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25

Jan 2018

Drinking Traditions Around The World

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The world is a diverse playground and without diversity it would be a mighty dull place to be in, we all know that. Experiencing the local cuisines is one of the many charms of travelling, with so many countries and unique cultures to learn about, you’d be surprised to know that there is a similar uniqueness when it comes to drinking traditions too. Have a drink or two with the natives to explore the quirky drinking traditions, you might as well find out a thing or two about their distinct traditions.

Let’s take you through some of the wackiest and fascinating drinking cultures around the world.

Britain

British culture is so much more than people enjoying their tea. People there LOVE to drink and it is a close contender to the title of beer pilgrimage, well the next in line is Germany! The Brits have ‘drinking sessions’ well in place, rule of the thumb is that each person at the table buys drinks for the entire group until they have all bought a round each.

Germany

Oh the Germans and their much celebrated love for beer! In many regions, Frühschoppen is generally understood to be a tradition of drinking before midday. Thanks to astonishing production and consumption of beer, beer gardens and the famous Oktoberfest, Germany has become one of the most sought after destinations for the beer lovers around the world. No trip would be complete without trying out local beers and the natives of Cologne are particular about drinking ‘Kosch’ which traditionally should be consumed roughly at 10 °C.

Iceland

The Icelanders have taken their love for alcohol to an altogether next level by dedicating two holidays a year solely to alcohol!  First of March is reserved as Beer day or Bjórdagurinn / Bjórdagur. It is celebrated to honour the elimination of prohibition of beer which lasted from 1st January 1915 to 1st March 1989.  Yet another listed public holiday is the first weekend of August called as Merchant’s weekend or Verslunarmannahelgi, which is considered as the biggest party weekend.

Italy

Italians are more of wine drinkers and drinking in Italian culture is usually associated with meal time. They like to have aperitivo is an alcoholic beverage meant to stimulate the appetite. Aperitivo is usually a cocktail, wine or liqueur. Similarly digestivo is served after meal, it is usually infused with herbs which aids in digestion. So much love for drinking!

Spain

Spaniards believe that you earn the curse of seven years of bad sex if you toast with water. Whether in Spain or not, we bet that you surely wouldn’t want to let this nightmarish curse befall you!

Czech Republic

People here are as proud of their beer as French are of their wine! Czechs toast to ‘Na zdraví’ which means ‘to health’ and look at each person in the eye as they clink glasses with them. This custom must be followed to avoid seven years of bad sex!

France

French have a cultivated drinking tradition- they savour their drinks. They are pretty prim and proper in their drinking ways, Frenchmen serve the ladies first and the glasses are to be only half-filled. While in a gathering, they wait for everyone’s glasses to be filled and whoever serves the wine in the gathering makes sure not to fill their glass as it is considered rude. It is customary to look in the eyes as you clink glasses with people and you never cross your arms over theirs.

Russia

Russians are known to be vodka lovers. They make sure to eat something before drinking- zakuska, as they call it and toasting before the drink is also very important there. Remember to pour your vodka last if you’re proposing a toast! Russians usually pair their beer with dry fish and vodka follows pickles.

Peru

They thoroughly enjoy their beer and beer drinking is quite a tradition for Peruvians. Traditional Peruvian way of drinking is a reflection of their kindness and generosity which involves sharing the drink among the group. Usually one person in the group orders a large bottle with a glass and the drink is to be shared using only that one glass.

The Japanese and South Koreans love to follow nuanced age-old traditions. They also love to extend camaraderie toward each other by pouring a cup of drink for each other. They consider it outright rude to pour your own drink and elders must be served first, they also make sure that no one’s glass is empty.

Whichever part of the world you travel to, remember to make your trip more memorable by mingling with the natives. Being respectful of the traditions and culture is an obvious prerogative one must follow. And as it goes, there’s beauty in uniqueness and people who drink share a strange kind of bond that way so go forth and clink glasses the local way.

P.S. Dear teetotalers, please keep heart for you can find other things to explore!

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20

Jul 2017

Why You Shouldn’t Drink in Front of Children?

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Every child’s psychological setup is determined by the exposure he/she gets during the formative years of their life. In every child’s life, the formative years are crucial as they mould and shape the traits that they carry throughout their life. The innocent and immature mind of the child picks up whatever he/she sees is going on in front of him/her. Therefore, it becomes important for the parents to carefully choose their action in front of their children.

