Alcohol has been highly glamorised in our media: movies, tv, commercials and in wider society: birthday celebrations, ‘rights of passage’/turning 18/21, popping into the pub/bar on the way home from work, de-stressing after a busy day. Regular drinking is ‘sociable’, ‘normal’, ‘acceptable’ and even a desired behaviour in many circles.
You may be aware that in the 1940’s and 1950’s doctors were promoting the brands of cigarettes they smoked and heavily pregnant women were featured in commercials lighting up. We have since learned the tremendous detrimental effects of smoking and it will not be long before the narrative around drinking shifts to a more cautionary one. However, many people have already succumbed to the consuming behaviours of ‘partaking in a glass or two’, enjoying letting their hair down as they become less inhibited.
We consider those who have an addiction ‘unlucky’ or having a faulty gene and there are many well positioned articles telling us how good certain beverages are for us: resveratrol in red wine is heralded as greatly beneficial – which whilst true of the raw grape, is stretching to apply this to the fermented form in wine. A Nutritional Therapist can help you to determine the best sources of essential nutrients.
Alcohol is the common term for ‘ethanol’ which is a toxin, it is also used as a motor fuel added to gasoline. Excessive ingestion results in acute intoxication, with psychological, gastrointestinal, neurological, and motor abnormalities. The affect on our body depends on whether we have an empty stomach or not, as the digestive process can delay the affect of alcohol into the bloodstream. There is an accumulative effect, so deterioration is not evident immediately but will expose itself over time.
So what is alcohol really doing to our body?
To our mind: it inhibits our thinking ability, slows our response times and interferes with our bodily responses;
To our blood pressure: causes the adrenal glands to secrete adrenaline into our body leading to raised blood pressure and heavy breathing. High blood pressure is a gateway to a lot of other conditions such as heart attack, aneurysm, dementia, memory loss, etc. Heavy breathing can lead to snoring, sleep apnea and other ‘anti social’ nocturnal behaviours.
To our heart muscles: increased blood pressure weakens the heart muscles, causing permanent damage, known as cardiomyopathy, which could lead to a heart attack.
To our liver: causes inflammation, leading to the build up of fat accumulated around the liver, eventually hepatitis. Permanent damage to the liver causes nausea, loss of appetite, jaundice, etc. The liver is an essential detoxification organ and when compromised can seriously impair the body’s ability to remove toxins.
To our nerves: heavy drinkers may suffer from pain in their legs and limbs, which is related to alcoholic neuropathy which could lead to epilepsy or other nerve-related issues.
To our sexual and reproductive health. heavy drinking can lead to erectile dysfunction in men and lowering of their libido. For women, drinking is linked with disturbed period cycles and infertility. Drinking during pregnancy increases the chances of premature delivery.
To our weight: drinking leads to an increase in weight as it stops our body from burning fat, it makes us feel more hungry, and is itself rich in calories that are hard to burn off.
You don’t need to be a regular drinker to experience some of the above symptoms; occasional heavy drinking can lead to acute issues for some people. A Wellbeing Coach can support you in identifying behaviours and the motivation behind them that are harming your health.
Most people start drinking alcohol with an ability to control how much and how frequently they partake. However, one of the most harmful effects of alcohol is dependency as some people develop a tolerance for it and have to drink more in order to get the same effects. This leads to physical and emotional needs for alcohol which can result in life threatening symptoms. A very effective method of identifying and removing the emotional need behind addictions is having an Access Bars energy healing session which can remove the electro magnetic charge that created the addictive need for alcohol in the first place.
Author – Craig Upton
Craig Upton supports UK businesses by increasing sales growth using various revenue streams online. Creating strategic partnerships and keen focus to detail, Craig equips websites with the right tools to increase traffic. Craig is also the CEO of iCONQUER, a UK based company and has been working in the digital marketing arena for over a decade. A trusted SEO consultant and trainer, Craig has worked with British brands such as FT.com, DJKit, UK Property Finance, Serimax and also supported UK doctors, solicitors, builders, jewellers, to mention a few, gain more exposure online. Craig has gained a wealth of knowledge within the digital marketing space and is committed to creating new opportunities working with UK companies.
