Alcoholic beverages are appropriate in small quantities. 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. They are therefore interested in the quantity that will be considered acceptable or, on the contrary, harmless.
benefits of alcohol
There is an opinion that alcohol in reasonable doses is beneficial to health, so it is not forbidden to drink it. The beneficial effect on the circulatory system is most often mentioned. So, ethyl alcohol - the main component of an alcoholic beverage - helps 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 lift your spirits and improve your emotional state. This is due to an increase in the concentration of hormones of happiness and pleasure.
Of course, all valuable qualities will manifest themselves when drinking high-quality alcohol. The choice of alcohol must therefore be carefully considered. The type of product also plays a role. Thus, the maximum benefit is dry wine or brandy. These strong drinks contain bioflavonoids, vitamins and antioxidants.
It turns out that alcohol can 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 their complex use.
- Dosage reduction. If a person drinks a lot of alcohol at once, it will not be possible to avoid a deterioration in his health. The safest option is to drink in moderation.
- Rare use. Those who drink daily or even twice a week suffer from chronic illnesses related to alcohol abuse. Therefore, it is better to consume strong drinks as little as possible.
- Drink a single drink. The combination of alcohol options is detrimental 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 drinks.
- A good selection of food. You can not drink alcohol and not have a snack, even if it is 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 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 certainly have a positive effect on health.
What influences the determination of a safe dose
As such, absolutely safe doses of alcohol do not exist. Alcohol, even in small quantities, is detrimental to health, so if you can refuse strong drinks, it is better to use it.
Usually, celebrations and feasts rarely do without alcohol, so everyone drinks. To protect yourself from irreparable consequences, you need to carefully monitor how much alcohol you have already consumed and how you feel.
There are no universal figures indicating how much you can drink without harming the body. It is necessary to pay attention to various parameters that affect this:
- genre. Women get drunk faster than men, so the dose for them should be reduced.
- The weight. The lower the body weight, the faster the state of intoxication will come.
- metabolic rate. It is important that alcohol is processed by the body and eliminated as quickly as possible. If the metabolic processes proceed intensively, there will be no problems with the neutralization of alcohol. It is an innate trait that cannot be changed.
- State of the liver. This gland takes on the main task of removing all incoming toxins from the body, including alcohol and decomposition products. If the liver tissue is already damaged, the alcohol neutralization processes will proceed slowly. And if so, a person should reduce the amount of alcohol consumed.
- Food. A little more alcohol can be offered by those who, along with drinking alcohol, take protein-rich foods. 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. Thus, it is recommended to take a sorbent and a preparation with a high content of organic acids two hours before the feast.
Based on these parameters, it can be concluded that the safe dose of alcohol will be different for each person. Experts give only average data that must be adapted for themselves.
safe dose of alcohol
A harmless dose of alcohol is the amount that the body processes quickly and without consequences. To determine this, you must first calculate the toxicity threshold, that is, the volume of pure ethanol that the liver can successfully withstand.
It 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 toxicity threshold for the brain is much lower and amounts to 19 grams of pure ethanol, or 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 threshold for brain toxicity.
How much can you drink to avoid a hangover
Most often people ask this question. Citizens are more interested in how they feel the next day, not 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 suffer from a hangover, a man weighing 70 kg should stop if he has already drunk 262 ml of vodka. It is assumed that this drink was consumed for a short time and entered the body in almost one serving. If this quantity has been drunk gradually throughout the evening, the liver, already included in the work, manages to neutralize part of the toxins. In this case, the volume of alcohol can be increased by about a third. These are just universal numerical parameters for all.
In fact, even a small amount of alcohol can cause acute intoxication and a severe hangover. For this reason, you should focus primarily on your personal feelings.
So, with the appearance of severe dizziness, migraines, darkening of the eyes, heart rhythm disturbances, you should immediately stop drinking alcohol. These are typical signs of taking too much volume. It is better to take measures to cleanse the body of alcohol.
Are considered effective:
- gastric lavage;
- intake of enterosorbents;
- take supplements with organic acids;
- plentiful drink;
- moderate physical activity;
- walk in the fresh air;
- dream.
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 cause 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 several types of alcoholic products are mixed during production, and wines often contain fusel oils, which become the main cause of headaches.
The maximum dose of alcohol
Doctors consider not only a safe dose for health, but also the maximum volume, drinking more than is strongly not recommended. This is the amount that the body cannot sustain in a day. As a rule, full recovery takes more than a week.
Doctors consider the maximum volume of 170 grams of pure alcohol per day. It's 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 by a month in order to alloworgans to rest and tissues to regenerate.
Using the maximum amount of alcohol results in a severe hangover, which will be accompanied by symptoms such as:
- headache;
- nausea and vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- bloating;
- stomach pains;
- the thirst;
- bad breath;
- edema;
- hand tremor;
- chills;
- weakness.
These are external manifestations that become apparent the next morning when ethyl alcohol is transformed 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, cells die, due to which the organs cease to function normally. As a result, chronic diseases develop, sometimes disturbing throughout life.
An even greater danger of alcohol abuse is the formation of addiction. Initially, a person experiences psychological cravings, it seems to him that without alcohol he will not be able to relax and communicate with other people at ease. These patients do not recognize the addiction itself and believe that they can quit alcohol at any time.
When they try to quit smoking, addicts realize there is a problem. Without ethyl alcohol, the hormonal balance is disturbed, to which the body reacts with an abstinence syndrome resembling a severe hangover. It is a sign of the transition from addiction to the physical stage. The alcoholic himself needs medical and psychological help. He won't be able to stop his addiction on his own.
Moreover, in the absence of therapeutic measures, the addiction passes to the third final stage, which is called encephalopathy. 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 deteriorates rapidly, loses his memory and can no longer boast of intellectual abilities.
The risk of developing an 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, health problems cannot be avoided.