5 Myths about Alcoholism You should Stop Believing

There are many misconceptions and myths about alcoholism. Alcohol is a drug. It’s the most socially acceptable one, but a drug nonetheless. Many people make a lot of assumptions about alcohol and about people who drink it. Many of these assumptions are wrong and it may be time to set the record straight once and for all.

Drinking Alcohol as an appetizer

Some people believe that you can drink a few alcoholic beverages before going out for dinner or going to a party to loosen up. This is actually a misconception. Drinking alcohol as an appetizer may make you feel better initially, but it will also make you eat more food.

After a night of drinking alcohol, a person’s body’s metabolism slows down because the liver has been working overtime eliminating the alcohol from your body. You will feel less hungry, making it easier for you to eat less food at your meal.

In addition, alcohol also lowers your inhibitions, which can lead to an overall increase in calorie intake. Instead of drinking alcohol as an appetizer, consider ordering a glass of water and wait until after dinner before having an alcoholic beverage.

Afterwards, it became a habit never be less than any other substance use disorder. For alcoholism or drug addiction treatment, we should ask for professional help at the earliest when we feel we are getting dependent on the substance or alcohol.

It prevents heart disease

Many people erroneously believe that moderate drinking can help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes by improving circulation and boosting HDL levels.

The truth is that moderate drinking even can have the opposite effect on heart health. Research has shown that alcohol may worsen high blood pressure and high cholesterol, both risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Moderate amounts of alcohol may even increase your chances of developing diabetes, according to a study published in Diabetes Care journal in 2008.

However, studies have also shown that people who abstain from alcohol are at higher risk for hypertension and stroke than those who do not drink at all. In addition, heavy drinkers face a higher risk of developing diseases such as cancer and liver cirrhosis. For early intervention, one should go for psychological testing at the earliest for getting intervention about the disease.

Drinking improves your sleep

You’ve probably heard that a drink or two can help you sleep better. But new research suggests moderate drinking could be bad for your sleep.

The latest findings, presented at an annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, found that moderate drinkers sleep less deeply than both nondrinkers and heavy drinkers. The researchers also found that the more alcohol people consumed, the worse they slept.

A link between alcohol and sleep disruption has been suggested in previous studies. One study had people cut their alcohol consumption by more than half for just over a week. Within one or two days, their sleep had improved, said study co-author Dr. Michael Grandner, director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Studies have also pointed to other factors besides alcohol that may contribute to poor sleep habits. Light exposure is one factor.

A study published last year found that workers exposed to bright light while they worked, slept better at night than those who worked in dimmer light conditions. Eating late at night has also been linked to poor sleep quality among shift workers.

Drinking reduces stress levels

The belief that drinking reduces stress and anxiety is a misconception. In reality, alcohol can lead to an increase in stress levels because it affects the central nervous system.

The consumption of alcohol leads to excessive stimulation of the central nervous system, which can cause anxiety attacks, depression, and even paranoia.

The consumption of alcohol also leads to the impairment of brain functioning, which makes you think that you are feeling good and relaxed. But the feeling of relaxation lasts only as long as you are under the influence of alcohol, and once it wears off, you feel even more stressed. If this happens often, it can lead to a build-up of stress levels in your body.

Drinking alcohol dulls chronic pain

Alcohol is often used to cope with the feelings associated with long-term pain. However, it has several drawbacks that should be considered.

  • Mixing alcohol and pain relievers may increase your risk of liver problems, stomach bleeding, or other problems.
  • Research has shown that pain increases alcohol consumption and that this correlation is stronger among people who use alcohol for pain relief. People develop a physiological tolerance to the effects of alcohol, meaning they need to drink more to experience the same effect.
  • Long-term alcohol use can lead to pain. If you have withdrawal symptoms from alcohol, you may feel more sensitive to pain. Also, long-term heavy drinking can cause a certain type of nerve pain.

Alcohol is bad when it becomes addiction and when people become addicts. The person get unable to understand when his enjoyment get into addiction.  When the person comes to know about his addiction and wants to treat it. Understand what should be done and what the family should be aware of?

Conclusion

Research studies show that even small amounts of alcohol can reduce the level of HDL cholesterol (the “good” one), predispose you to cardiovascular diseases, and make you gain weight faster than those who don’t consume any alcohol at all.

Moderate alcohol consumption may also cause temporary memory loss during intoxication and hangovers.

Heavy drinking may also lead to some memory loss and decrease your ability to learn new things.

Dr. JPS Bhatia and the top Psychiatrists go live and answers the queries of patients online.Stay tuned with us to understand the basics of addiction and its treatment theories by mental health experts at the best rehab center in India – The Hermitage Rehab

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