Alcohol
Benefits Many a glass was raised to the news that moderate use of alcohol may lower the risk of heart disease and stroke in middle aged men and post-menopausal women. The reason for this reported effect is that alcohol is a diuretic and also is a blood thinner. Diuretics lower blood pressure. Blood thinners reduce clotting. Of course, most fruits and vegetables are diuretic and avoiding high-fat foods reduces the incidence of blood clots, but if you are eating a high-fat, low-fiber diet, moderate alcohol consumption may offset some of the damage created by your other bad habits. Alcohol also may increase secretion of digestive juices, improving digestion, though many spices do the same. According to the University of Columbia Medical Center, " Moderate daily drinking may be good for the heart, but for many the risks outweigh the benefits. Even one binge may produce irregular heartbeats, and alcohol abusers experience increased risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks, heart arrhythmia, and heart disease. Alcohol may cause cardiomyopathy (a disease of the heart muscle). Cessation of drinking aids recovery from this condition."

How much is moderate?
1 drink a day for post-menopausal women and 1-2 drinks per day for men over age 45. Alcohol is best consumed with a meal to slow absorption. There is no health benefit for young people. In fact, risk of alcohol abuse increases when drinking starts at an early age. Anyone who regularly consumes 4 or more drinks per day should seek help from a detoxification center. What is the downside? Risk of death or serious injury from accidents, high blood pressure, stroke, violence, suicide, birth defects and certain cancers i.e., cancers of the breast, mouth, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus. The risk of cancer increases proportionately with the amount of alcohol consumed. Alcohol also depletes the body of many vital nutrients, including amino acids, vitamins A, D, E, K and the B vitamins, especially B1, B12, Folic acid and the mineral magnesium. Furthermore, consumption of alcohol takes the place of other foods that would provide nutrition. Alcohol abuse destroys brain cells causing irreversible brain damage, causes hypoglycemia, gastritis and ulcers of the stomach and destroys liver tissue. The life expectancy of alcoholics is 10-15 years less than that of non-drinkers (more below).

Alcohol is involved in:

	One-half of all murders, accidental deaths, and suicides
	One-third of all drownings and boating and aviation deaths
	One-half of all crimes
	Almost half of all fatal automobile accidents
	40% of hospital admisstions
	60% of all child abuse incidents
	Over 100,000 deaths per year in the United States

12 million Americans are alcoholics. Alcohol abuse costs US ecconomy approximately 86 million dollars per year.

How does alcohol work?
Alcohol is a sedative/narcotic that produces its effects on the opiate receptors in the brain similar to heroin. That's why alcohol is seriously addictive and produces profound withdrawal effects including hallucinations, convulsions, seizures, and even death. Alcohol sedates brain centers involved in judgement, motor coordination, eyesight, depth perception, night vision, heart and lung function. Extreme amounts of alcohol depress the breathing center of the brain, causing respiratory failure and death.

Who should not drink?
Women who could become pregnant or who are pregnant and anyone with a history or family history of alcohol abuse should avoid drinking. Persons with cancer, serious illness or immune compromise are also at risk for a worsening of their condition with consumption of alcohol.

Alcohol related illnesses
Cirrhosis -The risk among alcoholics for developing cirrhosis of the liver is approximately 25%. Alcohol causes cirrhosis by causing inflammation, fatty infiltration and scarring of the liver, in that order. Stopping alcohol intake can reverse inflammation and fatty accumulation. Once scarring has occurred however, the damage is irreversible. Inflammation and fatty degeneration do not produce symptoms until the damage is advanced. Lack of appetite, nausea, yellowing of the skin and water retention occurs as the damage progresses to cirrhosis. Alcoholic cirrhosis may also cause weight loss, fatigue, reduced interest in sex, atrophy of the testicles, lack of sperm and decreased testosterone in men. It is interesting that drinking alcohol is promoted as a manly activity when it actually emasculates men. Imagine James Bond's testicles shrinking as he downs another martini.

Heart disease - Chronic alcohol abuse may cause dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the left side of the heart becomes enlarged and weak. Symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue and in some cases, palpitations. The majority of individuals diagnosed with this condition die within 5 years. Individuals who drink more than 3 drinks per day are at increased risk for high blood pressure.

Brain damage - Alcohol causes mental confusion, poor coordination, memory loss and increases the risk of stroke. This should not be surprising as alcohol kills brain cells, even at concentrations found in social drinkers.

Birth defects - Use of alcohol during pregnancy may result in fetal alcohol syndrome. This condition includes mental retardation, hyperactivity and heart defects.

Cancer - Alcohol intake is associated with increased risk of cancer of the breast, colon, rectum, mouth, throat, esophagus and liver. The risk of breast cancer for women increases to 1.29 times that of non-drinkers at 1 drink per day and 2.3 times that of non-drinkers for women who consume 2 drinks per day.

Chronic pancreatitis - Chronic pancreatitis means long-term inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is the organ that secretes the majority of digestive enzymes and of course also makes insulin. The most common cause of chronic pancreatitis is alcohol abuse. Symptoms include continuous or intermittent abdominal pain, worse after meals. Undigested food in the stool, malabsorption and diabetes may result from chronic pancreatitis. An acute episode may result in death if the pancreatic digestive enzymes leak into the surrounding tissue and begin digesting the body.

Esophageal varices - These are hemorrhoid-like swellings in the lower esophagus, in the area just before the food reaches the stomach. The swellings are the result of back-pressure on the veins from liver congestion, which is many cases is due to alcoholic liver damage. These swollen veins can rupture, in some cases causing rapid blood loss and death.

Toxic myopathy - Alcohol can cause weakness and degeneration of muscles throughout the body. This can take the form of an acute episode of muscle pain, weakness and swelling after a binge or a progressive weakness that develops over time. The incidence of acute alcoholic myopathy is estimated to be 20% of alcoholics admitted for alcohol withdrawal symptoms (delirium tremens).

As you can read, over-use of alcohol can have some devastating effects. If you decide to drink, please do so in moderation. The life you save could be your own, your children and those around you.

For more information, log on to http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/

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