Effect of drinking in front of children

The acceptance of alcohol consumption, in our society, has seen a steady rise. The society talks about being broad-minded and open. But at what cost? In the last decade, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of alcohol-related deaths.
Parents are the most influential people in a child’s life and their actions directly affect their children.
Thus, it is time to take a step back and analyse the consequences of your actions.

Impact on psychology and health

A child’s brain is immature and juvenile and does not have the absolute ability to distinguish between what is right or wrong for him/her. This leads to a mind-set where the child considers their parent’s actions to be sacrosanct. Therefore, when a parent drinks in front of the kids, the latter is ignorant of the essential harms that come with it. This action of the parent assumes an “unsaid” legitimacy in the eyes of the innocent child. Later, the children, without having proper knowledge of the harms, also feel that it is okay to indulge in such an activity because they have seen their parents doing so.

This might create a situation where the child also begins underage drinking and consequently lands up in great trouble. The body of a child is not adept to break down the complex alcohol molecules and hence cause serious health risks like liver damage and depletion of WBC’s. Furthermore, if proper parenting is not done then the risk of addiction looms large.

Possibility of induced violence      

Taking into consideration the fact that, alcohol is a toxic substance and heavy drinking can cause serious health issues, and cause certain behavioural changes, parents must ideally not indulge in drinking in front of their kids. Alcohol impairs the brain functions and clouds reasoning capacities. Sometimes, due to heavy drinking, parents might lose their self-control and behave in a way that is not appropriate for the kids. As discussed earlier, the kids pick up that very action and think it to be “normal”. Moreover, in an inebriated state one may become very violent. It can lead to unforeseen circumstances, none of which are good for the kids.

Proper communication required

It is well understood by now; that children are susceptible to the dangers of alcohol consumption. When proper dialogue is not established between the parent and the kid, the miscommunication leads to an uninformed mind prone to the dangers of addiction and other associated risks.
Therefore, it is pertinent to remember that before being “too open” in front of the kids, the parent must take into account the age of the kid and his/her capability to comprehend the actions. This must be followed by informing the kid about the do’s and don’ts of alcohol consumption.

After ascertaining these measures, if you deem it right to drink in front of your children, the safe limit of alcohol consumption must always keep in mind so that you are always in control of your action.

Remember, the future of your kid depends on your actions too!

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20

Jul 2017

Post-Pregnancy Drinking – How long should one wait?

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Browsing through hundreds of websites online will give you only one answer to the question of “How long should to wait before you start drinking post pregnancy?”, and that is that there is no definite timeline. Every individual processes alcohol at different speed and has different responses to alcohol.

While the safest option is to not consume alcohol at all while you are still breastfeeding because even the slightest amount of alcohol in your breast milk can harm your child, affect his/her appetite and even hinder growth. However, there are ways by which you can include a couple of drinks in your day and continue nursing unaffected:

  1. The safest way to go about is to not go too heavy on the alcohol. A beer or a glass of wine is processed by an average woman in 2-3 hours. Thus a drink or two a day is safe for the child, as long as you do not nurse the child immediately after drinking.
  2. If you need to nurse immediately after having alcohol, throw away the milk as the alcohol content in the milk might be high, making your child drowsy and reducing his/her appetite.
  3. The popular wisdom is to avoid alcohol for at least the first 3 months of breast-feeding. These initial months are crucial for both the mother and the child and thus no compromise should be made with the health and nutrition of either.
  4. Alcohol affects your capability of responding to your child too. Drinking heavily when you have an infant to look after can make you drowsy and less aware about your child’s need.
  5. The safest time of the day to enjoy a couple of drinks is to schedule it around your child’s sleeping pattern. If he/she sleeps for 3-4 hours at a stretch, that is the best time-window for you to put your feet up and enjoy that glass of wine.
  6. While there are no studies to prove it, many mothers claim that dark barley malt beers have resulted in an increase in their milk production. It also softens the breast tissues by dilating the blood vessels, resulting in an easier flow of milk. Thus, replacing that glass of wine with beer might have a two-fold benefit.
  7. With fast advancing technologies, you can easily get hold of over-the-counter tests to detect the level of alcohol in your breast milk. These tests are easy to use and will give you a fair indication of whether the consumed alcohol is a threat to your infant.

Thus, if you are careful and well aware about the quantity of alcohol you are consuming at a time, you are good to resume drinking right after delivery, provided your doctor allows you to. However, what never should be forgotten is that the safety of your child is your foremost priority and as a parent you should never compromise with his/her health.

