Drink Responsibly: Top 3 Rules to Safe Drinking

Drink Responsibly: Top 3 Rules to Safe Drinking 

We live in a society where having a drink or two is as normal as going for a run, doing yoga, meditating, sleeping, going grocery shopping, or taking a stroll down the block. Drinking has evolved from an option (or recreational activity of sorts) to being a habit; and a bad one at that. We’ve glamorized and portrayed alcohol as a normal part of everyday life. Alcohol has ingrained itself into our society and to inform people on the dangers of alcohol when we’ve be told that it’s “normal” behavior to consume it and “live it up” is not easy. So, we won’t attempt to shove down your throat the perils of drinking alcohol, instead we just want to share our thoughts on how you can drink alcohol safely. Here are our top 3 rules to safe drinking:

  1. Do not engage in underage drinking. The drinking age in America is 21 years old for a reason and even at this age millions of people abuse alcohol by binge drinking or engaging in reckless behavior while intoxicated which puts themselves and others in danger. The human brain is not fully developed until the age of 25. That means that a person is truly not considered an adult until age 25. The brain is still growing and developing until the age of 25 yet people are allowed to ingest alcohol which affects the development of the human brain. We’ll safely blame that on a mixture of societal and governmental doing. Drinking prematurely can affect the development of your brain so it’s crucial that you do not engage in underage drinking. Just wait, it’s not worth the risk of getting caught by your parents, doing poorly in school, becoming sick or getting in trouble with the law. Be smart and be safe, just wait.
  2. Do not drink and drive or operate heavy machinery. When you become 21 and are able to drink, if you choose to drink, do so responsibly. Do not drink and drive or operate heavy machinery. When alcohol enters your body is slows downs your motor skills and thus impairs your ability to operate any type of vehicle. People who are intoxicated can barely walk straight so imagine how it’d be if they tried to drive a car. It just doesn’t sound too smart, does it?
  3. Do not binge drink or consume more than 1 alcoholic drink per hour. Alcohol like everything else should be consumed in moderation. Our bodies are not never-ending vessels that can handle large amounts of alcohol. Think about it, if we overeat we will get sick and/or throw up. Our bodies have limits when it comes to what we put in it. The body only needs enough food and liquids to keep it alive. Alcohol, though it has some benefits, can do us more harm than good if taken in large amounts, especially over a long period of time. When we ingest alcohol it goes into our blood stream, pumps into our brain throughout the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and the limbic system.  In the brain, alcohol latches onto the membrane of cells. It affects the neurotransmitters sent between different cells. These messages control what a person thinks, does and feels. By inhibiting some messages, and encouraging others, alcohol changes behaviors and thoughts.

This article is for informational purposes only. We’re not trying to tell anyone what to do but we just want to spread information on how to make the best choices when deciding to drink any alcoholic beverages; even those labeled non-alcoholic. Oh, yeah they do have alcohol in it so be careful.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.