Alcohol is GOOD for You! Bottoms Up!

We all know that drinking too much alcohol is bad for you, blah blah blah. It can kill your liver and cause you to do stupid things like drive drunk.

But, there are some little known facts about the positive aspects of booze on your body. Hallelujah!

Women’s Health magazine explains how the beverage of choice for many college students interacts with your body and in some ways, can actually be good for your heart, brain, and even your weight!

Now, before you continue reading, remember that I am not saying that only positive things will happen if you pound 10 beers over the course of power hour or drink vodka tonics like they are water. In fact, very bad things will probably happen…I’m sure we’ve all had one of those nights. Moderation is key.

Nevertheless, it’s still nice to know that good old booze has some redeeming factors for your health. The article takes you on a chronological journey starting with that yummy cocktail hitting your lips. Mix up a great drink, sit back, and enjoy the ride…

In the Kisser

“Within 30 seconds, a very small amount of alcohol travels through the membranes in your mouth and takes an express train to your brain. Researchers still don’t know exactly how or why, but alcohol triggers the release of party-time chemicals such as dopamine and GABA.”

Party Central

“Alcohol makes its way through the bloodstream to the nucleus accumbens — your brain’s frat house — which answers the door by churning out more of those “I love you, man” chemicals. During its cranial visit it also slows or reduces the formation of plaque — little clumps of sticky, abnormal tissue that naturally develop deep in your brain as the years go by. A plaque-free brain is a smarter, faster brain.”

Big Gulp

“As smooth as it may feel going down, alcohol is a rough customer once inside. After just a few drinks, you might as well have scrubbed your stomach lining with a Brillo pad, says Scott Paist, M.D., assistant medical director of Caron, an addiction treatment center in Wernersville, Pennsylvania. Alcohol breaks down your tummy’s protective layer of mucus, leaving the walls exposed to strong digestive acid. If you’re sensitive, any alcohol can cause bellyaches, but make sure you steer clear of acidic, fruity concoctions. Stick with light beers or liquor mixed with water or club soda instead.”

Think Thinner

“Alcohol seeps through your stomach and intestinal lining and into your bloodstream. This is when hooch earns its scientific good-guy rep: It acts like an anti-inflammatory; thins your blood, leaving you less prone to a certain type of stroke; and kicks up your HDL (good) cholesterol, which breaks up the LDL (bad) cholesterol that gets stuck in your arteries.”

Brain Drain

“This head-trip is just getting started. When you drink too much, alcohol can morph from brain-saving Boy Scout into Jason from Friday the 13th, slashing and slicing brain cells. Again, scientists aren’t sure why, but alcohol may kill or at least slow cells in key areas of your brain, especially the frontal lobe (your decision-making and judgment department, where you get the cojones to tell your boss what you really think of her dress); the hippocampus (your new-memory center, which explains why you’re blanking on last night’s Coyote Ugly bar-top dance scene reenactment); and the amygdala (where you process emotions — and those uncontrollable tears over your cat that died 2 years ago).”

Is It Hot in Here?

“Could be the bartender/dead ringer for Johnny Depp stoking that warm, tingly feeling inside, but more likely your martini’s the real culprit. Alcohol dilates blood vessels, causing you to get flushed and maybe a bit sweaty.”

Slow Motion

“The same brain chemicals that help you unwind with a drink can cause your muscle fibers to loosen up too, so the day’s tension just melts away. That said, booze is no substitute for yoga — alcohol also damages muscle cells by dissolving the fatty membranes around them, which is why you wake up stiff the day after a few too many.”

Cleanup Crew

“Your hardworking liver breaks down the alcohol into smaller components so your body can digest and eventually get rid of it. With one cocktail, your liver keeps pace, and no major damage is done. But drink too often or too much in one sitting and it runs like a fat guy at a 5-K — slow and sluggish — which allows a toxic chemical byproduct to build up. It’s this extra acetaldehyde and the alcohol in your stomach — and maybe those mozzarella sticks — that make you queasy, Dr. Paist explains.”

Sugar Police

“Scientists are still investigating the reason, but alcohol improves your body’s response to insulin, the pancreatic hormone that regulates blood sugar. Well-controlled blood sugar keeps you from storing too much glucose as fat, which could explain why people who drink moderately have faster metabolisms and tend to be thinner.”

Break the Seal

“You have to pee again? That’s because ‘drinking inhibits an antidiuretic hormone, and the kidney is fooled into getting rid of too much water,’ Dr. Paist says. Whatever alcohol hasn’t been absorbed at this point takes its leave about an hour after your last sip. Round two?”

Balancing Act

“At one cocktail per hour, you could still play Twister in stilettos. But toss drinks back any faster and alcohol floods the part of the brain that controls motion and balance. This disrupts the conversation between your brain and your limbs, turning you into a human puddle.”