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12

Jul 2017

Is Light Drinking Safe For Pregnant Woman?

Posted by / in Featured, Responsible Drinking /

If you are pregnant and often wonder whether to enjoy an occasional glass of wine or beer, the universal counsel for you would be to completely abstain from consumption of alcohol. But in the recent times, the opinion has changed considerably. Due to the assorted viewpoints, the advice you receive may confuse you.

Research of several years has proven the fact that prolonged and heavy drinking have caused serious birth defects. But the effect of consuming small alcohol during embryonic stage is still in grey area.

Some of your friends might confess about their occasional drinking habits and how their baby turned out just fine, while others say they that they have completely given up on alcoholic beverages to avoid any risk whatsoever.

Even after decades of research there is still no concrete “safe limit” of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Hence it becomes very difficult for to-be-mothers to really determine if light drinking is safe for their baby.

Here are some points which you should definitely keep in mind before engaging in a light drink.

Individual Medical Conditions

The medical history of one person varies from another other person significantly. The metabolism of your body is responsible for the breakdown of alcohol compounds. A better metabolic function would ensure that your body gets rid of the neurotoxins contained in an alcoholic drink. While a weaker body metabolism would mean that the alcohol remains in your body for a longer time and consequently causes harm to the baby.

Alcohol addicts and people with a past history of binge drinking should abstain from alcohol during pregnancy because an occasional drink might trigger an insatiable urge for drinking more. As it is a known fact that heavy drinking is bad for the growth of babies, it must be ensured that in no way such a situation arises.

How much is too much?

No two pregnancies are the same. The conditions vary from person to person. Some have strong enzymes to counter the effect of alcohol and some have weak enzymes. Processing of alcohol also depends on the liver size and body size and determines the amount of alcohol reaching the foetus. So setting a fixed and safe threshold is impossible.

The associated risk of women drinking alcohol risk giving birth to a child with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). The intensity of the disorder varies from child to child depending on the amount of alcohol they have been exposed to. The disorders include speech and language problems, cognitive disabilities, abnormal body structure, etc.

Need For More Research

The opinion of the scientific community is divided on this matter. Some doctors show a green light to their patients for an occasional drink while others follow a strict policy to restrict their patients to engage even in occasional drinks.

Heavy drinking can obviously be harmful but the effect of light drinking is not yet crystal clear.

Developing babies lack the ability to process alcohol through their organs. It is a toxic substance to a developing baby and can interfere with its development. According to some doctors, the risks of miscarriage are also heightened due to alcohol consumption.

Bottom line

At the end of the day, every mother has to weigh the pros and cons of a casual drink. A substantially reasonable woman would certainly point out the evidence and be comfortable with one or two occasional drinks, while another equally reasonable woman would see the evidences of possible risk and may decide to abstain from alcohol completely.

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15

Jun 2017

How Alcohol Can Impair Your Driving Skills

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Driving involves a combination of various basic motor skills which is used simultaneously by the driver. For safe driving, proper coordination and synchronisation of these skills is very necessary. At some point in time, every one of us has been advised not to drive under the influence of alcohol. But still, it seems that people do not understand it completely as to why they should not drive even when they do not “feel that drunk”.

Therefore, it is crucial for us to examine how alcohol can impair our driving skills and consequently cause unwanted accidents.

General effect of alcohol on body

Unlike any other consumable food substance, alcohol being water soluble does not get digested and within few minutes, it is carried to different parts of the body. When it reaches the brain, it can significantly impair your motor functions which are necessary for driving manoeuvres. More importantly, consumption of alcohol changes your mood, making you think you are absolutely fine when in actuality, you are heavily intoxicated.

Effect of Alcohol on Driving Skills

Safe driving requires proper functioning of the brain which controls our hands, legs and vision. Alcohol weakens their functions and causes difficulty in decision making. Influence of alcohol inhibits us to change our decision with changing situations.

Drinking can impair any or all of these crucial driving skills:

1. Impaired comprehension

Alcohol can make it difficult for you to interpret different signs and symbols on the road which is essential for your own safety and for others as well. Alcohol might confuse you very easily and leave you in a state where you might not be able to recognise or respond to emergency situations. For example, you might not be able to follow traffic signals, resulting in redundant risks.

2. Impaired Hearing and Vision

After consumption of alcohol, pupils dilate causing slowness in their reaction. This results in visibility problems at night due to the head light glare of the oncoming vehicles. The reduction in distance and depth perception also make it difficult to judge the speed of other cars on road. Alcohol also numbs your hearing senses making it difficult to detect the direction of the sound.

