Alcoholic drinks are suitable in small quantities. This will be confirmed by any medical worker. This limitation is associated with the negative effects of ethanol on organ systems. Many understand the seriousness of the issue and realize the severity of the consequences of alcohol abuse, so they are interested in how much will be considered acceptable or, on the contrary, harmless.
Benefits of alcohol
There is an opinion that in reasonable doses alcohol is beneficial to health, so drinking it is not prohibited. A good effect on the circulatory system is most often mentioned. So, ethyl alcohol - the main component of alcoholic beverages - helps dissolve cholesterol plaques that form on the inner walls of blood vessels. Their presence indicates a disease such as atherosclerosis. This disease often develops with a violation of the diet and the consumption of a large amount of animal fat, which tends to turn into "bad" cholesterol or low-density triglycerides. These compounds block the lumen of the arteries, disrupting the free flow of blood.
Another valuable quality of alcoholic beverages is the ability to quickly relax and relieve stress. Even a small dose of alcohol will cheer you up and improve your emotional state. This is due to the increased concentration of hormones of happiness and pleasure.
Of course, all valuable qualities will be shown when drinking high-quality alcohol, so the choice of alcohol should be carefully considered. Product type also plays a role. So, the maximum benefit is dry wine or cognac. This strong drink contains bioflavonoids, vitamins and antioxidants.
It turns out that alcohol can actually be beneficial if used wisely. There are many nuances that help make alcoholic beverages safe.
Is it possible to drink without harm to health
Doctors are convinced that it is impossible to exclude the negative effects of alcohol on the body, but it is realistic to minimize the negative effects. There are several ways, but the best effect is observed with their complex use.
- Dose reduction. If a person consumes a lot of alcohol at once, it will not be able to prevent health deterioration. The safest option is to drink in moderation.
- Rare use. Those who drink daily or twice a week experience chronic diseases related to alcohol abuse. Therefore, it is better to consume alcohol as little as possible.
- Drink only one drink. A combination of alcohol choices harms the nervous system. In addition, in this case, it is impossible to avoid a severe hangover. It is worthwhile to choose one specific drink for yourself, and not get carried away mixing different drinks.
- Choosing the right food. You can not drink alcohol and not have light food, even if we are talking about light beer. Foods rich in protein and fat will protect the body from too rapid absorption of ethanol into the blood, and also create a barrier that protects the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract from alcohol, which is an aggressive substance.
By following these simple rules, the negative effects of alcohol on the body are minimized, which will certainly have a positive effect on health.
What influences the determination of a safe dose
Therefore, a completely safe dose of alcohol does not exist. Alcohol, even in minimal quantities, is harmful to health, so if you can refuse liquor, then it is better to use it.
Usually, celebrations and feasts are rarely done without alcohol, so everyone drinks. To protect yourself from irreparable consequences, you need to carefully monitor the amount of alcohol you have consumed and how you feel.
There is no universal number that indicates how much you can drink without harming the body. It is required to pay attention to various parameters that affect this:
- gender. Women get drunk faster than men, so the dose for them should be reduced.
- The weight. The lower the weight, the faster the hangover will come.
- metabolic rate. It is important that alcohol is processed by the body and removed from it as quickly as possible. If the metabolic process runs intensively, then there will be no problem with the neutralization of alcohol. This is a natural property that cannot be changed.
- Heart condition. This gland takes the main burden in removing all toxins that enter the body, including alcohol and decay products. If the liver tissue is already damaged, then the alcohol neutralization process will run slowly. And if so, then one should reduce the amount of alcohol consumed.
- Food. Less alcohol can be given by those who, in parallel with drinking alcohol, consume food rich in protein. It is: fish, meat or chicken. Fats, such as vegetable oils, are also useful.
- Additional training. There are many ways to prepare for an event. Some work so effectively that they allow you to take stronger drinks. So, it is recommended to take sorbents and preparations with high organic acid content two hours before Eid.
Based on these parameters, it can be concluded that the safe dose of alcohol will be different for each person. Experts only provide average data that needs to be adjusted for themselves.
a safe dose of alcohol
A harmless dose of alcohol is the amount that the body processes quickly and without consequence. To determine it, you must first calculate the toxicity threshold, that is, the volume of pure ethanol that can be successfully overcome by the liver.
This is 90 grams, if we are talking about a man weighing 70 kg. A little more than ½ cup of a strong alcoholic drink - vodka or cognac - can be drunk by a representative of the stronger sex, weighing about 100 kg.
