- Welcome!
- Heredity
- Intoxication and tolerance
- What is an addiction?
- Men & Women
- Low risk consumption
- How does the behavior change?
- Alcohol and teenagers
- Drinking less
- Alcohol and traffic
- Alcohol and pregnancy
- The social life
- Alcohol and health
- Warning signals
- High consumption
Welcome!
Here you will find information on the particular significance of heredity, how to reason when you are pregnant and what happens in your body when you drink, among other things. Just click on the chapters that interest you.Heredity
The researchers believe that drinking problems are partly inherited. One way to prove it is through adoption studies. Not that adopted children are more at risk than others, but because we can see that the biological heritage has effects, even if one does not grow up with the biological parents. Thus, it is more common for children of parents with alcohol problems to become addicted themselves.Of course, it is not only the biological heritage which has an effect. The researchers agree that social factors are the most important.
But we do not inherit alcoholism. What scientists believe is that some people have genes that make them more vulnerable to alcohol. While some are able to drink for a very long time, without becoming addicted, others get “hooked” right away. It is the actual reaction to alcohol that may be inherited. But even if one has parents or siblings with alcohol problems, it is not certain that one has inherited those genes. It is the same way in which we inherit the color of our eyes, voice or skin color. Certain parts of us are like our parents or siblings, while others are not.
A person who carries these genes is born with a high tolerance level. This means that one can drink a lot of alcohol before getting drunk and has been able to do so since the beginning, perhaps even as early as in the teenage years. You can read more about this under "Tolerance level".
There are also researchers who believe that you should look further back in the family, not just at the parents. Doesn’t almost everyone have a relative who has or has had alcohol problems? However, there is also a theory which is based on that the heredity risk increases even if one only has distant relatives (a so-called family tree) with alcohol problems.
The research also reveals that the connection is the strongest between father and son. Perhaps it may simply be due to that men have, historically, drunk more than women. Nowadays our drinking habits are more alike, which will perhaps be demonstrated in future statistics.
Intoxication and tolerance
The term intoxication implies that you have had more than 4 glasses on one occasion (woman) and 5 glasses (man). It is therefore not a matter of whether one feels intoxicated or not, because this can all change depending on how your body adjusts to the alcohol.The “tolerance level” explains how much alcohol one tolerates - how much is needed in order to feel “under the influence”. Every time one gets drunk, one increases the tolerance level a bit. Next time one drinks it will require a little more alcohol in order to feel it. For every increase, one takes a tiny step closer to dependency. The dividing line is very individual. Some are able to drink for years without exceeding the personal dependency limit. Others hit the limit in a very short time. We are not making up the fact that there are many 20-year-olds who are dependent on alcohol. This group, who has quickly become dependent, is bigger than what many people think.
Since there is such a big difference between people, it is difficult to compare one with others when drinking alcohol. It may well be that one compares oneself with a person, who is able to get drunk every weekend for years before becoming dependent; while on the other hand one might have the ability of becoming dependent much quicker. If one wants to drink alcohol without increasing the tolerance level, one should drink a little at a time and avoid getting drunk.
Nearly everyone tolerates more alcohol as a grown up than as a fourteen-year-old. It is not that type of tolerance increase, we are referring to. What we mean is that, as an adult, one may notice that one tolerates more than before due to increased alcohol consumption. Most people know that the reaction to alcohol can vary from day to day due to the food intake or due to lack of sleep.
There are people who have an inherited a high tolerance level. To find out if one has that, one has to look back to when one started drinking alcohol. If one clearly remembers that one did not get as drunk as ones friends did, albeit drinking in the same rate, then one might have an inherited high tolerance level. (However, if one is uncertain, one probably has not inherited high tolerance. Those people who have always tolerated more alcohol than others usually know it.) If one has an inherited high tolerance one is worse off from the start. While some acquire a high tolerance, others already have it from the start, thus making the way to dependency much shorter. The inherited tolerance is often, but not always, associated with alcoholism in the family. If you would like to find out more, please read about heredity under “Facts”.
What is an addiction?
Even such a simple question, has no single and clear answer. The closest we can come is "the seven dependence criteria." In order for a physician to diagnose alcohol dependence one should answer yes to (any) three of these questions:
- Have you, in the past 12 months, made an attempt to limit your drinking, but failed?
- Have you, in the past 12 months, spent a lot of time drinking alcohol, been drunk or recovered from intoxication?