3. Impaired Coordination of motor skills

The motor functions like coordination of hand-eye-foot muscles weaken, resulting in the lack of control of the car speed and direction. You might have difficulty in maintaining a straight track on the road causing you to collide with other cars. Alcohol also damages you quick decision-making ability.

4. Impaired Judgment

Alcohol can severely impair your judgment while driving. You will be prone to wrong decisions at moments like: stopping at a specific point, taking sharp turns, and increasing or decreasing the speed of the vehicle.

5. Impaired Concentration

Alcohol directly affects your brain functions and does not let you concentrate. While drinking and driving you may have a flurry of thought which might distract you from the objects on road. Concentration is also affected due to a loss of hearing and vision.

Therefore, we can see that consumption of alcohol has major negative effects on our driving skills. By drinking and driving you can not only cause serious damage to yourself but also to others. So, as responsible citizens, we must always keep in mind the duties we have towards others and thus refrain from driving under the influence of alcohol.

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19

May 2017

Things to Remember when Buying Alcohol

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The consumption of alcohol at social gatherings or individual parties has become more than a fashion and actually a symbol of status. Be it a bottle of expensive wine or be it canned beer – alcohol is what keeps a party going. Apart from parties, many people come up with the cause of stress reduction or loneliness in order to create the need of liquor consumption. The multi-billion dollar industry of alcoholic beverage has observed a growth in consumption of alcohol over time. The immediate effect of alcohol is caused by the anxiolytic properties of it and what people fall in love with is the temporary illusion. But there are a few things that must be remembered while alcohol is bought and they are as follows:

Proof of Age: According to the law constituted in different states, alcohol can’t be sold to the individuals who are not 21 years old yet. While you’re heading out to buy alcohol, it is wise that you carry ID proof with yourself so that you can show it in case of being asked about your age. Compliance to the law ensures the control over the drug being sold to minors. When you carry ID proof, you need to make sure that it is a valid one. Some of the ID proofs that you can carry with you are driver license, ID card issued by the state, so on and so forth. The retailer may refuse to sell alcohol to you in case you are not able to produce the valid ID proof.

What To Buy: Before you decide what to buy, you must promise to yourself that you will buy as much as you can handle. If you are fond of beer, it will be mandatory for you to decide whether you want to buy bottled ones or the canned ones. If your favorite brand is not available in the shop, you may end up trying a different brand which you may start liking afterwards. So, it is always suggested that keep your eyes open!

Amount To Buy: Making up the mind regarding the quantity you want to buy is really a major decision. Depending on the amount to buy, you could actually plan your evening and budget as well. Careful planning is highly recommended as the amount to buy should always be equivalent to amount that you can consume. Buying more alcohol tends to make you think that you can drink more which certainly comes with consequences. So, plan beforehand about how much do you really need. Quality is the ultimate king, not the quantity!

Visibly Intoxicated: It is never recommended that visit an alcohol store when you are visibly intoxicated. A visibly intoxicated person will show signs inclusive of but not limited to bloodshot eyes, swaying, clumsiness, drowsy look, so on and so forth. If you are recognized to intoxicated by the seller, you might be prevented from buying alcohol and actually refused.

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19

May 2017

How to Identify Spurious Alcohol?

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Fake alcohol or liquor bottles have been found to spread all over the nation and here are some ways in which you can identify whether the alcohol is spurious or not.

Ability to identify fake versions of branded alcohol paves the path for you to avoid alcohol beverages that could leave you sick. With the emerging number of counterfeit alcohol sellers across the country, you must be cautious about buying alcohol as with fake alcohol you can suffer from diseases like kidney or liver problems, nausea, drowsiness, dizziness, abdominal pain, vomiting, so on and so forth.

Presence of Holograms: Presence of polyester-based hologram on the bottle of alcohol ensure that it is authentic one. The security features embedded in the hologram have been designed for the sake of informing consumers about information of retailer and manufacturer. Even though holograms are incorporated for the sake of preventing revenue leakages, both the hologram and barcode are one of the finest tools that you can use to prevent fraudulent alcohol.

Unfamiliar Brand Names & Crooked Labels: The unfamiliar brand names and crooked labels unravel the path for you to be sure of the genuine alcohol. As per the recommendations of Trading Standards Institute, packaging is one of the 4Ps that one should be careful about while purchasing. Other Ps that need to be carefully looked at are unfamiliar brand names and spelling mistakes in the name of the brand. Very low prices shouldn’t be trusted either.

