[readolog_dropcap ]E[/readolog_dropcap]xcessive alcohol consumption has become a staple in modern culture, especially amongst the college culture, which seems to recklessly promote excess drinking as fun, and a right of passage.  Alcohol consumption is promoted heavily for sporting events, and is often accompanied with eating crappy processed foods.   For thousands of years alcohol has been used as a social lubricant and a festive beverage for its intoxicating and relaxing effects on the body, alcohol suppresses the nervous system and greatly reduces motor skills and cognitive function.

Alcohol can actually be an effective way to relax and unwind because of its relaxing and depressive effect on the nervous system.

Alcohol is also a deceptively addictive substance, and often since alcohol is intimately related to socializing. The neurological connections we develop with alcohol use can become deeply ingrained and very hard to break.

[readolog_blockquote ]When the body goes into detoxification mode it must slow down the metabolism which effects glands and hormones such as the thyroid and organs like the heart and liver. [/readolog_blockquote]

By definition alcohol is poison to the human body, you have no nutritional use for alcohol whatsoever.  None.  Alcohol gets broken down by the body into simple sugars and requires the liver and organs to go into overdrive just to process ANY amount of alcohol you put into your body, even if it is just one glass.   You are consuming completely empty calories, and by definition empty calories act as a poison to the body because they require more life force and nutrients to digest than they provide.

The problem with alcohol use is that many people choose to ignore the negative effects that alcohol have on their body, and still drink anyway.

For women as few as two drinks has been shown to have lasting negative effects on hormones and the body.  When the body goes into detoxification mode it must slow down the metabolism which effects glands and hormones such as the thyroid and organs like the heart and liver.

Many grown men consume crappy low-quality beer that is loaded with genetically modified corn by-products and other suspect ingredients every Sunday during football games.

How many people have to make alcohol a part of their culture, including family gatherings and socialization?  What they do not realize is that instead of cultivating good health and longevity they are often using it as an excuse to consume an addictive substance that stresses the entire body just to feel a bit more relaxed.  If we were more in touch with our bodies as a culture, rampant alcohol use would not be tolerated.

The college culture and alcohol use has gotten so out of hand that I would personally consider it to be an epidemic.  I have seen hard-working parents work extremely hard to be able to afford to send their children off to college only to have them abuse the freedom of living on their own and drown in heavy alcohol abuse, which often leads to increased sexual promiscuity and increases the likelihood of further substance abuse problems.

I am not saying that there is not a time and a place to party and find yourself, and if substances are the way you choose to do it, than that is your journey and who am I to say otherwise.  However, the problem I have is that college alcoholism is so RAMPANT and ACCEPTED, even amongst college students themselves in many cases and this raises a cause for concern.  When we have an entire population of 18-20plus year olds who have nothing better to live for than getting drunk and consuming poor quality foods for 4 years, these young adults will end up leaving school brain-damaged and less intelligent than when they went in, and this is a scary thought.

Alcohol use, and particularly binge drinking, or even just having a few too many, can cause catastrophic health effects on the system.  For example a study found that just binge drinking ONCE could cause a leaky gut that leaks dangerous bacteria and toxins into the bloodstream.

So imagine that your body begins processing a few drinks, your detox systems are just managing to eliminate the alcohol in your system, but then you overburden your body even MORE by having just 2-3 drinks to many and becoming drunk.  You then go and get fast food or something fried and toxic.  We already know that alcohol causes a leaky gut, so imagine processed food that ALSO causes gut permeability going into an environment (your intestines) that is already weak and destabilized.

This is why the drinking epidemic amongst college students and alcoholics is so catastrophic to overall health and immunity.  As a culture we are creating people who are learning that getting drunk is ok, and in the process they are destroying the integrity of their gut health, and also their immunity.

I have seen many people go away to college looking vibrant and full of life, only to return very bloated, with skin issues, and constantly getting sick.  The effects of alcohol must be taken more seriously.

So what should we as a society do about it? 

Am I saying that we should prohibit alcohol use entirely?

Or that if you are currently drinking you need to go attend AA?

Or maybe that we should start a campaign to make people feel bad about drinking and to cut it out of your life completely?

No.  None of these things are a productive use of time or energy.  All of these options still make alcohol all-powerful for people who have a problem, because to radically oppose something can oftentimes become its own pathology.

I am simply saying that we become more balanced in our use of alcohol, and here are some guidelines that we can follow:

Realize that portrayal of alcohol in TV and movies is false and plain stupid.  Alcohol consumption in movies and commercials is always over-glorified.  How many movies and shows revolve around college fraternities or big parties where everyone just gets more and more fucked up.  This is not reality and it should not attempt to be mimicked in reality, once we as a culture can evolve from such ridiculous programming we can start to view alcohol for what it really is and use it more responsibly.   A better image that we never get in these party movies or commercials is that young adults often DIE from alcohol consumption.  Lets strive to set an example of conscious and responsible use so that these people do not feel the need to express themselves in this way.

