The Effects On Your Body When You Consume Small Amounts Of Alcohol Every Day
While we’re here, let’s dispel another common misconception - this doesn’t mean every day, but on the days that drinking occurs.
Drinking alcohol is associated with many health risks, both short and long term, such as obesity, alcoholism, high blood pressure, and lowered reasoning (we might like to call this one “losing our inhibitions”).
Is Alcohol Harmful, Even In Moderation?
There’s a good chance you know someone who has been affected by alcoholism, even in a moderate way. But what about drinking alcohol in moderation? “Having just one drink,” as we like to call it, may not feel as if we are putting strain on our bodies. Many health websites will even tell us a glass of wine a day is great for our cardiovascular systems.
In fact, though, the very first sip is enough to make an impact. Of course, if you binge drink or drink multiple alcoholic beers a day for years, you’re going to see the negative impact of alcohol much faster and in a much more pronounced way. Having one with dinner, friends, or on a hot day now and then just slows down the process.
Alcohol, including beer, acts as a diuretic, meaning it dehydrates us. The effects of dehydration, such as dizziness, headache, trouble focusing, and nausea can appear at any time – even from one drink. Most of us have experienced that feeling on an unexpectedly hot summer’s day even with one or two drinks, which ordinarily we’ve felt was well within our usual tolerance level. This is usually compounded by a lack of water consumed before, during or after alcohol.
Gotcha. What Happens If You Drink Small Amounts Of Alcohol Every Day?
Daily alcohol use, in any amount, is going to put a strain on your liver. Instead of doing the other tasks it needs to do to keep you healthy, it’s processing the alcohol. Over time, small amounts of alcohol can cause fibrosis, and scarring on the liver.Alcoholic hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) is also a concern, which can lead to sudden death in long-term drinkers.
What Happens If You Drink Alcohol Every Day For A Month
If you drink alcohol every day for a month, you’re almost certain to see some negative effects. One of these is most definitely weight gain. Alcohol actually acts to prevent your metabolism from burning fat (so you store it instead), increases your sense of hunger (so you eat more), and may lead to many people choosing unhealthy food options because they’re actually craving the salt that alcohol removes from our body.
A month of drinking alcohol would be enough to be considered long-term drinking. In this case, you’re going to feel more and faster negative effects. You’ll see an increase in anxiety or mood changes, changes in your libido and sex function, difficulty focusing on your work, possibly depression, a weakened immune system, and even conflict among family and friends. That’s not to mention the low level feeling of sluggishness and lethargy that appears to accrue like a sort of unwanted compound interest over the course of the month.
If you drink alcohol every day for a year or more, your liver (assuming it was healthy enough to begin with) will start storing fat improperly (fatty liver syndrome). You may not think this is a form of alcoholism because you’ve considered it drinking in moderation, but the chances of you becoming addicted are exponentially high. Your mental health will have taken a huge toll, and your risk for stroke, cirrhosis, arrhythmias and even death will increase depending on your age and other confounding factors.
After a month of drinking, putting aside how much it will affect your physical and mental health, you’re also going to see the difference in your wallet. If you spent £2 (and that’s on the more inexpensive side) on a beer each day for a month, it would add up to £60.
Imagine where else that money could have been better spent!
Is Drinking Beer Every Day Bad?
The response to this question is varied. Many believe that if we stay in the moderation guidelines, then we’re free sailing. Others say that drinking one or two beers every day is great for your health due to its ability to control blood sugar, benefit the heart, and prevent dementia. The truth is that an increasing number of studies and health professionals agree that no amount of alcohol should be considered the baseline safe amount.
One alternative to drinking alcoholic beer that would be safer to drink daily is alcohol-free beer. Non-alcoholic beer, such as Days beer, is actually proven to be beneficial for your health and is an excellent hydrating and isotonic powerhouse after an intense workout or prolonged exercise. Find out more about how drinking non-alcoholic beer after a workout can speed up recovery.