- Have you, in the past 12 months, refrained from: important leisure activities, going to work or spending time with your family and friends, in order to drink alcohol instead?
- Have you, in the past 12 months, continued to drink, despite knowing that it is causing problems with other people or that it is causing physical ailments or illnesses?
- Have you, in the past 12 months, noticed that you need to drink much more in order to get intoxicated, than you did before?
- Have you, in the past 12 months, at some time suffered from physical or mental problems when you stopped drinking alcohol (such as tremors, nausea or anxiety)?
- Have you, in the past 12 months, sometimes had more to drink, or for a longer period of time, than you originally had in mind?
If you or someone you know is at risk, we want you to know that there is great help out there. There are a few examples listed, of where to turn to, here in the “Alcohol profile”, under "Contact".
P.S. Many doctors probably consider the term "alcoholic" as old fashioned and would prefer that one referred to “alcohol dependency” instead. We have used the word “alcoholic” here and there anyway, because it sounds a bit simpler and less formal."
Men & Women
In this test, we have different limits for men and women. One might wonder why women are not able to drink as much as men. Some suspect that it is old prejudices that play a part: that we hold on to the time period when women were not expected to drink alcohol at all. During the time when the ration book for wine and spirits was utilized, women were not even allowed to buy alcohol at the liquor store, “Systembolaget”! Even today, there are fewer women than men who are alcoholics. But it is, on the other hand, only in recent years that women have begun to drink alcohol and become drunk, in the same way as men.It is therefore a difficult question. Some people believe it is culturally related and others believe it is biologically. The truth may prove to lie somewhere in between.
Researchers on alcohol have found that women generally tolerate less alcohol than men. It depends primarily on the fact that women typically weigh less than men and have a smaller share of blood and water in the body, which can dilute the alcohol. Another thing is that a portion of the alcohol disappears when it passes the stomach; in the female body, however, only half as much as in man’s. The liver, which is the organ that breaks down alcohol, is often smaller in women. Hormonal differences also exist. Women absorb alcohol faster before menstruation and when being on the pill. The same amount of alcohol can imply double the permillage level for a woman than that of a man.
However, individual differences naturally play a big part. As we all know, there is a great variation between women and women and between men and men. If one is a large woman or a small man, one should not interpret the limits literally.
Low risk consumption
Risks, in relation to alcohol, can take many different forms. One is likely to get headaches, get into fights, be involved in serious accidents, end up in the wrong bed, or become dependent on alcohol. One might get large pores on the facial skin, high blood pressure, liver damage, anxiety or a broken heart. If you really get in deep, the alcohol takes over your life at the expense of friends and family. But even if it does not go that far, a lot of bad things can happen, things that never would have happened if it were not for alcohol.For most people, it is entirely possible to drink alcohol throughout the entire life without getting any major problems. Most of the risks, even though they differ, can be minimized if you avoid becoming intoxicated. It is usually when one gets drunk that one ends up in fights or fall into a lake without a life jacket. But it is also when one is intoxicated that one increases the tolerance level and eventually is likely to become dependent on alcohol. Since the tolerance level may change, you can not rely upon whether you feel intoxicated or not. To be sure, you should never drink, consecutively more than 3 glasses if you are a woman or 4 glasses if you are a man.
Thus, it is better to spread out one’s drinking rather than to have it all during the weekend. Research shows that 0-9 glasses / week for men and 0-14 glasses / week for men lowers the risk for the physical damages – provided that one spreads out the glasses (slightly more than 1 glass per day for women or 2 glasses a day men).
But to drink 1-2 glasses a day is not a general recommendation. If all adults did this, it would be difficult for children to get a ride home from soccer practice. Can one read homework with children, go to parents’ meetings without the smell of alcohol, and avoid falling asleep on the couch after two glasses of wine? Even if one sticks to low-risk drinking habits it can lead to some social implications. There are also those of us who simply can not manage to stick to 1-2 glasses a day but that slowly begins to drink more and more. At that point you are immediately taking greater risks.
If you find that it is hard not to drink over the intoxication limit, it may be better to abstain from alcohol entirely. The same applies of course if you feel sick from alcohol, in spite of a low consumption level.
It is never going to be 100% risk-free drinking alcohol. Besides, there are obviously times when you should not drink alcohol at all e.g. when driving a car, being pregnant, taking medicine, working, or if you are under the age of 18.
How does the behavior change?
