I Drink, Therefore I Am

[loseirdo]

I'm really bothered by the issue of alcohol.

On the one hand, I don't see a problem with having a beer or a glass of wine occasionally, at any age, so long as the individual knows enough to drink responsibly. On the other hand, since the United States has a drinking age, I do see a problem with people drinking who are underage. On the third hand

Comments

[anonymous]

Has anyone ever told you that you think too much about everything? Yeah, I didn't think so. ; )

And it would be pretty tough for you to deny my existence for a variety of reasons...

I like the taste of beer - mostly the "real" beer - the dark kind with better, richer ingredients. Alcohol is a CNS (central nervous system) depressant - not a narcotic. Though narcotics are also CNS depressants, so... yeah. They work in a similar fashion. And yes, there is definitely a nice result when one's inhibitory neurons are depressed. It causes a paradoxical excitement even though alcohol is a depressant. The reason being: the inhibitory neurons are depressed before the excitatory neurons, hence - paradoxical excitement. But if you keep drinking, those excitatory neurons will go down too, and if you drink enough there could be tragic results.

Beer and wine both have health benefits - wine more than beer - red wine more than any other due to higher levels of antioxidants. Research indicates that moderate red wine consumption may help protect against certain cancers and heart disease and can have a positive effect on cholesterol levels and blood pressure as well.

The key to reaping the health benefits of red wine seems to be moderate consumption. Drinking one glass a day for women and up to two glasses a day for men may decrease the risk of heart disease, cancer and stroke. Excessive or binge drinking, however, doesn't produce the same benefits, and can damage the liver like you said. In other words, when it comes to red wine more is not better.

It's most definitely A-OK to never have an alcoholic drink in your life.