Health and Cheap Alcohol *potentially triggering*

[ForEverAfter]

I read somewhere ages ago that red wine can be good for you, assuming moderate consumption and a certain age-range. My question is: are there varying degrees of harm in terms of alcohol? Like, is beer worse for you than wine? Is cheap beer worse for you than cheap wine? Is cheap whiskey worse than expensive whiskey? And so on, and so forth. Today, I opted for red wine over beer. Bought two bottles of shiraz-cabernet instead of two six packs. I drink a lot but I'm into my health as well. Like I always aim to get the right dose of fruits and vegetables throughout the day. Assuming I'm not tripping or on a meth binge. This may be a stupid question, but: if wine is made out of grapes, can you get your dietary requirements of fruit from drinking wine? Like, is it part of my diet? Or does the fermentation negate the positive health benefits?

If I'm going to drink, should I opt for wine over beer? Or vodka over whiskey? Or, what?

 

[addictivepersona]

If you're going to drink wine, get organic, as grapes are more often than not ridden with pesticides. Not to mention GMOs, which are probably rampant by now in beer/wine/spirits. Found this from '06 that states GMOs are not in these drinks, but it's been six years... I'd be weary if those concern you.

However, alcohol is still alcohol at the end of the day, and your body recognizes alcohol as a poison--That is why you feel intoxicated after drinking it. This is also why alcohol kills off your liver: Your liver works very hard to remove toxins from your body, and taxing it with alcohol isn't beneficial for it.

 

[modern buddha]

If you're going to drink, I agree with addi p. Go the route of organic if your health is a concern. However, I will note that, like sex, the best way to keep yourself safe is by learning how to go without and being cautious when you do have it.

 

[CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT]

Can you tell me exactly what an 'unhealthy' alcohol is?

In my experience, anything taken too much can be negative for your health. There are many and varied negative effects to excessive ingestion of alcohol.

Honestly, the fact that you're drinking something that is plant based (grapes) doesn't make it anymore healthy for you to be drinking excessively.
Yes, there are reported benefits to drinking a standard glass of red wine 1-2 times per week but anything more than that, an the negatives strongly outweigh any proposed benefits.

Vodka is made from potatoes, but doesn't contain any of the 'good' nutrients you would get from eating one.

It sounds like you're drinking a six-pack of beer every night - if that's the case, I recommend seeking help from a qualified drug and alcohol medical professional. If you continue drinking like you are, you will continue to cause your body irrepairable damage no matter te 'type' of alcohol you're drinking.

 

[double ewe]

Yes, there are reported benefits to drinking a standard glass of red wine 1-2 times per week but anything more than that, an the negatives strongly outweigh any proposed benefits.

"Drinking alcohol in moderation (1-2 drinks per day for women and 2-4 for men) was found to reduce risk of mortality significantly according to meta-analysis of 34 studies of alcohol and total mortality among 1,015,835 men and women around the world."

a couple more:
"Weekly consumption of alcohol reduced Coronary Heart Disease risk by one-third (33% ) while daily consumption reduced the risk by over half (58% ) among diabetics. For non-diabetics, weekly consumption reduced CHD risk by 18% while daily consumption reduced the risk by 39%."

"Both beer and liquor tend to confer the same health benefits as red wine"

"abstinence from alcohol is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease."

source

there are certainly some sources that stop at the 1-2 drinks/day definition of moderate, but all of them are fairly clear that one a day is far better than one a week. not sure where you got your information from, but it doesn't sound like you're a very reliable source of advice on the topic.

 

[thujone]

Red wine is one of the best sources of antioxidants and beer is one of the best sources of B vitamins. Typically I err with beer being better because it helps compensate for the B vitamin deficiency drinking alcohol causes. Cheap spirits are not cheap because they're substandard but more because the craftsmanship going into it is the bare minimum to make it potable.

All in all beer is the healthiest choice but moderation is still the key. Some of the healthiest people I've known drank daily, conversely so did some of the unhealthiest.

It's also fun to note that societies with the highest concentration of centenarians (people who live to be 100+) enjoy alcohol daily, but it's always in a social setting. Everyone who has ever drank one shot too many knows that a few drinks helps liven up a conversation but after a few more it becomes more of a detriment.

 

[LOGan1314]

Can you tell me exactly what an 'unhealthy' alcohol is?

In my experience, anything taken too much can be negative for your health. There are many and varied negative effects to excessive ingestion of alcohol.