If you go to a Swedish bar on a Friday night, it is likely that most of the people you meet have a permillage of more than 0.8. But there is research that shows that you feel at your best prior to exceeding 0.55 permillage. The mistake we often make is that we believe we will have even more fun if we drink more, although it’s been the other way for us in the past. Here, you can see how one feels, at different levels of permillage. This applies only to people with a normal tolerance level. If you have an increased tolerance level, a higher permillage is required; thus one has to drink more to obtain the same effect. And if one has developed alcoholism, it may eventually go the other way; one gets heavily intoxicated from next to nothing.0.2 permillage
Feelings of warmth and relaxation. You'll become happy and alert. Your self-criticism is reduced. You feel comfortable. Accuracy and reaction time starts to deteriorate.
0.5 permillage
Exhiliration. Inhibitions are reduced. Worsened reaction time and precision. Judgment and capacity to absorb information deteriorates. Research has shown that the feelings of well-being one feel from alcohol (through the release of dopamine and endorphins) are the greatest before you exceed 0.55 permillage.
0.8 permillage
Your voice will get loud. Exaggerated movements. Slower reflexes. Worsened coordination. Impaired vision. Excessive self-confidence. Distinct alcohol odor.
1.0 permillage
Slurred speech. Difficult to walk steadily. Impaired muscle control. Difficult to control emotions.
1.5 permillage
Staggering walk. Emotional outbursts. You can be aggressive or start crying. And possibly vomit.
2.0 permillage
You find it difficult to walk upright. Double vision.
3.0 permillage
You can not apprehend what is going on.
4.0 permillage
Unconsciousness. Very slow breathing. Great risk of fatal alcohol poisoning.
Alcohol and teenagers
This test is aimed only for adults. If you are under 18 and have done the test, you can not trust the result, because it is aimed for adults who have, for example, a different tolerance level than you.In Sweden, it is illegal to sell alcohol to minors and this law wasn’t invented to ruin things for teenagers. Of course we all know that many teenagers drink alcohol. Few teenagers are interested in enjoying a good glass of wine with dinner. The whole point of alcohol, for the majority, is to get drunk. But there are many reasons why alcohol and teens is a bad combination.
During the teens, the personality development is extremely sensitive. This is when you develop the self-esteem regarding conversing, dancing, flirting and having fun – and, preferably without alcohol. Otherwise, there is a great risk that you will always need alcohol to do those things. The alcohol can make it easier in the beginning, but the drinking can, in the long run, lead to social handicaps. Some researchers even believe that alcohol can “freeze” the learning - so that anyone who learns something during intoxication actually only remembers it during intoxication.
Teenagers are not able to judge the consequences of their drinking. Not in the same way that most adults can. They have a harder time noticing when they get drunk and they often become drunk too soon. Those who drink a lot in the teens can become dependent in just a few years. For adults, it usually takes a longer time, and it might be easier to see the warning signs and stopping on its own. Young people tolerate less alcohol. A common assumption is that a growing body does not tolerate alcohol as well as an adult; a statement that even mothers try to tell their fifteen year old sons, approaching 2 meters and with 45 in shoes. The truth is that there is no magic alcohol hormone that kicks in on the 18th birthday and that make alcohol harmless to the body. Alcohol is harmful for both young and old. One factor significant factor, however, is the body size; a small body does not have that much body fluid to dilute the alcohol which speeds up the intoxication.
Almost everyone who tries drugs for the first time is intoxicated. If a teenager does not drink, the risk of trying drugs is reduced radically. Moreover, one can see an early alcohol debut as a warning sign that all is not right. Those who get drunk early are overrepresented among those who commit crimes a few years later. However, it is difficult to know what comes first. Presumably, there are several underlying reasons, for both the early alcohol debut, and the other problem.
Drunken teens can suffer serious harm. Violence and alcohol are related. In eight out of ten cases of violent crime, alcohol is in the picture. The abuser is usually intoxicated and, in half the cases, also the victim. The risk for all types of accidents increases since the brain does not function as well as usual, e.g. traffic accidents, slip and falls, fire accidents and drowning accidents. But alcohol also creates serious relationship problems. Many teenagers report, in surveys, that they while being drunk, have gotten into quarrels with friends, had sex even though they did not really want it, or had sex without using protection.
Those who begin drinking early may have problems later on. It is always very difficult to say what causes what. But one can still determine from research that those who start drinking early, more often, experience problems with alcohol later in adolescence. The vast majority of people who drink a lot during the teenage years cut down as they get older and drink normally. But there are studies showing that the risk of alcohol problems in adulthood is greater if one started drinking a lot at an early age.
