Drinking alcohol is a fun past time. It gets you loose, and you can just have a great and silly time with your buddies while at a bar, at a club, or just at your place while watching the game.
Drinking alcohol, whether it’s beer, wine, or liquor has been something that humans have done for decades, and it has no signs of slowing down.
We all know it’s fun to do in moderation, but what about the effects of long-term usage versus short-term? Is drinking alcohol regularly really that bad for you?
It Can Alter Your Brain Development
Studies have shown that kids who start drinking alcohol before the age of 16 have significantly different brain patterns and growth patterns.
When looking at a healthy adult brain, you’ll see many different areas of activity that allow us to store memories, think clearly, or express emotion. When you look at the brain of someone who started drinking heavily early, these same areas of the brain are either not active or show less activity.
This is scary indeed, and it’s all because of the way alcohol goes to your brain and reduces the amount of oxygen you receive there.
Plays Havoc on the Kidneys
Don’t you just hate hangovers? Everyone does. But why do you even get these in the first place? Well, for one, it’s your body’s way of coping with an extra case of dehydration. Without this feeling, you might be ready to go destroy your body even more.
But you feel this way because your body has replaced all of the alcohol with, well, nothing. And there isn’t any water in its place anymore.
When you’re evaporating water on a regular basis, it can result in organ failure or organ destruction due to the need for pumping harder and more often.
For instance, with less water in you, your heart needs to try to pump thick blood everywhere, and this puts serious strain on your organs and heart.
Limit Your Alcohol Consumption
Whenever possible, limit your alcohol consumption to maybe 1 or 2 times per month, and far from every weekend.
With this sort of habit, you’ll be putting yourself in an early grave.
All of that inflammation has to go somewhere, and it usually results in scar tissue forming in your kidneys and liver.
Ouch!
So if you go out with your buddies, just have a few drinks and get a nice buzz going. Getting drunk isn’t that great anymore anyway!
