Alcoholic beverages are appropriate in small amounts. This will be confirmed by any medical worker. The limitation is associated with the negative impact of ethanol on organ systems. Many understand the seriousness of the problem and are aware of the seriousness of the consequences of alcohol abuse, therefore 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 benefits health, therefore it is not prohibited to drink it. The beneficial effect on the circulatory system is mentioned most often. So, ethyl alcohol - the main component of an alcoholic drink - helps to dissolve cholesterol plaques that form on the inner walls of blood vessels. Their presence indicates a disease such as atherosclerosis. The disease often develops in violation of the diet and the use of large amounts of animal fats, which tend to turn into "bad" cholesterol or low-density triglycerides. These compounds clog the lumen of the arteries, interfering with 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 a strong drink will cheer you up and improve your emotional state. This is due to an increase in the concentration of happiness and pleasure hormones.
Of course, all valuable qualities will manifest themselves when drinking high-quality alcohol, so the choice of alcohol should be carefully considered. The type of product also plays a role. So the maximum benefit is dry wine or cognac. These strong drinks contain bioflavonoids, vitamins, and antioxidants.
It turns out that alcohol can actually be beneficial if used wisely. There are many nuances that help make drinking alcohol safe.
Is it possible to drink without harm to health?
Doctors are convinced that it is impossible to exclude the negative impact of alcohol on the body, but it is realistic to minimize the negative impact. There are several ways, but the best effect is observed with its complex use.
- dose reduction. If a person drinks a lot of alcohol at once, it will not be possible to avoid a deterioration in health. The safest option is to drink in moderation.
- rare use. Those who drink every day or even twice a week suffer from chronic diseases associated with alcohol abuse. Therefore, it is better to consume strong drinks as little as possible.
- drinking just one drink. The combination of alcohol options is harmful to the nervous system. In addition, in this case, it will not be possible to avoid a severe hangover. It is worth choosing a specific drink for yourself and not getting carried away with mixing different ones.
- Appropriate selection of food.. You can not drink alcohol and not have a snack, 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 will also create a barrier that protects the mucous membranes 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 undoubtedly have a positive impact on health.
What Influences Determining a Safe Dose
As such, there are no absolutely safe doses of alcohol. Alcohol, even in minimal quantities, is harmful to health, so if you can refuse strong drinks, it is better to use it.
Usually, celebrations and parties are rarely held without alcohol, so everyone drinks. To protect yourself from irreparable consequences, you need to carefully monitor how much alcohol you have already taken and how you feel.
There are no universal numbers that show how much you can drink without harming the body. It is required to pay attention to several parameters that affect this:
- gender. Women get drunk faster than men, so the dosage should be reduced for them.
- The weight. The lower the body weight, the faster the state of intoxication will come.
- metabolic rate. It is important that the body processes the alcohol and eliminates it as quickly as possible. If the metabolic processes proceed intensively, there will be no problems with the neutralization of alcohol. This is an inborn trait that cannot be changed.
- liver condition. This gland takes on the main burden of removing all toxins from the body, including alcohol and decay products. If the liver tissue is already damaged, the alcohol neutralization processes will proceed slowly. And if so, then a person should reduce the amount of alcohol that he consumes.
- Food. Those who, in addition to drinking alcohol, eat protein-rich foods can afford a little more alcohol. It is: fish, meat or poultry. Fats, such as vegetable oils, are also helpful.
- additional training. There are many ways to prepare for an event. Some work so effectively that they allow you to consume slightly stronger drinks. Therefore, it is recommended to take a sorbent and a preparation with a high content of organic acids two hours before the party.
Based on these parameters, it can be concluded that the safe dose of alcohol will be different for each person. Experts provide only average data that you need to adjust for yourself.
safe dose of alcohol
A safe 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 the liver can successfully handle.
This is 90 grams, if we are talking about a man weighing 70 kg. A representative of the stronger sex, weighing about 100 kg, can drink a little more than ½ cup of a strong alcoholic drink, vodka or cognac.
