By Dona Suri
FOR SOME PEOPLE, holiday cheer comes in a bottle, and where there is liquid, there is always the possibility of knocking back a wee drop more than intended. If the wee drop is 80 proof, then it is definitely better to err on the side of caution. Caution is the basic message of dozens of customs, rituals and rules that have evolved over centuries, all over the world.
Don’t drink more than three days in a row…
Don’t drink until the sun is over the yardarm …
Don’t drink before sundown …
Don’t open a bottle until you tap it three times …
Don’t take a sip until you flick three drops of liquor on the ground …
Don’t switch; stick with whatever liquor you started with …
Don’t drink alone …
Don’t this …
Don’t that …
Whenever something is the focus of so many don’ts, you know that society has long recognised it’s dangers and tried to limit its power to harm. That brings us back to caution vis a vis cheer.
A little alcohol is fun; therefore, a lot of alcohol is a lot of fun. Except, it’s not.
Here’s what happens when a person drinks way too much.
Pass out.
Wake up after a couple hours, rush to the bathroom, throw up
Feel intensely thirsty, drink a whole jug of water
Go back to sleep
Wake up hours later feeling sick
… pounding headache
… strong aversion to both light and noise
… revulsion for even the smell of food
Alcohol, whether beer, wine or hard liquor, dehydrates the body and messes up the body’s salt balance. Dehydration is the main culprit behind hangovers, but congeners* add to the intensity of a hangover.
* Congeners are substances, other than the desired type of alcohol, namely ethanol, that are produced during fermentation. They include methanol and other alcohols, acetone, acetaldehyde, esters, tannins, and aldehydes. Although congeners make up a small proportion of the drink produced, the body does not tolerate them well even in small amounts. Dark liquors, like cognac, brandy, red wine, dark whiskey and bourbon typically contain high levels of congeners. Tequila is also heavy on congeners even though it is a clear liquid.
Alcohol has multiple effects on the body. These include:
Dehydration
Alcohol blocks the release of vasopressin from the pituitary gland. The job of vasopressin is to prompt the kidneys to reabsorb water. Without vasopressin, the kidneys go on flushing out water. The body gets dehydrated. The kidneys are also responsible for electrolyte balance. They do this by fine-tuning the amount of electrolytes flushed away in urine. This balancing process goes haywire when the kidneys are messed up by alcohol.
Gastrointestinal effects
Alcohol irritates the stomach and triggers the production of acid. Alcohol can speed up or slow down the passage of food through the intestines. Result: nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
Low blood sugar
Alcohol inhibits the production of glucose in the body (hypoglycaemia) which results in fatigue, dizziness, and irritability.
Blood vessel dilation
Alcohol in the blood causes the blood vessels to widen (vasodilation). Headaches are caused by vasodilation.
Difficulty sleeping
When people “fall asleep” after drinking, they are not sleeping; they have passed out. Losing consciousness is not the same thing as getting good sleep. When the effect of the alcohol wanes some hours later the person wakes up feeling definitely worse for wear. They are likely to feel drowsy the next day.
The liver does not like alcohol. Period. Not even a tiny bit, once in a while. A woman’s liver rebels against alcohol even faster and more vehemently than a man’s. That is why the absolute alcohol tolerance level for women is lower than men’s level*.
Women: maximum 1 drink per day.
Men: maximum 2 drinks per day.
When a person drinks, the liver gets right to work breaking down the alcohol so that the kidneys can flush it away. This process creates substances that are more harmful than alcohol and they wreck the liver cells.
The damage results in four main types of liver disease (all of them serious):
Steatosis | Cirrhosis | Alcoholic hepatitis | Liver failure |
Fatty liver can be reversed and further damage avoided by never again drinking alcohol.
There is no cure for cirrhosis, but cutting out alcohol completely improves survival chances. You can live for decades with cirrhosis, IF you give up alcohol in time.
Most people who develop cirrhosis and liver failure do not notice symptoms until it’s too late.
If the blood stream is flooded with alcohol (which happens when a person puts down too much too fast) the liver is unable to process the influx. In this event, the least damaging thing that happens is that the stomach seizes up and vomits its contents.
Consequences can be much worse: the drinker can slip into a coma. Some people never wake up from alcohol-induced coma.
