Alcohol Consumption

It is pretty well established now that alcohol consumption is beneficial to physical and mental well-being. Numerous studies throughout the world have highlighted the benefits of a glass or two of wine a day. It also seems to not matter too much what sort of alcohol one dinks be it wine beer or even spirits. Societies who shun alcohol such as Moslem ones and Seventh Day Adventists give no inspiration to follow suit.

My take on this is that alcohol helps ease the mind and relaxes the body and if taken in moderation has no adverse health effects. In my own family I have noticed that the uncles and aunts who imbibe regularly and what has often been regarded as a little too much are still alive and kicking. My own parents are now both dead and probably could have benefited from a little more drinking. It seems to take a quite a lot of alcohol taken over a long period of time to seriously damage ones internal organs. It takes less alcohol to temporarily damage ones coordination and decision making – something to be kept in mind if important things need to be done like driving a car or signing important documents for instance. It reduces sharpness of mind and body and often it may be better to drink a couple of cups of coffee at night time if work needs to be done.

That said it is really up to the individual to decide what is good for them. Some people should perhaps never drink anything – especially those people who lose all control once started or simply cannot handle it.

In general the mature individual interested in active survival should drink in moderation. Red wine preferably as this goes well with food and doesn’t seem to be in the least bit fattening.

My rules would be drink no more than two glasses or half a bottle of red wine a day. Drink with food if possible or if taken late at night, once all chores are done, drink a glass of water with each glass of wine. The reason for this is that alcohol is a bit harsh on the stomach. Have an alcohol free day twice a week or maybe even for a whole week occasionally. My reason for this last rule is that quite often it is hard to stick to the two glass limit and drinking everyday for me seems to reduce my feeling of wellness. When I awake the next day from an alcohol-free day I always feel a lot better. A long period of no drinking only seems to be beneficial for a week or so and then adverse psychological effects weigh in. It’s nice to have a glass of wine to look forward to and there is absolutely no reason to deny oneself this pleasure for too long.