It is noteworthy that the threshold of toxicity for the brain is much lower and amounts to 19 grams of pure ethanol, which is equivalent to about 60 ml of vodka. Neurons and the connections between them are sensitive structures, which, under the influence of negative factors, including ethyl alcohol, begin to collapse. When calculating a safe dose, attention should be paid to the threshold for cerebral toxicity.
How much can you drink to avoid a hangover?
Very often people ask this question. Citizens are more interested in how they feel the next day, and not in the destruction of the body, which is imperceptible in the early stages.
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 slightly reduce the amount.
So, in order not to get a hangover, a 70 kg man should stop if he has already drunk 262 ml of vodka. It is assumed that this drink was consumed for a short period of time and entered the body in almost one serving. If this amount is drunk gradually throughout the night, then the liver, already involved in the work, manages to neutralize some of the toxins. In this case, the volume of alcohol can be increased by about a third. These are just digital parameters that are universal for all people.
In reality, even a minor amount of alcohol can lead to acute intoxication and a severe hangover. For this reason, you should focus primarily on personal feelings.
So, with the appearance of severe dizziness, migraine, darkening of the eyes, heart rhythm disturbances, you should immediately stop drinking alcohol. These are typical signs of taking on too much volume. It is better to take measures to cleanse the body of alcohol.
The following are considered effective:
- gastric lavage;
- intake of enterosorbents;
- taking supplements with organic acids;
- abundant drink;
- moderate physical activity;
- Walk outdoors;
- sleep.
According to doctors, a hangover develops with the use of reasonable doses of alcohol. Most often it occurs after drinking beer, champagne, cocktails, wine. Strong drinks, taken according to all the rules, rarely lead to a deterioration in well-being.
A hangover appears after drinking carbonated drinks, since the bubbles contribute to instant intoxication due to irritation of the mucous membranes and rapid absorption into the blood. Cocktails are dangerous because various types of alcoholic products are mixed during their preparation, and wines often contain fusel oils, which become the main cause of headaches.
The maximum dose of alcohol.
Doctors consider not only a dose that is safe for health, but also the maximum volume, and it is highly discouraged to drink more. This is the amount that the body cannot absorb in a day. As a general rule, full recovery takes more than a week.
Doctors consider the maximum volume of 170 grams of pure alcohol per day. This is 538 ml of vodka - one bottle. There will be no serious negative consequences from using such a dosage if a person refuses alcohol for another 8-9 days, but it is better to increase this interval by a month to allow the organs to rest and tissues to regenerate.
Consumption of the maximum dose of alcohol entails a severe hangover, which will be accompanied by symptoms such as:
- headache;
- nausea and vomiting;
- Diarrhea;
- swelling;
- acidity;
- thirst;
- bad breath;
- edema;
- hand tremor;
- shaking chills;
- weakness.
These are external manifestations that become apparent the next morning when ethyl alcohol is processed into toxic acetaldehyde. In fact, there is deeper damage to the body.
Consequences of taking extreme doses
Alcohol has a detrimental effect on all structures, including the heart, brain, liver, and pancreas. With the systematic use of even reasonable amounts, the cells die, due to which the organs cease to function normally. As a result, chronic, sometimes disturbing, diseases develop throughout life.
An even greater danger of alcohol abuse is the formation of dependency. Initially, a person experiences psychological cravings, it seems to him that without alcohol he will no longer be able to relax and communicate with other people at ease. Such patients do not recognize the addiction itself and believe that they can quit alcohol at any time.
When trying to quit smoking, addicts realize there is a problem. Without ethyl alcohol, the hormonal balance is disturbed, to which the body reacts with a withdrawal syndrome that resembles a severe hangover. This is a sign of the transition from addiction to the physical stage. The alcoholic himself needs medical and psychological help. He will not be able to quit the addiction by himself.
Further, in the absence of therapy measures, the dependence goes to the final third stage, which is called encephalopathic. At this stage, a global destruction of brain cells occurs, which leads to irreversible changes in the human psyche. As a person, an alcoholic quickly degrades, loses his 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 the use of alcohol must be treated with care. Rare parties with high-quality alcohol will not cause significant harm and will give the body a chance to recover. If alcohol is drunk frequently and in large quantities, health problems cannot be avoided.