Settling into my red-eye flight home, I convinced myself that a stiff nightcap was in order. It had been a long day.
I’m a doctor. I can rally the facts to the cause of a drink when I need to.
First, alcohol is a sedative. A little shut-eye would serve me well. And of course there is the ability of alcohol to protect my heart.
But what do the data say about how alcohol can harm the body? Well, that alcohol actually harms more people than it helps, for one. This is especially true for men, since they tend to drink more than women do and are more likely to binge drink.
The recognized benefits of alcohol – the good – come from moderate regular drinking. This means generally no more than one drink a day for women and two for men.
Moderate drinking raises the body’s good, or HDL, cholesterol. It can reduce the risk of death from heart disease by about 25 per cent. It may even prevent Type 2 diabetes and ischemic stroke, the kind caused by blood clots.
How about that media darling red wine? Flavonoids in red wine act as antioxidants, which help reduce the aging of arteries and the immune system.
The bad, or at least the risks of drinking alcohol, are that each drink may increase the chance of cancers of the colon, rectum, liver, mouth and throat, and, in women, the breast. Alcohol can also contribute to birth defects, depression and hemorrhagic strokes.
Heavy drinking can harm the liver and heart, as well as increase the risk of accidents, addiction and violence. Binge drinking – more than three drinks in any one day for women and more than four for men – also increases your health risks.
What’s the bottom line here?
The benefits of moderate drinking appear to be highest among people at increased risk of heart disease. This includes men over 40 and women about 50 or older. In younger people, the increased risk of accidents, cancer and violence may well erase the benefit.
No one should start drinking because of the possible health benefits. Those with a known drinking problem or certain medical conditions or those who take medications that interact with alcohol should avoid alcohol or restrict intake.
Current drinkers need not stop – assuming they truly have it under control. Take the CAGE test by answering these questions.
- Have you ever felt the need to cut down your drinking?
- Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
- Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking??
- Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover (the so-called eye-opener)
If you answered yes at least twice, you most likely have a problem and need a professional assessment. If you said yes to one or none, use the following questions to monitor your risk.
- Are you drinking more often than you did five years ago?
- Have you had more than five drinks on one occasion in a month?
- Do you have more than 14 drinks per week, if you are male, or more than nine drinks per week, if you are female?
But what did I do? Get slammed on my way home?
No way. The flight attendant served me my one drink and two glasses of water. It seemed as if only a few minutes had passed when those wheels touched down. I was home, energized from my talk, rested from my sleep – and enjoying the health benefit of moderate drinking.