One can also see that teenagers, who are offered alcohol at home, drink more than those who are not. "To teach teenagers to drink alcohol in a natural way" is according to statistics, just making them drink more. The alcohol they are offered, just adds on to what they will have with their buddies.
Drinking less
Why cut down?
To cut down on drinking is one of the most important things you can do to protect your health. It improves self-esteem, the physical condition and better self-control. One avoids unnecessary quarrels with friends, the morning-after angst and tough hangovers. You get better at work; you will improve concentration and sleep better. You will not be tired during the day and your skin will improve. The risk of getting liver disease, hypertension, strokes and certain types of cancer will decrease - as will the risk of being involved in an accident or have problems in the family. You can better enjoy your sex life, you’ll have greater chances of having children and more likely to give birth to a healthy baby. The risk of obesity decreases and you’ll have more money left over.
12 ways of drinking less
- Write a diary. It helps you to control the drinking and sticking to the target. You will find out in what situations you are drinking more and it will be easier to avoid them.
- Stay on target. Calculate a reasonable weekly limit and stick to it. It's also good to set a target for special occasions, parties or restaurant visits, for example.
- Talk about it. Talk to your closest ones that you are cutting down. They can help out instead of inciting beer competitions.
- Watch out when at home. Most people enjoy bigger glasses at home than when they go out, especially at parties. Be careful not to exceed your goals. Try to find other methods of relaxation, so you do not drink the first thing you do when you get home.
- Buy non-alcoholic alternatives. Experiment until you find something you really like, such as non-alcoholic drinks, non-alcoholic beer, cider or soft drinks.
- Say no. Do not let anyone persuade you to drink more than you've decided to. It’s annoying when people try to incite one to drink alcohol, but one can always choose to drink fewer glasses or lighter drinks than others.
- Do not let someone else fill your glass. You’ll have better control if you pour it yourself. You can drink slowly or choose non-alcoholic alternatives.
- Slow down the pace. Sip on the glass, put it down between sips or choose smaller glasses. Have a small beer, instead of a large one. Avoid extra strong brands. Drink water between drinks or some other non-alcoholic beverage. Or choose drinks with lower alcohol.
- Find something else to do. Make a list of alternative activities. Jogging, swimming, movies, or a project you have long dreamed of.
- Assign whole days without any alcohol, at least a couple of times a week.
- Reward yourself. Keep track of your progress. Give yourself a pat on the back when you deserve it. Cutting down requires willpower and self-control so you have the right to be proud of yourself when you have succeeded. But only reward yourself once you've reached the goal.
If it becomes difficult
It is not always easy to change the way you drink. Eventually, you will have a different way of drinking, but it may take time. There are many ways to cut down on drinking. You may need to experiment a bit in order to find a way that suits you. If your first attempt does not work, see it as an experience and try something else instead.
- Remind yourself why you originally wanted to cut down.
- Ask for help from a friend, family member or physician.
- Remember the days when you have been successful, such as those times when you decided to do something else instead of going to the pub.
- If you can you do it once, you can do it twice!
Additional information
To find out more on alcohol counseling, you can contact your doctor or the nearest treatment center for alcohol. There are a few examples listed of where to turn to here in the “Alcohol profile”, under "Contacts".
Alcohol and traffic
What does the law say?
Drunk driving" means that one drives a motor vehicle with at least 0.2 permillage in the blood. One also refers to drunk driving if there are narcotic substances in the blood or if you simply are so affected by alcohol, or something else, that you are not able to drive safely. The penalty is fines or imprisonment for up to 6 months. In addition, one’s license is revoked for 1-12 months.
If one is convicted of "drunk driving" the penalty may be imprisonment for up to 2 years and the license may be revoked for 12-36 months. You would then have had to been driving a motor vehicle with at least 1.0 permillage in the blood or been significantly under the influence or driven in a manner that implied imminent danger to others on the road. The term motor vehicle can also mean a car, moped, motorcycle, snowmobile or other off-road vehicles.
What effect does alcohol have on you in traffic?
The alcohol reduces inhibitions, impairs the judgment and reduces self-criticism. It can make a person, who is usually well aware of that alcohol and driving do not belong together, get on the road.
