Smart boozing is your way out of trouble. So, Sip Smartly

For decades some form of alcohol has always been considered as a healthy source for the heart if you “Do It Moderately”. Studies & heart specialists found that drinking a glass of wine daily for women and two glasses of wine daily for men have a direct relation to a lower risk of stroke, heart attack, and death from heart disease. But, Of course, if you drink too much, then you negate all these benefits related to moderate drinking and increase the risk of heart problems even more. Smart Boozing only helps with frequent heart events, such as heart attack, stroke, and sudden heart-related death.

But we will not suggest you entirely depend on “Benefits due to Moderate Drinking Funda” blindly. Because…….

Moderate drinking indeed has some perks, and it is evident that smart boozing appears to be healthy for MOST heart conditions, but studies also say it is not fit for ALL heart conditions. Furthermore, current reviews are still not able to clear out why alcohol lowers the risk of only some heart conditions and not others. Boozing might prevent you from some heart conditions, but according to best cardiologists it still carries a lot of other risks of diseases like liver, cancer, depression, infertility, and many more. If you choose to drink, then we will advise you to sip smartly and be more careful about it.

 

Why do people love alcohol?

Alcohol is made of a substance called ethanol, which makes you drunk. Ethanol is produced by yeast from some rich carbohydrate foods like grapes or grains. Alcohol has amazing anxiolytic, or you can say “anti-anxiety” properties. Alcohol inhibits anxiety, and stress marvellously. Alcohol seems to be the best way to unravel for most people. When people start to drink most of the time, they discover that alcohol is something that produces pleasing effects. Because of these illusory effects, people continue to drink even after their drinking becomes a problem. There are various reasons why people start to drink at all, some of which are:

• Stress Relief:
  Alcohol forbids the stress levels, or feeling of anxiety doesn’t matter if you are an alcoholic or moderate drinker because the drink contains marvelous anti-anxiety (anxiolytic) properties. That is why alcohol is an excellent source to unravel a long day for lots of people. People discover this feeling in their early drinking career. A stricken person continues to drink driven by the deception that he/she can stop after a while, despite evidence that alcohol is no longer providing any relief. People crudely hunt this feeling of comfort, but instead, they get dommed and provoke the very stress they wanted to avoid.
• To lose one’s Self-Consciousness
  It’s time to face the truth “out there, there are lots of shy people” and let’s be honest there are also situations in which people don’t want to be nervous at all to daunt. Some common examples of such conditions are first dates and parties filled with strangers. Whatever the case is, people drink to lose their self-consciousness to get more confident & comfortable about nervous-making situations where they otherwise would not. It is commonly known as “liquid courage.” For some people, it is terrific, temporary “social lubricant,” but excessively unconscious people can lead to inappropriate or embarrassing behaviour; this can affect their relationships & cause untold horror.
• Peer Pressure
  Usually, people start to drink in social situations like weddings, parties, cricket matches, etc. where alcohol is an integral part of the event. Most people drink by seeming other people drinking around them, and in most cases, this situation links with young peoples, which is known as “peer pressure.” But this term is not only limited to young people. Peer pressure can occur at any stage of life. In our culture, drinking is universal because it is socially accepted and legal. But for a few people, peer pressure can turn into just an excuse to drink even when they know they shouldn’t, and it’s a problem.

 

If you are a heart patient, then should you be drinking?

Your heart keeps blood moving around your body; it acts as a pump. Your heart takes away unwanted carbon dioxide, waste products, and circulates nutrients & oxygen to all parts of your body. When your heart doesn’t work well due to any damage in your blood vessels, then it also affects your pumping system such a problem is known as cardiovascular disease and leads to the death of millions of people.

According to best cardiologists even if you are not a heart patient, if you don’t set your limits to drink at all, then you are increasing your risks of developing heart problems (which is obvious), but drinking within the boundaries will help keep your heart risks at a low level.

If you don’t drink smartly & you are a regular drinker, then sorry to say you are increasing your risk of developing heart diseases. Trust us or not it’s not right for you And the reasons are:

• High Blood Pressure is the most common & important factor for having a heart attack or stroke & in most cases, excessive drinking causes High blood pressure. Now the reason behind it could be weight gain by excessive drinking & everyone knows excessive or sudden weight gain causes high blood pressure.
• Weak Heart Muscle, heavy drinking also weakens the muscles of the heart, which means the heart won’t be able to pump blood efficiently and can cause death due to heart failure.
• Holiday Heart Syndrome happens after episodes of hefty drinking in a short period. Heart Specialists say when it happens, the heart beats irregularly and makes you feel breathless. In such conditions, blood pressure changes drastically, increasing the risk of an attack, stroke or even sudden death.

Research shows that moderate drinking may have a protective effect on the human heart. But this benefit is restricted to certain people of a certain age. Although the research is still Vague about how drinking alcohol has a protective effect at all. But we have our reasons to believe in the protective effect of drinking on your heart “with facts”:

• Alcohol increases your ‘good’ cholesterol (HDL) levels in the blood. Time to time, some fatty deposits develop in arteries due to which our arteries get narrow and clogged, which later damages the artery. Alcohol has some anti-clotting elements which naturally reduce the clots and prevent the artery from damaging.
• Alcohol prevents the formulation of blood clots (thrombosis), which blocks the arteries & causes a heart attack.
• While consuming your meals, your liver produces fibrinogen which causes a sudden rise of protein & result in clot formation, Sipping a small amount of alcohol with our meals prevent that clot formation.
• Moderate drinking also reduces the stickiness of platelets, so they don’t form any clots.
• It might be possible for you to reduce your chances of having type 2 diabetes. But only if you sip smartly.
• If you do Smart boozing, then you are reducing your chances of dying of heart disease.
• Improve libido in women, but only if you drink smartly. It also improves sexual function in men. Moderate drinking protects against erectile dysfunction both in men and women.
• Alcohol has some antioxidant properties which help you reduce the chances of having a cold, but this benefit is limited to only a few forms of drinks like wine.
• Especially wines can boost your memory, but in most cases, this effect is temporary (usually when you get a bit tipsy).
• Occasional drinking makes your brain cells fitter & tougher, which ultimately helps an individual to cope with significant stresses. It reduces your chances of developing dementia.
• It also reduces your risk of developing Gallstones.