It should be noted that the threshold of toxicity for the brain is much lower and amounts to 19 grams of pure ethanol, which is about 60 ml of vodka. Neurons and the connections between them are sensitive structures that, under the influence of negative factors, including ethyl alcohol, begin to collapse. When calculating a safe dose, attention should be paid to the brain toxicity threshold.
How much can you drink to avoid a hangover?
Often people ask this question. People are more interested in how they feel the next day, and not in the destruction of the body, which cannot be seen at the initial stage.
Doctors give average data, according to which a person can take up to 1. 5 ml of pure ethyl alcohol per kilogram of body weight. This figure is for men, women are advised to reduce the amount slightly.
So, in order not to get a hangover, a man weighing 70 kg should stop if he has already drunk 262 ml of vodka. It is assumed that this drink is consumed for a short period of time and enters the body in almost one meal. If this amount is drunk gradually throughout the evening, then the liver, which is already included in the work, manages to neutralize some toxins. In this case, the amount of alcohol can be increased by about a third. This is just a universal digital parameter for everyone.
In reality, even smaller amounts of alcohol can trigger acute hangovers and severe hangovers. For this reason, you need to focus mainly on personal feelings.
Therefore, with the appearance of severe dizziness, migraine, darkness in the eyes, heart rhythm disorders, you should immediately stop drinking alcohol. This is a common sign of taking too much volume. It is better to take steps to cleanse the body of alcohol.
The following are considered effective:
- gastric lavage;
- intake of enterosorbents;
- take supplements with organic acids;
- a lot of drinks;
- moderate physical activity;
- walk in the fresh air;
- dream
According to doctors, drunkenness develops with the use of a reasonable dose of alcohol. Most often it happens after drinking beer, champagne, cocktails, wine. Strong drinks, taken according to all the rules, rarely provoke a deterioration in well-being.
Drunkenness appears after drinking carbonated drinks, because the bubbles contribute to immediate intoxication due to irritation of the mucous membrane and rapid absorption into the blood. Cocktails are dangerous because several types of alcoholic products are mixed during manufacture, and wine often contains fusel oil, which is the main cause of headaches.
Maximum dose of alcohol
Doctors consider not only the safe dose for health, but also the maximum amount, drinking more than that is strongly discouraged. This is the amount that the body cannot handle in one day. As a rule, full recovery takes more than a week.
Doctors consider a maximum amount of 170 grams of pure alcohol per day. This is 538 ml of vodka - one bottle. There will be no serious negative consequences when using such a dose if a person refuses alcohol for another 8-9 days, but it is better to increase this interval for a month to allow the organs to rest and the tissues to regenerate.
The use of the maximum dose of alcohol requires severe intoxication, which will be accompanied by symptoms such as:
- Headache;
- dizziness and vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- bloated stomach;
- heartburn;
- thirst;
- smelly breath;
- edema;
- hand tremors;
- shivering;
- weakness.
This is an external manifestation that becomes clear the next day when ethyl alcohol is processed into toxic acetaldehyde. In fact, there is deeper damage to the body.
Consequences of taking an excessive dose
Alcohol has adverse effects on all structures, including the heart, brain, liver and pancreas. With the systematic use of even a reasonable amount, the cells die, as a result of which the organs stop functioning normally. As a result, chronic diseases develop, sometimes disturbing throughout life.
A greater danger of alcohol abuse is the formation of dependence. At first, a person experiences psychological cravings, it seems that without alcohol he can no longer relax and communicate with others comfortably. Such patients do not recognize the addiction itself and believe that they can stop alcohol at any time.
When trying to quit, the addict realizes that there is a problem. Without ethyl alcohol, the hormonal balance is disturbed, to which the body reacts with an abstinence syndrome that resembles a severe hangover. This is a sign of the transition of addiction to the physical level. Alcoholics themselves need medical and psychological help. He will not be able to stop the addiction on his own.
Further, if there are no therapeutic measures, dependence passes to the third, final stage, which is called encephalopathic. At this stage, there is a global destruction of brain cells, which leads to irreversible changes in the human psyche. As a person, an alcoholic quickly deteriorates, loses memory and can no longer boast of intellectual abilities.
The risk of developing addiction makes it possible to equate alcohol with drugs. This means that alcohol consumption should be treated with caution. Rare feasts with high-quality alcohol will not cause significant harm and will give the body a chance to recover. If alcohol is drunk often and in large quantities, then health problems are inevitable.