Alcoholic drinks 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 issue and are aware of the severity of the consequences of alcohol abuse, so 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, so drinking it is not prohibited. The beneficial effect on the circulatory system is most often mentioned. 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 hormones of happiness and pleasure.
Of course, all valuable qualities will be manifested 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 their complex use.
- Dosage reduction. If a person takes 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 only one 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 one specific drink for yourself, and not getting carried away mixing different ones.
- Proper selection of food. You can not drink alcohol and do not have a snack, even if we are talking about light beer. Food rich in proteins and fats 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 minimal quantities, is detrimental to health, so if you can refuse strong drinks, then 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 the amount of alcohol already taken and how you feel.
There are no universal numbers showing how much you can drink without harming the body. It is required to pay attention to various parameters that affect this:
- gender. 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 removed from it as quickly as possible. If the metabolic processes proceed intensively, then there will be no problems with the neutralization of alcohol. This is an innate trait that cannot be changed.
- Liver condition. This gland takes on the main burden in removing all incoming toxins from the body, including alcohol and decay products. If the liver tissue is already damaged, then the processes of alcohol neutralization will proceed slowly. And if so, then a person should reduce the amount of alcohol consumed.
- Food. A little more alcohol can be afforded by those who, in parallel with drinking alcohol, take food rich in proteins. It is: fish, meat or poultry. Fats, such as vegetable oils, are also useful.
- Additional training. There are many ways to prepare for an event. Some work so effectively that they allow you to consume a little more strong drinks. So, 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 needs to 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 it, you must first calculate the toxicity threshold, that is, the volume of pure ethanol that the liver can successfully cope with.
This is 90 grams, if we are talking about a man with a weight of 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 is noteworthy that the toxicity threshold for the brain is much lower and amounts to 19 grams of pure ethanol, which is 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 of 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, 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 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 period of time and entered the body in almost one serving. If this amount was drunk gradually throughout the evening, then the liver, already included 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 smaller amount of alcohol can provoke acute intoxication and a severe hangover. For this reason, you need to focus primarily on personal feelings.
So, with the appearance of severe dizziness, migraine, darkening in 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.
The following are considered effective:
- gastric lavage;
- intake of enterosorbents;
- taking 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 provoke a deterioration in well-being.
A hangover appears after drinking carbonated drinks, as 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 the manufacture, 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, drinking more than which is highly discouraged. This is the amount that the body cannot cope with in one day. As a 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 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 allow the organs to rest and the tissues to regenerate.
The use of the maximum dose of alcohol entails a severe hangover, which will be accompanied by symptoms such as:
- headache;
- nausea and vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- bloating;
- heartburn;
- thirst;
- bad breath;
- edema;
- hand tremor;
- chills;
- weakness.
These are external manifestations that become apparent the very next morning when ethyl alcohol is processed into toxic acetaldehyde. In fact, there is a 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 diseases develop, sometimes disturbing throughout life.
An even greater danger of alcohol abuse is the formation of dependence. 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 give up alcohol at any time.
When trying to quit, addicts realize that 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. This is a sign of the transition of addiction to the physical stage. The alcoholic himself needs medical and psychological help. He will not be able to quit addiction on his own.
Further, in the absence of measures of therapy, dependence passes to the third, final stage, which is called encephalopathic. 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 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 should be treated carefully. 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, then health problems cannot be avoided.