Alcohol: Ten Great Reasons to Cut Down

by Deborah English — December 8, 2007

I'm all for a glass or two of vino after a big day at work. Let's face it, there's no easier or quicker way to relax a wired brain. But it's good to be "in the know" about alcohol's negative effects.

Here are 10 good reasons to cut down:

1. Alcohol plays havoc on blood-sugar levels, making you crave carbohydrates...that's likely to add fat to your hips!
2. On average, a standard glass of wine contains 120 calories. There are seven standard glasses of wine in a bottle. How big is your glass?
3. In order to metabolize alcohol, your body is forced to release its stores of essential vitamins and nutrients, hindering new cell growth and healing.
4. Alcohol disrupts your beauty sleep.
5. Alcohol really relaxes the muscles in the back of your mouth, increasing the chances of snoring. Very sexy...er...not.
6. Alcohol plays havoc with your sex life--it takes longer to get aroused and orgasms are more difficult to achieve.
7. If you've had alcohol even 24 hours before exercising, you are more likely to suffer from muscle weakness and cramps.
8. Alcohol dehydrates your body and your skin. The peripheral vessels of the skin can become permanently enlarged, leaving your lovely face red and blotchy.
9. There's no cure for a hangover. That's at least one wasted day.
10. I'm not into scare tactics, and as I said, I do love a glass or two of vino, but here are the frightening results of alcohol abuse: Alcohol abuse can cause irreversible liver damage. Drinking too much can also cause infertility or damage to an unborn child. As well, it is linked to breast cancer, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, strokes, and cardiac conditions. Alcohol contributes to traffic-related injury and mortality, drowning, depression, suicide, assaults, and domestic violence.

But, just how much alcohol is too much? Read my next blog to find out more.