In addition, alcohol has a direct impact on performance. The risk for accidents increases since a person under the influence is not able to handle the critical situations which may arise in traffic. In actual test-drives it has shown that a driver's ability to cope with situations which require sudden evasive maneuvers are clearly impaired even at levels as low as 0.2-0.3 permillage.
Why your driving ability becomes worse:
- The sight. When the alcohol level in the blood increases, the eyes’ ability to function together worsens. This leads to a decreased ability to judge distance. When you get really drunk, you will have double vision. In darkness the effects are the greatest. Even at a very low permillage level, the blinding sensitivity increases and it takes longer to regain night vision.
- The ability to react. The reaction time, especially in situations that are complex and where one quickly has to take action, is prolonged even at a low permillage level.
- Coordination. The central nervous system is stunned by the alcohol, and the interaction between muscles and nerves get worse. It becomes harder to conduct smooth and precise maneuvers.
- Attention. The brain is not able to handle as much information as usual, which leads to an inability to retain the same amount of information, compared to when one is sober, of a wide field of view. The effect results in tunnel vision. One simply misses out on significant information.
- Fatigue. The alcohol has a numbing effect on the body even if you feel stimulated. You do not notice when you start getting sleepy.
One cannot give a good answer to that question. The variations are huge between individuals and even between different occasions for the same person. It is therefore best to be safe than sorry and to abstain completely from alcohol if you're going to drive.
The day after
The ability to drive can be considerably reduced, even the day after. Experiments have shown that the driving performance was reduced with 20 percent, even when the subjects had no alcohol left in the body or felt hung over.
At sea.
It is equally important not to drink when you're on a boat. Not only because alcohol impairs judgment and balance, but also because it shortens the survival time if falling into the water. Half of those who drown have alcohol in their blood.
Alcohol and pregnancy
It is highly unlikely that a mother would think of pouring red wine in the baby’s bottle. Yet, about 30 percent of all expectant mothers drink alcohol during pregnancy, according to a survey from 2004. In some cases it might be due to ignorance. You might not think that a large can of medium-strength beer (3.5) contains 4 cl of hard liquor. That’s almost like a normal sized drink.
Many midwives say that pregnant women often ask "how much they can drink without harming the child." The truth is that there is no guaranteed safe quantity and the general recommendation is therefore, for pregnant women, to completely abstain from alcohol.
Alcohol passes from the mother's blood to the baby through the placenta. The concentration of alcohol is the same in the child's blood as the mother’s. The difference is that the child's premature body can not break down and neutralize alcohol as fast as the mother's own body can. Since alcohol is a poison in the same way as narcotics, certain medicine and chemical substances, the child may be damaged.
The damage that children might suffer is usually divided into three groups: growth retardation, brain damage and abnormal appearance. Children who exhibit symptoms of all three groups have a so-called full-blown Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).
The brain develops throughout the pregnancy and alcohol damages the growing nerve cells. The damage that occurs in the central nervous system is difficult. Even deviations in the appearance may be due to that the mother has been drinking alcohol.
Alcohol and children
Infants are very sensitive to impressions. It can create a feeling of insecurity among them when the parents behave and smell differently. Alcohol also affects concentration and judgment; abilities that should be on top when dealing with a small child. If you are going to drink you should make sure that someone else will take care of your children.
Older children have said, in interviews, that they think it is uncomfortable when adults are drunk. Even if those adults do not have alcohol problem and are people they know.
The social life
For many of us, alcohol is part of having fun. Especially if one celebrates a birthday or a special holiday. Alcohol has a social significance, resolving tensions and improving the mood, as so long as it is consumed in moderation. Alcohol can, on the other hand, create social problems. People with incipient alcohol problems, often have no apparent problems. They have jobs, homes, family and children. But if one continues to drink a lot, it is often just a matter of time before one has problems with friends, end up in debt, have trouble at work or difficulties keeping the home.It is easy to believe that alcoholism only affects others. The image of an alcoholic is, too many people, a lonely, ostracized person living on a park bench. However, the fact is that some studies suggest that those who are social and outgoing are the ones who are most prone to alcohol problems. Of course, there are people with mental disorders who become alcoholics. But there are also many who first become alcoholics and then become lonely and depressed, as a result of he drinking.
Alcohol consumption is one of the main causes for domestic violence, child abuse and broken homes. And family problems, after a divorce, do not only affect one person but all the family members. Those hardest hit are the children. They are in a very vulnerable situation and often experience problems in kindergarten as well as in the school. Children of addicts also run a greater risk than others to develop alcohol or drug abuse. Abuse or high consumption, within the family, also affects parenting negatively. Denial, guilt, shame, unpredictability, inconsistency and conflicts are concepts recognized by those who live in a family where there is an alcohol problem.