“Reminder” Believe it, or not all these benefits and adverse effects vary from person to person, how much they are drinking and what they are drinking. Every individual responds differently to liquor consumption. We will advise you not to drink at all, but if you still choose to, they prefer less alcoholic beverages over others like beer or wine. The reason behind it is not because they are entirely harmless, but they are less harmful, and comparatively, they are more beneficial than other types of alcohol So choose smartly. No matter what you are drinking, drink smartly.

 

If you genuinely want to protect yourself against heart disease, then don’t start boozing “Not A Good Idea.”

Just think it through, is it really worth it? You are trading off between benefit & risk with your heart and Alcohol. I mean, yes, I agree that Alcohol has some anti-clotting ability, but don’t you think it protects us from heart attacks, strokes or our heart to a minimal extent. Just think it through your heart might need little more than this and your brain too. The reason is Alcohol’s anti-clotting properties make your blood even thinner due to which your blood vessel can burst and cause bleeding inside your brain (Haemorrhagic stroke), which is a severe disease to handle. So it is very much evident that Alcohol’s small benefits are very much overrated. Alcohol increases the risk of developing other severe illnesses, which might be related to your liver or even cancer.

If you genuinely want to reduce your risk of heart diseases, then below are the few ways to minimize your heart disease and keep your heart healthy:

• No to Smoking
• Explore the Miracles of Workout
• No to drinking
• Regular Doctor Visits
• Don’t sit for more than 2 hours at one place, keep on moving
• Meditation is also a good option
• Take a heart-healthy diet
• Pamper Yourself
• Healthy Sleeping
• Keep your BP, Sugar in check &
• Finally, relax, “No Stress.”

 

Who all should not be drinking at all because…….
“Drinking is the devil for you”

There are few cases in which any possible health benefits may underweight over the risks of alcohol. In such cases, either don’t drink at all or consult your doctor & Cardiologist for some advice.

• If you are going through depression, they both have a direct relationship; if one increases more than others also tend to rise simultaneously. Lots of people who are going through anxiety or depression often drink more with the false manifestation of relieving stress. But overall, they are sparking a brutal cycle.
• If you are trying to conceive, then avoid drinking because drinking too much might affect your fertility.
• If you are pregnant, drinking in such a condition has numerous side effects like premature baby, underweight baby, miscarriage, or severe disease like Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).
• If you got diagnosed with alcohol dependence or alcoholism, the reason behind this dependency could be family history, genetics, peer pressure, or mental health.
• If you have liver disease, the liver is an expert in neutralizing the toxic substances that you consume because of this very reason; the liver is more likely to get damaged due to alcohol intake. Due to alcohol, fat in your liver increases.
• If you are trying to lose some weight, it doesn’t matter if you are working out very intensely or having the right diet plan, but if you are consuming alcohol, then you are sabotaging your efforts. The reason behind it is alcohol carries a lot of calories, and these calories are not nutritional at all.
• If you have pancreatic disease
• If you are on any medication, in this situation, either avoid drinking altogether or consult your doctor first.
• If you have mouth, throat, breast, colon, and liver cancer, drinking in such situations will take you a few more steps closer to death.
• If your heart is weak or if you have some severe cardiovascular disease.

 

Here are a few tips to follow if you choose to drink after all and want to minimize your harm & have a good time

Honestly, “not to drink” at all is the best way to minimize the harm (related to alcohol) to your heart. There are many things you can do other than drink to have a good time, such as go to a sporting event, visit a museum or watch a movie. If this is not something you feel comfortable with, then there are ways to mitigate alcohol’s adverse effects. Many people have tried some of these strategies and say they have a better time at the event and have more energy the next day!

Tips for Smarter and healthier drinking

If you choose to drink, pace the rate of drinking by:

• Spacing the time between drinks
• An alternating alcoholic with non-alcoholic beverages
• Drinking slowly and avoid gulping
• Pacing your drinks by the hour

Moderate the effects of alcohol by:

• Eating before and while drinking
• Keeping track of how many drinks you are having
• Planning how much you are going to drink before stopping
• Avoiding drinking games
• Avoiding mixed drinks/ drinks containing hard liquor
• Making sure alcohol is not the focus of your social life. (Having a drink when you go out is different from going out drinking)
• Avoiding alcohol if you are on medication
• Becoming familiar with drinking age laws and campus policies.

 

Best Wishes From HealthyHeartsGurgaon!!!

You deserve to live the best life on this planet for yourself & your loved ones. Nothing should stop you from living a healthy and liberated life that you deserve. Make self-care a priority. Love yourself, love your body, and take charge of your health. We ensure that quitting Alcohol would be a life-changing event for you and draw the maximum benefit to your health. In a healthy body resides a healthy mind and a happy heart. If you are physically and mentally fit, you can fulfill all your responsibility the best. Your happiness will reflect in your conduct and induce happiness and other people’s life as well. By staying healthy, you not only serve your needs but also contribute to make the world an excellent place to live. Leave the poor lifestyle of drinking and nurture the most fantastic gift given by God, your life.

Happy Heart, Happy You
Best Wishes From Dr Monik Mehta