Honestly, the fact that you're drinking something that is plant based (grapes) doesn't make it anymore healthy for you to be drinking excessively.
Yes, there are reported benefits to drinking a standard glass of red wine 1-2 times per week but anything more than that, an the negatives strongly outweigh any proposed benefits.

Vodka is made from potatoes, but doesn't contain any of the 'good' nutrients you would get from eating one.

It sounds like you're drinking a six-pack of beer every night - if that's the case, I recommend seeking help from a qualified drug and alcohol medical professional. If you continue drinking like you are, you will continue to cause your body irrepairable damage no matter te 'type' of alcohol you're drinking.

This...perfect answer....

 

[modern buddha]

Red wine is one of the best sources of antioxidants and beer is one of the best sources of B vitamins. Typically I err with beer being better because it helps compensate for the B vitamin deficiency drinking alcohol causes. Cheap spirits are not cheap because they're substandard but more because the craftsmanship going into it is the bare minimum to make it potable.

All in all beer is the healthiest choice but moderation is still the key. Some of the healthiest people I've known drank daily, conversely so did some of the unhealthiest.

It's also fun to note that societies with the highest concentration of centenarians (people who live to be 100+) enjoy alcohol daily, but it's always in a social setting. Everyone who has ever drank one shot too many knows that a few drinks helps liven up a conversation but after a few more it becomes more of a detriment.

That might be the problem. At least from my own experience, Americans drink usually to get drunk. Americans also typically live (again, in my experience) quite possibly the most lonely lives of anyone else.

I think part of the reason people live to be 100+ that drink alcohol daily do so is because of their social lives and willingness to forgive. I don't chalk it up to the alcohol; I'd say they're at most indirectly related. I chalk it up to the peace they feel.

 

[TurelGrigori]

I think part of the reason people live to be 100+ that drink alcohol daily do so is because of their social lives and willingness to forgive. I don't chalk it up to the alcohol; I'd say they're at most indirectly related. I chalk it up to the peace they feel.

It is fairly well studied, by both human and animal studies, that daily moderate drinking increases HDL and lowers arteriosclerosis or even prevents arteriosclerosis all together. Not to dismiss your conviviality and peace of mind hypothesis entirely but chemical & physiological reasons have been identified.

 

[CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT]

there are certainly some sources that stop at the 1-2 drinks/day definition of moderate, but all of them are fairly clear that one a day is far better than one a week. not sure where you got your information from, but it doesn't sound like you're a very reliable source of advice on the topic.

Thanks, yes you're right I got the amounts wrong! I was relying on memory, but I mixed up the amounts. Thanks for pointing that out.

I'm actually surprised that many articles on good health recommend intake of 2-4 glasses of red wine per night can be beneficial. I think it's important to keep in mind your own physical reactions to alcohol. Two standard glasses of wine and I'd be drunk!!!

I have also looked around for the variations in wine content.

South-West France is a region with superior longevity of its residents. Wine of the Cahors appellation is mainly made from the malbec grape. Malbec shows more OPC than Cabernet Sauvignon.

The wine with the highest procyanidin content is a wine grown in the Gers region of southwest France. The wines here are made with the tannat grape within the Madiran appellation; wines labeled "Madiran" must contain 40% or more tannat to be so labeled.

Very interesting stuff!

I stand by my other thoughts on the matter, however.

 

[Miss_vanilla]

Here in Australia they've come down really hard on drinking in the past few years, in terms of 'safe' consumption (let alone having health benefits). When asked by her, I told my doctor I have 2 G&Ts on a Friday night (like CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT, I get drunk quite easily) and she told me that was too much. She said women should only have one standard drink a day and not every day and quite a few doctors here say drinking at all is bad for you, especially for women. I've read articles recently which say drinking should be a celebratory event, like having 2 glasses of champagne once a year for a wedding.

So we've gone from happily, as a society, drinking 2-4 drinks per day without guilt, partying at uni, drinking wine with dinner and so forth, up until the last few years then get told it's too much as we're apparently all alcoholics or problem drinkers now. Don't get me wrong, Australians drink a lot but growing up with alcoholic parents I know the difference.

We don't have a culture here from the medical community that drinking is good for you. Also, I see a lot of studies focus on cardiovascular health - there is no doubt that alcohol is toxic to your liver and kidneys and other organs and there are other ways of helping your heart health (eating healthy, exercise for example).

I do drink, I'm not anti alcohol, I just think people should be a bit more realistic about alleged benefits.