Taste and Smell: If the drink, that you bought, might taste bad or smell that is foul. Even if the taste or smell is a slight bit different from what you are used to, it might be the case that you have bought spurious alcohol. Colour of the liquor also is prime determinant of the fake alcohol.  Good alcohol has the reputation of hitting the back of the tongue. So, be careful out there!

Places To Buy: You must avoid places that don’t look like a registered FL off shop or liquor shop. By buying liquor from shops that don’t look alright, you are more prone to have fake alcohol.

Import and Manufacture Dates: You must check for the import and manufacture dates of the bottle bought. Dates are necessary as they signify the dates on which the bottle has been manufactured and imported to the shop.

Stick To The Familiar Drinks: If you purchase a bottle of alcohol that you don’t know, most likely you are also not familiar with the colour or taste of it. So, chances are high that these sort of drinks, if bought instead of the alcohol that you have on a regular basis from an authorised store, will pose potential threat to your health.

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16

May 2017

Do’s and Don’ts While Drinking With Your Colleagues

Posted by / in Featured, Responsible Drinking /

The topic of drinking with office colleagues is a highly sensitive one and what makes it even more complicating is that it comes with no set rules. The boundaries are blurred and it actually depends from person to person whether they are cool with drinking with their colleagues or not.

It is seen that a drink with co-workers or boss once a while helps people in climbing social ladder at office and it also works as an effective option for knowing co-workers in a better way. So, if you are planning to go for a drink with your colleagues then here are few do’s and don’ts that will help you in staying within the limits and still enjoy your time.

Do’s

  • Eat something- While drinking with your co-workers ensure that you have something to eat because drinking on an empty stomach increases the impact of alcohol and you might get knocked out quite early.
  • Carry money- Before saying yes to a drink with your office mates, check your wallet. Ensure that you have adequate amount of money for drink, as well as for something to eat and also for hiring a cab. There are chances that the bill might be taken care of by your company or your boss might bear the expenses. However, there is no harm in carrying cash or a card with you as it is better to have money than to get embarrassed in front of people whom you have to face every day.
  • Stay within your limit- This point is easier said than done. Most people know their limits but the trouble is to still know the limits after you have gulped a couple of drinks. Always remember that while drinking with colleagues, stakes are always high and hence you cannot get away from your mistakes. So, as they say precaution is better than cure, watch out for the drinks you are having and check your behaviour.

Don’ts 

  • Don’t talk about office or individuals working inside the office –This is a golden rule while drinking with colleagues. You may start with good things but after a few drinks no one accurately knows what they are saying or hearing. This can lead to catastrophic results and the next day you might wake up, with a long list of people to apologize. Instead, talk about general stuff and sundry activities and keep the tone of your conversation casual.
  • Don’t follow your boss- Who doesn’t like to impress their boss? And the easiest way to create an impression is to follow everything the boss does. However, this strategy might get you in trouble if you follow it during drinking with your boss. Drinking is highly subjective and effects of a specific drink differ from person to person. Hence, some choices might be good for your boss but they may not be good for you. So, order according to what suits you and not according to what your boss wishes.
  • Don’ttry to hit on anyone- Office affairs mostly end up on nasty note and in the long term they serve nothing good to anybody. During office time it is easy to maintain the distance, but with few drinks, it is not easy to stay in control. So, if there is someone whom you consider irresistible, then the best way is to avoid them and keep safe distance.

 The above mentioned points are in fact guidelines and as mentioned earlier it all depends on the individual. So, maintain the line and you will have a great time drinking with your colleagues.

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16

May 2017

Ill Effects of Fake Alcohol

Posted by / in Featured, Responsible Drinking /

Counterfeit alcohol has taken the drinking industry by storm and its easy availability in the market is enough to ring alarming bells. What is more concerning is the fact that consumers have little knowledge of counterfeit alcohol and not many can mark the difference between original and fake alcohol.

The cheap price of fake alcohol is another reason for its increasing popularity but very few people are aware of its hazardous effects. Made from cheap ingredients, fake alcohol is bound to have adverse effects on health. Hence, if you are consuming fake alcohol, then you should refrain from it.

Here we discuss in detail about the fake alcohol and its adverse effects on human health.

What is fake alcohol?