If you genuinely DON’T like the taste or reaction you get from alcohol, DON’T DRINK IT!  This seems like a no-brainer but if you put a shot of vodka up to any child’s nose or mouth and tell them to taste/smell it they will always GAG or shun it away from them!  If you get this reaction from hard liquor or any type of alcohol, DO NOT DRINK.  Be honest with yourself, and take time to realize if you just trained yourself to ignore these signs you get from your own body.  Alcohol is poison and if you are in touch with your body you will physically treat it as such.  To this day my hair stands up and I will get the chills if I just SMELL vodka, let alone drink some.

It takes every ounce of self-control I have not to gag or throw-up when I take a sip or a shot of hard liquor, this really makes it simple for me to NOT DRINK IT!

Realize that just because everyone else is drinking alcohol does not mean that you have to be pressured into drinking to socialize. When I used to go out nearly every single night to bars and clubs to meet new people and hang with friends I would oftentimes never even have a SINGLE DRINK!  And I still never stood out.  I did this by going out and just getting some club soda with lemon or lime, this puts you in a unique situation to really enjoy socializing!  Which is why most people are really going out to begin with.

Trust me, if most people had the courage to go out and meet new friends/lovers without the use of alcohol, they would, and if you can develop this skill you will be much better off.  Many use alcohol as a crutch to let their guards down socially, and while it can be a good tool, oftentimes dependence on it to meet new people becomes a limiting factor.

Be the person who is out feeling BETTER from the drink they got, not feeling WORSE and physically draining themselves, it is a really cool feeling.  If you get a drink with a garnish no one will even know that you are not drinking!

Find a drink that you genuinely like and can appreciate the CULTURE of.  Many people drink swill just to get a buzz; this is the exact OPPOSITE of consuming alcohol mindfully.  Conscious alcohol consumption means that you drink because you LIKE that type of beverage.  You appreciate the craft behind the make of that alcohol, or you love the combination of flavors in a specific cocktail.

When you can go out and get a drink that you actually connect with and appreciate it makes it much more difficult to get bombed or want to get drunk off of it for no reason, because it is something that is more gratifying to begin with.  For example I love having an Old Fashioned cocktail when I go out.  I love having it with Maker’s Mark whiskey and when it is made just right, I find that this cocktail is the perfect combination of subtle flavors that accent whisky’s natural taste.

Enjoying an organic sulfate free red wine over a lovely dinner

I also love the culture behind red wine and how it is produced.  Some wine can only be grown in certain regions of the world!  And you can really taste the difference and quality in different varieties of wine.  Craft beers are another great expression of a drink that many enjoy.  Having a drink that you genuinely love and appreciate will give you something more fulfilling and enjoyable when you go out to socialize with friends.  One or two will do because you can truly appreciate each drink for what it is.

Maybe once in a while you have an extra cocktail or finish a bottle of wine with a lover or some friends when the MOOD is RIGHT, not just for the hell of it.  This is conscious alcohol consumption at its finest.

Have a drink or two with a meal.  Drinking a cocktail or some wine with a meal affects the body much differently than when drinking on an empty stomach.  If you are going out and do not want alcohol to hit you too hard make sure that you do not drink on an empty stomach and limit your alcohol consumption to one beverage if you have not eaten for a while.

If you get a buzz or get drunk… enjoy it!  Do not let me or anyone else tell you that you cannot enjoy a slight buzz or even get drunk once a while off of alcohol, but you should always follow the principal of MODERATION.  If you actually get DRUNK more than once every few months I would consider checking yourself a bit, but even if you do get drunk often do not FEEL GUILTY about it.  Guilt just breeds more of the same and will further facilitate the patterns that cause excess drinking.  Just be mindful of your body and how the alcohol makes you feel.

Everyone always proclaims after drinking: “I’ll never drink again!” the next morning, only to go do it again the weekend after.  Have the clarity and foresight to realize how drinking too much will make you feel the night BEFORE you get caught saying this!

If the mood was right and you got a bit buzzed, do not beat yourself up over it, life is about connecting and being joyful and letting go, alcohol can be a good way to do this, just do not become dependent on it for these purposes.

Do NOT eat processed foods or foods that disagree with you when consuming alcohol.  Drinking means that you will be processing alcohol and putting your liver and organs to work to burn it off, adding processed or crappy “drunk” food to the mix is recipe for disaster as I cited above.  This is a surefire way to a leaky gut and systemic distress.  Have you ever woken up after drinking a bit too much and eating crappy to find that you felt inflamed in your fingers or joints?  This is because your blood has become toxic from the permeability of your gut.  This is the biggest threat that we can place our body under due to decreased immunity and the delicate balance of bacteria in our intestines.

Drink plenty of water.  This is a well-known way to avoid too much of a hang-over and is tried and true for a reason, the best way to limit the toxic effects of alcohol on the body is to DILUTE it with water.  Make sure to stay well hydrated with actual water when drinking or you may find yourself dehydrated and drunk, which puts you in a bad position.

There you have it!  Those are my tips on drinking alcohol responsibly.  Drinking mindfully can be a fun and enjoyable activity when done right.  We can all use alcohol in moderation and truly enjoy the beverage we drink with a meal or good company, or we can abuse this addictive and dangerous substance.  In a culture that seems to want to promote unsafe behavior with alcohol, and also has other extremes about avoiding it completely, it is important that you can find a healthy balance.