Tip from ancient Romans
Romans – who loved nothing better than an all-night carouse — ate raw cabbage before showing up at a big compotatio. The intention was to enjoy for as long as possible before blacking out. Cabbage would be a logical choice since its high fibre content absorbs the alcohol acetaldehyde and possibly neutralises congeners.
Tip from modern doctors
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs reduce hangover headache but may irritate a stomach already irritated by alcohol. Do NOT take acetaminophen (Tylenol). It worsens acetaminophen’s toxic effects on the liver.
None of the above mentioned effects sound very pleasant but, what with the party atmosphere, the common response is “one or two small ones won’t hurt, and it’s just once in a blue moon”.
Since we do not live in a world where everyone behaves logically all the time, and people do drink in spite of knowing the consequences, short of steering clear of the booze, what can a person do to minimise its harmful effects?
Doctors give this party-time advice:
Never drink on an empty stomach
Always eat something first and keep munching while you are drinking.
The foods to choose are those that slow down alcohol absorption and help maintain electrolyte balance.
Bananas, Avocados: High fibre and potassium content.
Eggs, Fish: Pure protein
Nuts including Peanuts: High fat content
Turmeric, cinnamon, lemon: Lowers brain inflammation
The foods to avoid are those that increase dehydration:
Caffeine
Processed food, refined carbs, added sugar
Salty foods
Drink plenty of water
Water dilutes alcohol, hydrates, regulates salt balance and helps you to pace yourself. Keep topping up your drink by adding water or ice. Added benefit: solicitous hosts will not see you with an empty glass and rush to pour you another. The less you drink, the less likely it is that you will wake up with a hangover.
Alternate alcoholic, non-alcoholic
Switching between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages improves hydration and keep blood alcohol level down.
Easy does it
The body takes an hour to process one standard drink. Give your liver time to work … otherwise alcohol builds up in your bloodstream (high blood alcohol count) leading to serious regrets on the morning after. Aside from having a hangover to regret, you may vaguely remember doing/saying some really stupid things.
Do NOT drink shots. Undiluted liquor is way up there in alcohol concentration and knocking back even a couple shots will result in intoxication.
Keep track
Standard serving sizes =
Beer, 5% alcohol: 12 fluid ounces (360 millilitres)
Wine, 12% alcohol: 5 fluid ounces (150 millilitres)
Liquor, 80-proof: 1.5 fluid ounces (45 millilitres)
Each of these standard sizes contains the same amount of pure alcohol. At a party, people often pour their own, or the host pours, resulting in non-standard servings. Know how much alcohol is in your drink and keep track of how many standard drinks you consume.
Aim to keep your blood alcohol concentration below .06 percent. The law defines intoxication as BAC above .08 percent. Advancing above .08 percent soon comes to staggering, slurring drunk. Remaining below 0.8 percent is pleasantly buzzed, relaxed and sociable. (It is worth noting that judgment impairment actually begins at around .02 percent BAC.)
Never mix
Drinking one kind of alcoholic beverage can help a person better moderate how much alcohol they consume and prevent unsafe spikes in blood alcohol content. Drinking various types of alcoholic beverages one after another can cause stomach issues.
Mixing alcohol with sugar-sweetened beverages, juices, or soft drinks usually results in consuming more alcohol than if the alcohol is mixed with water or soda. Alcohol and sugar are a dangerous duo: the sweet taste disguises the strength of spirits such as whiskey, bourbon, tequila and vodka.
Carbonation speeds up the absorption rate of alcohol and raises your blood alcohol level very quickly.
Accept help
A person who is not very good at saying no or keeping track, should ask spouse or date or reliable friend to keep watch on their consumption and whisper “enough” when the limit is reached. In fact, it’s a good idea of all those present at a party look out for each other and intervene diplomatically if someone is behaving in a risky way.
Keep moving
At a party, move around, talk to everyone, dance, play games. Do not plunk in one place with nothing to do but drink.
Get home safely
Whether it’s a ride-sharing app, designated driver, taxi, or walking, before setting out for the party, work out how you will get home safely. If someone is drunk and has no safe way to get home, the best option is for him (or her) to crash out on the host’s sofa.
So, goodbye to 2023 and hello to 2024. As you gather with friends and family to celebrate both the departure and the arrival, remember …
STAY SAFE. STAY HEALTHY.