Original alcohol is produced through distilleries which are licensed under the government. However, there are few producers are alcohol who do not have the license. Such, alcohol which is produced through unlicensed distilleries is often known as fake alcohol. As no standard procedure is followed during production of such alcohol, it is unfit for drinking and is also highly dangerous.

Other signs for identifying counterfeit alcohol include fake brand names, low prices and crooked labels. some types of counterfeit alcohol have smell of nail varnish.

Ill effects of Fake Alcohol

Fake alcohol has several negative repercussions. From short term to long term there are several effects of such alcohol which can lead to severe health issues.

Short term ill effects of counterfeit alcohol

One of the key elements in alcohol is ethanol and as ethanol is not cheap; producers of fake alcohol use alternatives for ethanol which include easily available ingredients like automobile wash screen, cleaning fluids and nail polish.

All these ingredients are not suitable for human consumption and are known to cause short term effects like vomiting and nausea. In some cases, these ingredients cause drowsiness as well as dizziness. It can also lead to abdominal pain.

Although effects like dizziness occur after drinking original alcohol as well, in cases of fake alcohol these effects can be experienced more quickly and may be after few moments of consuming the drink.

Long term effects of Fake alcohol-

  • Effects of chloroform – To make alcohol look authentic, producers of fake alcohol add chloroform to it which is highly dangerous for human health. If consumed in mild proportion, chloroform can cause momentary black out and if taken in large quantity can lead to adverse effects like coma. Chanced of death are also possible.
  • Effects of ethyl acetate- Ethyl acetate is mostly used in glues and cigarettes but due to its cheap price, it is heavily used in counterfeit alcohol. This ingredient directly affects various organs of the body and based on the frequency of its dose can also cause permanent organ failure.
  • Effects of Methanol- Used as an alternative for ethanol, methanol is a very dangerous ingredient. It leads to permeant blindness and causes several other troubles when consumed in mind proportion. If the dosage is heavy, then the person may also die as methanol results in failure of various body functions.

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25

Apr 2017

Effects of Alcohol on the Elderly

Posted by / in Curbing Alcoholism, Featured /

Alcohol, one of the most widely prevalent of all social glues across cultures, has already been proven to be the cause of multiple disorders, illnesses and psychological ailments in people of all age groups. When it comes to people above the age of 60, alcohol can have even more devastating effects, especially if consumed in large quantities. In general, it has been observed that old people – and by this, we mean men and women above the age of 60 – tend to consume lesser quantities of alcohol as compared to people between the ages of 18 to 35. As people grow older, their bodies undergo metamorphosis and become more and more vulnerable to substances which are considered harmful for regular consumption. The risk of chronic illnesses grows with age. The elderly tend to consume more medication than younger ones. All these factors can make alcohol a massive health risk for the elderly, if consumed recklessly.

The elderly become more sensitive to alcohol effects with age:

The limited amount of research available with various health forums suggest that with increasing age, human beings tend to become more sensitive to the negative effects of consuming alcohol. With increasing age, the capacity of the human body to retain water decreases significantly. The consumption of alcohol makes this tendency even worse, leading to acute dehydration. Thus, older people tend to exhibit a higher BAC (blood alcohol concentration) than youngsters after consuming the same measure. This is why the elderly might experience the common side effects of consuming hard liquor such as difficulty in focurbssing, slurred speech patterns, and a general lack of mental coordination and numbness even earlier than their younger counterparts. Therefore, it is common to see the elderly having difficulty holding the same amount of alcohol that they could easily withstand in their former years.

Alcohol, when mixed with prescription drugs, can lead to severe poisoning:

Due to developing health issues, many older people have to consume prescription drugs and herbal treatment courses. You might have heard the common saying “do not consume alcohol when on antibiotics”. This holds true for prescription drugs as well. Alcohol is known to leave an effect on the medicines such that they don’t function properly and lead to several side effects, which may prove to be life threatening. Mixing alcoholic substances with a few types of medicines can prove to be fatal – especially sedatives, hypnotics. These can cause sleepiness, nausea, vertigo, a general lack of awareness about the surroundings and other physiological issues.

Furthermore, one of the most prevalent reasons for the rise of heart disease among the elderly is he consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol. Alcohol makes you sluggish and leads to the fortification of blockages, which makes it difficult for blood to flow freely in the veins and arteries leading up to the heart. Excessive clogging can lead to severe heart problems and alcohol is one of the foremost culprits when it comes to heart related diseases in men and women above 60.

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