Even the moderate, "continental" everyday drinking can have social consequences. What would it mean for instance, if most adults would drink 1-2 glasses of wine a day? (Which, from a strictly health perspective, may not involve that many risks?) Who would then get the children to soccer practice? Can one read the homework with ones children, go to the parent meetings without the smell of alcohol and avoid falling asleep on the couch after 2 glasses of wine?
The social pressure – demands of not being a bore but to lighten up and have a few drinks - often makes the person drink, who really does not want or had intended to do so.
Alcohol and health
Alcohol affects virtually all tissues and systems in the human body. We experience some effects as positive but many are harmful, in the short or in the long term. One cannot say how much alcohol the body can withstand. Some of us are more sensitive than others. Examples of problems that occur even at low consumption of alcohol may be birth defects, accidents and increased risk of cancer.
Here are some examples of what happens in the body when you drink alcohol:
Brain
Pros: Small amounts of alcohol give feelings of pleasure and stimulation. You feel refreshed, relaxed and inhibited.
Cons: Small amounts of alcohol impair the judgment, the memory, the ability to react, the sleep and the emotional life. Prolonged alcoholism shrinks the brain and an alcoholic may experience epileptic seizures, dementia or other brain diseases.
Muscles
Cons: The muscles weaken while drinking alcohol. Endurance decreases, one becomes physically weaker.
Heart
Pros: Some researchers believe that small amounts of alcohol may protect the heart, especially for people over 50 years. At the same time there are obvious risks, which is why there is a consensus among international researchers that it is not possible to recommend alcohol in order to prevent cardiovascular disease. All researchers believe that large amounts of alcohol harm the heart.
Cons: The heart has to work harder, the pulse and the blood pressure increase. High alcohol consumption depletes the heart muscle; the heart weakens and creates life-threatening arrhythmia.
Lungs
Cons: Higher risk of respiratory infections, pneumonia and tuberculosis due to a weakened immune system and various deficiency states.
The Liver
Cons: High alcohol consumption causes a number of liver diseases: cirrhosis, fatty liver, liver inflammation, among others. Alcoholics have liver cancer more often than those who do not drink.
Osteoporosis
Cons: High alcohol consumption increases the risk of osteoporosis and gout.
The Colon
Cons: Increased risk of colon cancer.
Infections
Cons: Alcohol inhibits the bone marrow's ability to produce defense cells to protect the body from infections.
Metabolism
Cons: Alcohol contains a lot of energy and little nutrition. Abusers therefore often suffer from various deficiencies, e.g. a form of B-vitamin deficiency which sets off nerve inflammations and low levels of vitamin D which weakens bones. Impaired bowel function gives diarrhea and weight loss.
Psychiatric Disorders
Cons: The most common are anxiety and depression. The suicide risk increases. Moreover, alcoholics may, during abstinence, suffer from hallucinations, delirium and seizures.
Oral cavity
Cons: Alcohol can cause oral cancer. Alcoholics are prone to tooth decay, periodontoclasia and inflammation of the gums and tongue.
Pharynx
Cons: high consumers are more likely to have cancer of the throat, in the oesophagus and trachea.
Breast / women
Cons: Even relatively moderate alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer.
Reproduction / women
Pros: increases sex drive, easier to relax.
Cons: High consumption of alcohol disrupts the menstrual cycle and impairs the ability to become pregnant.
Reproduction / men
Pros: sex drive increases, inhibitions drop.
Cons: potency declines if you drink a lot because the nerves that control the sexual organs blunt. The ability to carry out a sexual intercourse decreases at the same rate as alcohol intake increases. High alcohol consumption impairs sperm quality and is one of the most common causes of infertility.
Small intestine and stomach
Cons: Gastritis is common among those who drink. Alcohol causes damage to the small bowel mucosa, leading to a reduced ability to absorb nutrients from food. Risk for vitamin deficiency and other deficiency diseases.
The blood vessels
Cons: Alcohol expands the blood vessels. Fine receptacles in the brain and on the facial skin may burst. Abuse may cause high blood pressure. Alcohol consumption increases the risk of dangerous hypothermia e.g. when swimming outdoors because the blood vessels do not constrict as effectively otherwise.
