Orlando, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) - It has been a difficult year and many people turned to alcohol to self-medicate their stress away.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse estimates 15 million people have some type of drinking problem. No matter what drives people to drink, it’s a fact that more people are turning to alcohol. A new study in Jama reveals alcohol consumption is up by 14 percent compared to a year ago.
How do you know if your body needs a booze break? If you’re getting sick more than normal, drinking too much in one sitting can inhibit your body’s ability to fight off infections, even the day after you drink.
Another sign, your short-term memory is shot. Alcohol impairs the brain’s ability to transfer information from the short-term memory to the long-term memory center of your brain. If you’ve had too much to drink, you may notice that your sleep isn’t quite as sound. Alcohol blocks your rem sleep and interrupts your circadian rhythm.
Just like sun exposure, drinking too much can wreak havoc on your complexion, creating inflammation in your skin causing dullness, fine lines, enlarged pores, and even discoloration.
If you think you might have a problem, but are not certain, that’s a good sign you do. To find out if you may have a problem, you can take the quiz at the NIH website, Rethinking Drinking.
If you are trying to cut back, many experts say it doesn’t need to be an all or nothing approach. Rather than giving it up all at once or picking one month out of the year to abstain, consider limiting daily or weekly consumption throughout the year. And remember, if you break your own rules, it doesn’t mean you should give up on your goal, just start over.
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Contributor(s) to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Robert Walko, Videographer; Robert Walko, Editor. To receive a free weekly email on Smart Living from Ivanhoe, sign up at: http://www.ivanhoe.com/ftk
