Alcohol
February 17th 2010 06:03
I went to the Sevens in Wellington on the weekend. I was fun even though I’m not keen on the rugby, but dressing up as a cowgirl and people watching was pretty interesting. Unfortunately, the excessive drinking that goes a long with the Sevens leads to a few sad sights. There were so many ambulances brought to the aid of alcohol-poisoned party goers. This shouldn’t be the case if people drank responsibly and looked after one another. After seeing this, and this has happened many times before, I thought I would make you all more aware of what alcohol can do to you and this I believe is the perfect time to do this because its summer time, semester one and a time for parties.
You may think that alcohol is not harmful but I can tell you that if you overdo it you may end up in the emergency department and we don’t want that. It’s ok to enjoy a few drinks (up to four for women and six for men in one sitting anymore is considered binge drinking), it relaxes you and it can help you have a good time. By the way, the purpose of this column is to inform you about the effects of drinking, not scare you.
As you probably know, immediately after drinking alcohol you may experience feelings of pleasure and relaxation, which explains why alcohol is the drug of choice for many people. Sounds okay so far, but heavy drinking can cause some unpleasant short term effects such as weight gain, personality changes, feeling anxious, memory loss, confusion and problems in the bed room if you get my drift. In the long run, heavy drinking can cause major damage to the brain, the central nervous system, digestive system, heart and liver increased risk of some forms of cancer and psychiatric problems. After all, it is a poison.
Drinking faster than your body can break down and eliminate alcohol from your body causes alcohol poisoning, which can be fatal. Look after yourself and your friends, if you suspect that someone has had waaay too much to drink look for the following signs and call for an ambulance if they are showing them:
• Slow, shallow, or irregular breathing
• Confusion
• Difficulty awakening the person
• No withdrawal from painful stimuli (for instance from pinching)
• Unconsciousness (passing out)
• Blue-tinged skin or pale skin
• Absent reflexes
• Seizures
It makes me think why people drink so heavily since it is so harmful. Weight gain, wasting a whole day in bed due to a hangover and liver disease sound very unappealing, but that’s just me. Why do you drink? Why do you choose not to drink? If you drink to excess because you feel pressured, shy around others, bored, lonely, depressed, then maybe you should rethink your drinking. Get new friends, read self help books, take up a new hobby, or if it’s more serious, go and see a doctor.
I
f you have any questions, then please email me at nutrition.advice@gmail.com or leave your questions here.
Krissi
You may think that alcohol is not harmful but I can tell you that if you overdo it you may end up in the emergency department and we don’t want that. It’s ok to enjoy a few drinks (up to four for women and six for men in one sitting anymore is considered binge drinking), it relaxes you and it can help you have a good time. By the way, the purpose of this column is to inform you about the effects of drinking, not scare you.
As you probably know, immediately after drinking alcohol you may experience feelings of pleasure and relaxation, which explains why alcohol is the drug of choice for many people. Sounds okay so far, but heavy drinking can cause some unpleasant short term effects such as weight gain, personality changes, feeling anxious, memory loss, confusion and problems in the bed room if you get my drift. In the long run, heavy drinking can cause major damage to the brain, the central nervous system, digestive system, heart and liver increased risk of some forms of cancer and psychiatric problems. After all, it is a poison.
Drinking faster than your body can break down and eliminate alcohol from your body causes alcohol poisoning, which can be fatal. Look after yourself and your friends, if you suspect that someone has had waaay too much to drink look for the following signs and call for an ambulance if they are showing them:
• Confusion
• Difficulty awakening the person
• No withdrawal from painful stimuli (for instance from pinching)
• Unconsciousness (passing out)
• Blue-tinged skin or pale skin
• Absent reflexes
• Seizures
It makes me think why people drink so heavily since it is so harmful. Weight gain, wasting a whole day in bed due to a hangover and liver disease sound very unappealing, but that’s just me. Why do you drink? Why do you choose not to drink? If you drink to excess because you feel pressured, shy around others, bored, lonely, depressed, then maybe you should rethink your drinking. Get new friends, read self help books, take up a new hobby, or if it’s more serious, go and see a doctor.
I
f you have any questions, then please email me at nutrition.advice@gmail.com or leave your questions here.
Krissi
| 26 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
