. Drink slowly. Sip drinks and alternate nonalcoholic and alcoholic drinks. Always eat while drinking, alcohol is absorbed more quickly on an empty stomach.
5. Avoid your personal triggers that may cause you to drink too much.
You should know:
- Coffee will not sober you up but it will make it harder to realize you are drunk. Drinking makes you feel tired and intoxicated. Chase alcohol with caffeine and you feel awake and competent but you cannot think clearly or handle situations, such as driving.
- Too much alcohol can damage your heart. Men who drink 5 or more beers a day have a 46% chance of suffering an irregular heartbeat. Women who drink 2 drinks a day have a 60% chance of having atrial fibrillation.
- If you are over 62, think before you drink and walk. Researchers showed that drinking challenges the normal gait pattern of older adults. Obstacles as simple as stepping off a curb or around an uneven sidewalk can cause a fall. For most in their early 60s these obstacles would not be an issue without alcohol in their system disrupting the brain’s ability to control coordination.
There is no one size fits all recommendation for alcohol. In limited amounts it can be beneficial, but in excess it can be a toxin. Dose does make the poison.
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with sales of more than 8.5 million books.
Look for:
The Diabetes Counter, 5th Ed., 2014
The Fat and Cholesterol Counter, 2014
The Most Complete Food Counter, 3rd ed., 2013
The Calorie Counter, 6th Ed., 2013
The Complete Food Counter, 4th ed., 2012
The Protein Counter, 3rd Ed., 2011
The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3rd Ed., 2010
The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008
Your Complete Food Counter App: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/your-complete-food-counter/id444558777?mt=8
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to: www.TheNutritionExperts.com.
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