2023-10-26 13:10:00
Alcohol is strongly rooted in our culture and traditions. It is “ the most consumed psychoactive substance in France. Alcohol consumption concerns 87% of people aged 18 to 75,” warns the High Authority for Health (HAS), which published in October 2023 a guide for concerned health professionals to better detect and limit risks. of alcohol consumption within the population. According to the authority, “in France, talking regarding the risks associated with its use remains difficult, even taboo » (source 1). However, the risks are numerous: “Whatever the methods of use, alcohol carries risks, for yourself and those around you, and can lead to complications affecting all dimensions of life,” recalls HAS. Dr. Catherine Simon, addictologist, deciphers for us the effects of alcohol on our body.
1. We are unequal when it comes to alcohol
Blood alcohol level depends on the quantity consumed, the speed of consumption and whether or not you have eaten, but also on body size, sex, age and genetics.
“With equal consumption, blood alcohol levels rise more in a woman than in a man of the same weight, due to less muscle mass,” explains Dr. Catherine Simon. As musculature diminishes over the years, it is the same for older people.
2. Alcohol disinhibits
Absorbed as such in the small intestine, the small alcohol molecule quickly passes into the blood and is distributed throughout the body. Particularly in the brain, where it modifies the functioning.
After drinking, we observe the release of dopamine and endorphins which provide excitement and euphoria, and an action on serotonin, a sort of moderator of behavior, according to our expert.
By acting on mood and emotions as well as on the capacity for judgment, these upheavals can lead to a sensation d’euphorieor make somebody sadet encourage risk-taking.
3. Alcohol alters our senses
By deregulating exchanges between neurons, alcohol increases reaction time – from one second without alcohol, the average reaction time increases to 1.5 s with a blood alcohol level of 0.5 g per l – and decreases reflexes, alertness and resistance to fatigue.
Alcohol impairs vision, estimating distances and coordinating movements. Moreover, its disinhibiting effect leads to underestimating the dangers.
Thus, when driving, the risk of being responsible for a fatal accident is multiplied by eight. According to the High Authority for Health, “alcohol is involved in 30% of fatal road accidents” (source 1).
4. Alcohol is harmful to the brain
Whether in adolescents or adults, alcohol consumption has harmful effects on the brain.
Drunkenness in teenagers damages their brain
“Until the age of 25, the brain continues to mature,” explains the expert. Medical imaging has made it possible to observe that repeated excessive consumption before this age can leave neurobiological traces in certain areas of the brain, the cortex and the hippocampus, which result in learning and memorization disorders. . »
THE “ bitures express » (le binge drinking) are therefore harmful not only immediately (ethyl coma, etc.), but also in the long term, since they irreversibly alter the ability to remember, concentrate and analyze.
According to the High Health Authority, “Alcohol consumption concerns 77% of 17 year oldsalmost half of them practicing occasional heavy drinking or binge drinking ».
Drinking any amount of alcohol is harmful to the brain
According to a British study of 25,000 people, published in May 2021, any amount of alcohol consumption would be harmful to the brain. Precisely, even a moderate alcohol consumption is linked to lower gray matter density. Researchers found that the higher the alcohol consumption, the lower the brain volume. “There is no threshold for drinking – any alcohol is worse. Almost the entire brain appears to be affected – not just specific areas, as previously thought,” explained lead author Anya Topiwala, a clinical lecturer at the University of Oxford (source 2).
5. You can be addicted without drinking every day
We then talk regarding psychological dependence. “This is the case for people who systematically drink in certain situations to relax, get euphoric or boost themselves,” explains Dr. Simon. When we can no longer do without drinking in these situations, we are alcohol dependent. »
In addition to the psychological suffering that this dependence causes, the risk is to consume more and more and to fall into physical dependence. This threshold varies depending on the individual. Physical dependence manifests itself in particular by signs of withdrawal when stopping or reducing consumption.
6. Alcohol is a hard drug
Generated by the production of dopamine, the pleasure aroused by alcohol consumption encourages consume more and more. “However, as soon as consumption becomes frequent and significant, the cells reorganize their functioning,” continues Dr. Simon. If you stop drinking, nothing works. »
In addition to discomfort and a compelling desire to consume, we observe sweating, morning tremors, sleep problems, irritability… Weaning is difficult. And, as everything remains recorded in the memory, a single drop of alcohol can make you plunge once more following a period of abstinence.
7. Alcohol amplifies digestive difficulties
Alcohol is an irritant which weakens the mucous membranes, in particular digestive, ENT and oral with which it is in direct contact. By acting on the valve located between the stomach and the esophagus, it promotes gastric reflux. It can cause heartburn, abdominal pain.
8. An increased risk over time of hypertension, cancer, etc.
It’s between the ages of 40 and 60 that we pay for abuse! The consequences of drinking alcohol above recommended limits manifest themselves over time, warns Dr. Simon. This particularly favors thehigh blood pressure and thehypercholesterolemia.
Alcohol may promote 11 different types of cancer
Alcohol consumption is also a frecognized risk actor for many cancers. Especially if we associate tobacco with it. What a large study confirms, in 2021 in the journal Nature Communicationswhich compared the results of 860 meta-analyses conducted on diet, alcohol consumption and cancer rates.
Alcohol is a major risk factor for 11 cancersand might in particular increase the risk of colorectal, liver, breast, esophagus, but also head and neck cancer.
9. Alcohol makes you gain weight
Pure alcohol is very energetic: 7 calories per gram compared to 4 for sugar. And since it is often ingested with drinks containing sugar, it is a double penalty for the figure. The body first uses energy from carbohydrates to function, energy from alcohol is stored in the form of fat, particularly around the abdomen.
10. Alcohol may promote desire, not performance
By disinhibiting, alcohol can promote arousal, in both men and women. But, when it comes to acting out in love, it seems to have a disruptive effect.
The various studies carried out on the subject highlight difficulties in maintaining an erection in men, and in achieving pleasure for both partners.
11. Alcohol can put you at immediate risk of atrial fibrillation
According to a study published in August 2021 in Annals of Internal Medicinedrinking a glass of wine or a can of beer immediately increases the risk of suffering from atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder (source 3). “Contrary to a widespread belief that atrial fibrillation is associated with high alcohol consumption, it appears that even low alcohol consumption can be sufficient to increase the risk“, alerts Dr. Gregory Marcus, professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at the University of California at San Francisco.”
The greater the alcohol consumption, the higher the risk of an acute fibrillation event. Researchers found that an episode of fibrillation was associated with twice as likely with one alcoholic drink and three times higher with two or more drinks in the previous four hours.
How much alcohol & nbsp; to limit health risks? & nbsp;
Each standard glass corresponds to 10 & nbsp; g of pure alcohol, i.e.:
- 2.5 cl of whiskey at 45°
- 2.5 cl of digestive at 45°
- 2.5 cl of pastis at 45°
- 7 cl of aperitif at 18°
- 10 cl of wine at 12°
- 10 cl of champagne at 12°
- 25 cl of cider at 5°
- 25 cl of beer at 5°.
Since 2017, the benchmarks demarcating lower-risk consumption are as follows: & nbsp;
- do not consume more than ten standard glasses per week;
- do not consume more than two standard glasses per day;
- have days without consumption in a week.
In summary, alcohol is a maximum of two drinks per day and not every day.
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#risks #alcohol #consumption #health