 

[thujone]

To be fair, we could assess the alleged benefits of all foods by the same logic. Someone who drinks enough to wake up hung-over can't possibly be deluding themselves into thinking any part of that is healthy, but there's no reason to tell a healthy man downing 2-3 drinks a night that he's headed for a coronary because alcohol has a nasty habit of ruining abusers.

 

[Miss_vanilla]

^^ I totally agree, particularly with already healthy people who have an otherwise quite healthy lifestyle. The problem with the anti drinking brigade in Australia is that for years perfectly normal, healthy people (not alcoholics or heavy drinkers) drank 2-4 drinks a night, a couple of nights a week and now we're told that's classified as risky or problem drinking.

They raised the bar and now people aren't listening. No big surprise there. The thing that annoys me is people like me, reasonable, light to moderate drinkers are judged more, lectured at more than actual substance abusers. My husband's brother is a substance and alcohol abuser and for the most part receives a lot of sympathy rather than judgment (not that he should be judged, it's an illness and I realise that but they do have control over their actions as most of us do). I however, get a lecture from my doctor for drinking a couple of drinks on a Friday night.

It seems the message is being focused on the wrong people somehow.

 

[ebola?]

However, alcohol is still alcohol at the end of the day, and your body recognizes alcohol as a poison--That is why you feel intoxicated after drinking it.

This is not true. Alcohol induces intoxication because of its activities in the brain, particularly GABAnergic agonism and NMDA-antagonism.

ebola

 

[ForEverAfter]

I've been drinking more in the vicinity of 20-25 standard drinks per day. I know this isn't healthy. I was just trying to justify it; hoping that reality could be bent in order to alleviate the guilt I feel for destroying my body on a daily basis. I guess I knew the answer before I asked the question. Kind of like checking my bank balance when I'm broke. I can feel the damage it is doing to me every day. I have recurring headaches, trouble breathing, I feel sick a lot. Alcohol is more evidently harmful than any other drug I have ever been addicted to. I'm not going to drink today. Thanks for the replies.

 

[Miss_vanilla]

^^
I hope you have some support while undergoing this with friends, family and your doctor. Giving up that amount of daily alcohol intake even temporarily, can't be easy. Make sure you look after yourself in other ways as well - drinks lots of water, eat healthy food (lots of fruit and vegies), get some exercise, sound sleep and relaxation. You sound as if you need a medical check as well.

I hope things go well for you. I'm sure a lot of people here would be willing to listen if you needed a chat about things, I know I'm happy to.

For what it's worth, I wish my parents had done what you're doing in trying to cut down or give up, I respect you for facing up to it and being so honest and open.

 

[ForEverAfter]

Thanks but don't applaud me too much. I'm not going to go sober. 3 weeks ago I returned to alcoholism because I had to force myself to quit tripping. Also because tolerance is a bitch. Now, I have to return to tripping because I am forcing myself to quit alcohol. I've worked out that I'm better off tripping all the time, rather than swapping back and forth between various drugs. Tripping does the least harm to my way of life. I am not an ass-hole when I trip. Really I guess sobriety is the least harmful to my way of life. But I don't see that happening at the moment. I'll probably go back to drinking after enough time has passed to once again convince myself that it is a better alternative. I worked out this plan ages ago, which was to jump back and forth constantly between four of five different substances, and therefore avoid being addicted to any of them or doing myself any harm. But that's probably just further justification to get fucked up. I really need to get sober for a while, I guess. No weed. Nothing. Maybe I should attempt it. Just for a week. But a week sounds like a fucking eternity. Going to go have some mushrooms now. I feel like shit.

 

[CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT]

OP would you like me to move this over to The Dark Side? You'll get some amazing support from people who are going very similar situations to yourself.

 

[ForEverAfter]

Yeah I guess so. Thanks.

 

[Allein]

To be fair, we could assess the alleged benefits of all foods by the same logic. Someone who drinks enough to wake up hung-over can't possibly be deluding themselves into thinking any part of that is healthy, but there's no reason to tell a healthy man downing 2-3 drinks a night that he's headed for a coronary because alcohol has a nasty habit of ruining abusers.

Its when you don't wake up with a hang over your really in trouble IME, so many people seem to think that if you are alcohol dependent that you must be waking u feeling like crap and looking like crap and non functional, or course those who drink all day are probably like this but I only drank in the evening but to quite and excess. No one at work ever twigged, practice makes perfect ...at least for a bit