Alcohol and You - A Synopsis

In light of the upcoming New Year's celebrations, I wanted to take a moment to write about alcohol.  Today's #FoodieFriday topic is all about the two faces of alcohol and what it means to you.

Despite the common knowledge that this holiday has a tendency to pack emergency rooms with victims of alcohol poisoning and drunk driving injuries, we tend to test our limits of alcohol consumption on this particular day more than on other holidays.  I suppose it is a reflection our best efforts to welcome in the New Year with a bang, giving our bad habits a last hurrah, so that we can feel empowered to shed them the next day and start off the new year with a clean slate.

You probably already know the dangers of too much alcohol consumption, but just a little reminder won't hurt: skin flushing, indigestion, disorientation, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and with enough alcohol, walking blackouts, alcohol poisoning, and unconsciousness.  Chronic abuse of alcohol leads to addiction and dependence issues, liver damage, kidney damage, bursting of blood vessels in the nose and cheek area with permanent scarring and discoloration, moderate to severe dehydration, delusions, paranoia, various nutritional deficiencies, and more.  In TCM, alcohol is considered to have "hot" qualities, and when taken in excess it causes "toxic heat", which have the symptoms mentioned above.

On the other side of the coin, alcohol can have some useful medicinal properties, when taken as directed by your physician.  For instance, small amounts of red wine have been shown in a variety of research applications to have health benefits for your heart and for longevity, amongst other things such as digestion.  In TCM, we sometimes use alcohol tinctures, which are administered by a small dropper, to deliver herbal formulas because they have a fast and complete absorption rate, with the added benefit of moving qi and blood in the body.  This is especially beneficial for people who have a lot of what we call "stasis" or "stagnation", which can cause symptoms of physical pain, unusual emotional conditions (i.e. depression, irritability, anger), and many other signs and symptoms.

Drinking alcohol to excess can never, in any way, be healthy.  Even with the perfect nutritious diet, the body takes days to recover from the damage that even one night of heavy drinking can do, and most of us do not have anything close to the perfect diet.  In the same breath, it is human nature to test one's own limitations on occasion, and even with the best of intentions to "be good" sometimes we surpass that "I'm tipsy" limit without realizing it. 

With all of these things in mind, I want to conclude today's blog with just one final thought:

Please make sure, while your picking out what restaurant to go to, the shoes you're going to wear, and which tie will go better with that new dress shirt, that you do one more little thing, not only for me but for all the people who care for and love you: put your designated driver or a taxi company's number on speed dial in your phone, and use it, even if you don't think you're "that drunk."  Better safe than sorry, not only for you, but for the safety of other people on the road while you are driving.  On top of the safety concern, getting a DUI is very expensive and can cost your more than money.  It can cost you your credibility, respect from your family, friends and colleagues, and sometimes even your job if you are convicted.  So the money you'll spend taking a cab is very much justifiable when looking at the alternatives.

I wish you the best of everything in the New Year - be safe, and have fun!

--Marissa Byrum, AP, DOM, Dipl. Ac., is an associate at Ideal  Balance Center for Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine in Temple  Terrace, FL.