There have been a lot of reports out lately saying that drinking every day is unhealthy. It wasn’t that long ago that articles told us that enjoying a drink every day was good for you. Who are we to believe? When will the next report come out telling us something different?
First of all, you can live a very healthy if not more beneficial life without drinking alcohol. On the other hand, alcohol is one of the great experiences in life that have been enjoyed for thousands of years. The question is does it hurt or help us?
How Often is Best?
I have found that my body always feels better if I drink roughly every other day. This means I drink about three or four days a week. This was even the case when I was younger and in my athletic peak. There are plenty days when I drink consecutive days, but on average it’s about every other day. On the days I do drink two days in a row, it’s usually only a drink or two each day. I find that if I consume it every day, I feel my nerves become more agitated and I’m more restless when sleeping. This means I don’t get a full night sleep and it tends to not be a deep sleep. If you’re drinking because it helps you fall asleep, you may think you’re getting more rest, but in reality, you’re not getting quality REM sleep. If this happens over a long period, your nerves are not settled and it ages your body.
Father Knows Best
My father says that most of his friends can no longer drink because they did it too much when they were younger. You can be one of these people that think they’ve become immune to any problems from alcohol, so you can drink as much as you want. Well, your body and organs can only handle so much. If you drink moderately now, you can enjoy alcohol for the rest of your life. If you drink too much, you’ll have to stop at some point because of health issues.
The Healthiest Way to Drink Alcohol
There are many widely-known tips that help people use when drinking alcohol, but the one I always make sure to follow is having food in my stomach when drinking. If I don’t, not only will I get drunk faster, it’s also harder on my body like my liver and kidneys since it’s filtering pure alcohol. And the more strain you put on your body, the faster you’ll age, and the sooner you’ll have to stop drinking.
The one ritual I also do is drink water before I start so I’m quenching my thirst with water and not alcohol. Not only am I’m making sure I’m hydrated right away, I also feel like I’m watering down the alcohol before so it’s not so hard on my digestive system.
Health Benefits of Alcohol
There are pluses and minuses to drinking. To me, it’s like a desert. You can enjoy it but not if it’s abused. Also, don’t drink something specifically because you think it’s healthier than another alcoholic beverage. Always drink what you enjoy. A lot of people determine what’s healthiest by what has the least amount of calories. I never determine what desert is the healthiest by the number of calories, so why would I do it for alcohol? I drink wine 90% of the time because it’s what I enjoy most. I will say that one of the few health benefits from alcohol are the antioxidants in red wine. The one reason I feel confident about this is that it has been proven to show benefits. Regardless of what I choose, the most important factor is that I drink it in moderation.
Next week, I’ll have my tips on how to avoid and deal with a hangover!