Blood
Pros: One glass of wine a day reduces blood levels of harmful cholesterol.
Cons: Alcohol lowers the blood sugar level resulting in weakness, dizziness, confusion, and hunger. Anemia may occur due to the effects of bone marrow and lack of vitamin B absorption in the intestine.
Warning signals
If you read about tolerance under “Facts” you know that it is when one gets drunk that one increases the tolerance level and eventually risks becoming dependent. An occasional glass does not increase the tolerance limit, but if one gets drunk often one will tolerate more and more and if continuing long enough one might possibly become dependent. This may, strangely enough, happen in a couple of years for one person and take a decade for someone else.
But before one develops definite dependency, one will notice warning signs. Here are some examples of small signs that one is on the way of having alcohol problem:
1. Loss of Control
This does not mean to dance uncontrollably on the table, but losing control over how much one is drinking. A typical example is that one has decided to go out and have ONE beer, but remains in the bar and drinks until closing. Many people may have been in similar situations at some point in their lives. It does not necessarily have to mean you have an alcohol problem; it may, for instance, just be that you have met a very interesting person at the bar and had a lot to talk about. But the repeated loss of control over how many glasses one drinks is a serious warning sign. Loss of control is one of the clearest symptoms of alcohol problems.
2. Many thoughts revolve around alcohol
Another warning sign is that a big part of life is spent on planning the drinking. It sounds serious when it is described like this, but it is not uncommon for people to have alcohol as a hobby. For example: You spend much time thinking about whether there will be enough alcohol at the party or if you must bring your own. One plans to attend social events, mostly because alcohol might be offered there. One often takes the initiative to go to pubs, baseball games, after parties and after-work events, mostly to find an excuse to drink. That’s when the alcohol’s role in life has become too big.
3. Pick-me-ups
A pick-me-up can be anything from a drink when you wake up, to a medium-strong beer on a late Sunday brunch. The common thing for all pick-me-ups is that they calm shaky hangover nerves. If one has developed alcoholism, one does not only experience small insignificant tremors the day after, but real shakes which makes it difficult even to hold a coffee cup. Regularly numbing abstinence with alcohol is a warning sign whether you have developed dependency or not and regardless of what type of alcohol one drinks.
4. Blackouts
A single blackout does of course not mean that one is regarded as an alcoholic. But if one repeatedly suffers from memory loss when drinking, it is a sign that one is heading in a dangerous direction.
5. Relationship problems
The alcohol’s large impact on the relationship with the family, friends and lovers, is perhaps one of the most difficult things a person with alcoholism experiences. Most people probably think that gastritis is easier to live with than a divorce, and loneliness. Even "ordinary" partying on the weekend may well affect the relationship negatively. For example, it is very common to make enemies, become jealous and say things one regrets due to alcohol. When one has to spend time to sort out things that one said or did while intoxicated, then one knows alcohol has taken over in a negative way.
High consumption
'What is "high consumption" of alcohol? In the Alcohol Profile, we sort out all responses into different levels. The lowest level is 0-14 glasses / week for men and 0-9 glasses / week for women. This level implies a very small risk for problems, provided that one spreads out the drinking and avoids getting drunk.
If you drink more, the risk for problems immediately increases. On the other hand, one cannot say that 16 glasses a week will lead to some problems and 24 glasses per week to others. The only thing we can say is that there is no low-risk level any longer, and that risks increase the more you drink. For example, one can see an increased risk of certain cancers in women who drink 20 cl or more, of wine a day!
Some people are more vulnerable than others. It is also important HOW one drinks; even seven glasses a week can mean greater or lesser risk depending on if one has one drink per day or all seven in a row. The general rule is that it is better to spread out the drinking than to drink a lot at one time.
Drinking a lot of alcohol during one single week in one’s life does not necessarily have to lead to any lasting alcohol problems. Most people magically arrive home safely, after a week of hardcore drinking on the vacation, provided that they have managed to avoid accidents when being drunk. But if one constantly, week after week, drinks more than what we refer to as a "low level" one actually risks dependency, health problems and social consequences.
If one, as a woman, drinks more than 25 glasses a week and as a man, more than 35 glasses a week, one is considered to have harmful alcohol consumption. It means that one is almost never capable to drive a car, handling demanding tasks at work or school or setting a good example for ones children. In addition, one is at a much greater risk of having accidents (particularly head injuries), medical injuries, depression, anxiety and sleeping problems.