Alcohol or Ethanol intake is increasing in India and gaining social acceptance as we embrace western cultural influences to be part of the Global village. Of course this doesn't mean that alcohol intake is only an import from the west because alcohol abuse has long history even among traditional cultures, events and ceremonies. What western influence has done is to create an impression of alcohol being 'cool' thanks to subtle advertising, promotion of youth events and sports by alcohol manufacturers.
I recently read a newspaper article published in a local daily in Goa that published data from a nationwide household survey among those aged between 10-75 years conducted by teams from Union Misitry of Social Justice and Empowerment. This was called the 'Magnitude of substance abuse in India 2019'. It found that the national average of alcohol intake prevalence was 14.9% among those between ages of 10-75 and that in males was significantly higher. My personal belief is the survey may have underestimated the data and if the age group was from 15-65 perhaps the figures would be much higher.
Without beating around the bush, let us be clear about one thing....Alcohol is a cellular poison
A miniscule amount of ethanol is produced in our body by process of fermentation. So nearly all ethanol is what we consume.
More than 90% of ethanol consumed is dealt with by the liver. Minor amounts are dealt with by other organs and eliminated through breath or sweat. Ethanol metabolism in liver is a two step process as shown in accompanying diagram...and involves two main enzymes viz Alcohol dehydrogenase and Acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. While this process is very efficient it is neither limitless nor of equal efficiency in all. This is one of the main reasons why ill effects of alcohol are not uniform among all those who consume the same amount.
There are racial, genetic and other variations in how much a person can metabolise and that rate is unique for a person. If one consumes more or quicker than what one can metabolise, particularly in very large quantities over a short time ( binge drinking) or moderately large quantities persistently for many years the ill effects of alcohol are likely to be more severe.
The ill-effects of alcohol can be physical, mental or social. Suffice to say no aspect of a person's life is not at risk when alcohol abuse exists.
In this post I will confine myself to only the physical effects. Without exaggeration, no organ or tissue of the body is not at risk from ill effects of excess alcohol intake. It is a common misconception that alcohol is only a risk for the liver and the pancreas.
The accompanying graphic lists potential risks of alcohol intake but I must mention that a causal association between alcohol and all these disorders has not been firmly established. The statistical data supporting association however is fairly compelling to disregard.
Many people live under false assumptions that 'occasional drinking', 'social drinking' or 'drinking beer' or ' drinking good quality alcoholic drinks', somehow provides them amnesty against its ill effects. Alcohol in any form or quantity has the potential to cause ill effects. However statistically the risk of liver disease is higher when more than 5-6 standard drinks are consumed by a man or more than 2-3 standard drinks are consumed by a woman in a week particularly if consumed for more than 5 years. I wish to warn the readers that this is only a statistical finding and only as far as the liver is concerned. It does not mean this is a recommended or safe amount because there is no reliable way to estimate an individuals capacity to metabolise alcohol safely.
There is some confusion in people's minds as to what a standard drink means.
The accompanying graphic sheds some light on internationally accepted definition of a standard drink.
As you can see all forms of alcohol can be considered a standard drink.
Alcohol not only can cause ill effects on its own but also amplify the ill effects of other substances as well as metabolic disorders like obesity and diabetes.
I often find patients lamenting their luck or negotiating that despite drinking much more, their friends have no problems. This is a facetious argument as every person is different and just because someone is not showing symptoms doesn't necessarily mean all is well.
So dear readers, don't drink
No amount of alcohol is 'all cool'
I recently read a newspaper article published in a local daily in Goa that published data from a nationwide household survey among those aged between 10-75 years conducted by teams from Union Misitry of Social Justice and Empowerment. This was called the 'Magnitude of substance abuse in India 2019'. It found that the national average of alcohol intake prevalence was 14.9% among those between ages of 10-75 and that in males was significantly higher. My personal belief is the survey may have underestimated the data and if the age group was from 15-65 perhaps the figures would be much higher.
 |
| Gomantak Times 1st July 2019 |
A miniscule amount of ethanol is produced in our body by process of fermentation. So nearly all ethanol is what we consume.
There are racial, genetic and other variations in how much a person can metabolise and that rate is unique for a person. If one consumes more or quicker than what one can metabolise, particularly in very large quantities over a short time ( binge drinking) or moderately large quantities persistently for many years the ill effects of alcohol are likely to be more severe.
The ill-effects of alcohol can be physical, mental or social. Suffice to say no aspect of a person's life is not at risk when alcohol abuse exists.
In this post I will confine myself to only the physical effects. Without exaggeration, no organ or tissue of the body is not at risk from ill effects of excess alcohol intake. It is a common misconception that alcohol is only a risk for the liver and the pancreas.
Many people live under false assumptions that 'occasional drinking', 'social drinking' or 'drinking beer' or ' drinking good quality alcoholic drinks', somehow provides them amnesty against its ill effects. Alcohol in any form or quantity has the potential to cause ill effects. However statistically the risk of liver disease is higher when more than 5-6 standard drinks are consumed by a man or more than 2-3 standard drinks are consumed by a woman in a week particularly if consumed for more than 5 years. I wish to warn the readers that this is only a statistical finding and only as far as the liver is concerned. It does not mean this is a recommended or safe amount because there is no reliable way to estimate an individuals capacity to metabolise alcohol safely.
There is some confusion in people's minds as to what a standard drink means.
 |
| 1fl oz is about 30ml |
As you can see all forms of alcohol can be considered a standard drink.
Alcohol not only can cause ill effects on its own but also amplify the ill effects of other substances as well as metabolic disorders like obesity and diabetes.
I often find patients lamenting their luck or negotiating that despite drinking much more, their friends have no problems. This is a facetious argument as every person is different and just because someone is not showing symptoms doesn't necessarily mean all is well.
So dear readers, don't drink
No amount of alcohol is 'all cool'
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