Alcohol gives you infinite patience for stupidity. ~Sammy Davis Jr.
Alcohol is intertwined with human history. Ancient Greeks had drinking parties, or symposia, which could be celebratory events or debacles. The modern Greek system (as in college fraternities) continues this tradition today in almost the same format but without togas.
So is drinking alcohol good or bad for you? Like so many answers in MindfulEats, the answer is it's usually fine in moderation BUT it depends. Research indicates that moderate alcohol drinking may provide health benefits. Most of the health benefits seems to come from red wine, which has resveratrol and flavonoids as well as other antioxidants. The resveratol may help reduce the risk of heart disease and heart attacks. These are all available in other foods like grape juice, tea and dark chocolate.
If you don't currently drink, there is no reason to start drinking to get these benefits.
For those of you that do/have had a drink, you know that people react in different ways. Drinking can be pleasurable - it can help you "unwind" and it can make you funnier and more talkative. There's also the flip side, when the demon pops out and you end up apologizing the next day for being overserved. It definitely dampens your judgement. George W. Bush quit drinking completely one morning - I'm guessing the quitting included a massive apology for the evening before. We all know people that quit - whether for a while or forever. Like caffeine, you should be mindful of how much you drink and why. Drinking can be a slippery slope. If you need a glass, or three, to unwind and be funny, that's a problem. Find other ways to unwind (and I know it's hard to believe, but you really aren't any funnier). If you need a drink to face certain situations, that's a problem. If you're an alcoholic or you know someone that is, get help.
Drinking also makes you fat. They're known as empty calories since they don't add any nutrition (except for that moderate glass of red wine). On average:
- Beer, 12 oz, 149 calories
- Light Beer, 12 oz, 110 calories
- Red wine, 4 oz, 80 calories
- Dry white wine, 4 oz, 85 calories
- Sweet white wine, 4 oz, 105 calories
- Liquer (vodka, gin, whisky, etc), 1 oz, 65 calories
- Sweet Liquer (Drambuie, Cointreau, Kahlua, etc), 1.5 oz, 188 calories
- Champagne, 4 oz, 84 calories
- Margarita, 4 oz, 168 calories
Toss back a few of those and you've added some insta-pounds.
So what's moderation? Obviously it depends on size and gender, but the general rule of thumb is two drinks a night for men (14 a week) and one for women (7 a week). And that doesn't mean a week's worth in one night.
Want to learn more?
- Mayo Clinic Guidelines: Keep it Moderate
- American Heart Association on Wine and Heart Disease
- Alcohol Calorie Calculator
- Beer Calories: This cool site lists your beer, calories and alcohol content
