Australians have a long-standing love affair with alcohol. As such, we have consistently ranked towards the top of the list of countries when it comes to average standard alcoholic drinks consumed per capita. Our drinking culture tends to minimise the amount of alcohol we consume, because we always know someone who ‘drinks way more than I do doc and they are healthy!’.
Most are in denial about what would be considered safe drinking levels and most people aren’t even aware what would be considered a safe amount of alcohol to consume.
Current Australian guidelines state we should consume no more than 2 standard drinks per day, no more than 5 days per week.
Now when informed that some of our favourite full-strength beers are easily 1.4 to 1.6 standard drinks, patients are usually shocked.
It is heard, in regard to the Mediterranean diet, ‘a glass of red wine daily is good for you!’. Now this has been found to be true in several large studies, however when they say this they are talking about 100ml of wine… that is all, not a bottle or even half a bottle of wine.
So, is alcohol really that bad? Yes, it can be if you are drinking in excess.
Alcohol is a toxin to your body. It isn’t required for healthy living, but it can make you feel good (when you’re drinking it, not so much the day after).
So, what are the side effects?
- Brain damage
- Memory impairment
- Worsening mental health (depression/anxiety)
- Heart disease
- Nerve damage
- Liver damage
- Increased risk of some cancers
- Erectile dysfunction/ loss of libido
- Obesity
A lot of these side effects progress slowly over time and usually patients don’t present until it’s too late. Sometimes the damage can be irreversible.
With regards to short term side effects, weight gain and obesity is directly related to the amount of alcohol you consume. If you consume a carton of beer per week, every week of the year, that would equate to roughly 23kg of extra fat that your body needs to deal with every single year. That obviously doesn’t take into consideration what you are eating every day, that’s just extra calories/ fat from drinking beer over water. A lot of people could actually lose weight without doing any exercise just by simply reducing the amount of alcohol that is consumed.
Alcohol in moderation is fine. The problem is that we have lost sight of what moderation is. Its’ become way too easy to just say ‘we might as well finish the bottle’ or ‘we may as well finish the 6 pack’. It starts at home and we set the example for our children who will grow up to imitate what we have displayed for them.
Help is available and if you feel that you have a problem with drinking, book in to see your GP. It’s never too late to make changes that will have a lasting health impact.
This article has been written by Dr Kevin Fontana
