Alcohol: What is it doing to us?

Long-term, excessive alcohol consumption can be harmful because its toxicity can make our metabolic processes irregular or even damage them. High alcohol consumption is linked to raised blood pressure, cerebrovascular disease such as strokes and coronary heart disease, liver disease such as pancreatitis, and some cancers such as oesophageal cancer. Alcoholic women have also reported a decrease in libido, irregular menstrual cycles and, in severe cases, becoming sterile. Studies have shown a link between a mother’s excessive alcohol intake during pregnancy (i.e. over 10 units per day), and foetal alcohol syndrome, which results in incomplete growth and formation of the foetus, as well as a number of congenital abnormalities such as those of the heart and joints. Generally speaking, alcohol tends to affect women more than men. This is because women’s livers are smaller and we can’t metabolise alcohol as quickly as men so it stays in our system longer.

Finally, it is important to remember that although alcohol contains no fat, it is high in calories:

• 1 glass of wine = 83 calories
• 1 pint of beer = 165 calories
• 1 standard measure of whisky = 51 calories

It’s easy for these calories to add up quickly because you’re consuming a liquid, so if you’re watching your waistline it’s best to moderate your alcohol intake.

Experts recommend keeping your alcohol levels within the daily benchmark of 2–3 units a day if you’re a woman and 3–4 units a day if you’re a man.

If you are worried that cutting back on drinking will affect your social life, here are some tips for how to minimise your alcohol consumption:

• Alternate an alcoholic drink with a non-alcoholic one
• Drink water throughout the night to stay hydrated
• Sip your drink slowly so it lasts longer
• Try to eat before you go drinking since it will help reduce the amount of alcohol absorbed by your body. This should also help prevent bingeing on ‘midnight meals,’ often the result of a night of drinking.

Unfortunately, there is no type of alcohol that is less harmful for you, so the above applies to wine, beer and spirits.