What alcohol is good for men. Is alcohol useful in small doses: the effect on the body. What is alcohol

Fighters for a sober lifestyle claim that drinking alcohol is harmful in any dose and leads to terrible diseases. Scientists who have been conducting research on the effect of alcohol on the human body for many years do not agree with them. They managed to prove that in small doses, high-quality alcohol has a positive effect on the mental state of a person and is a prevention of many diseases.

Statistical confirmation of the benefits of alcohol is a study conducted by Dutch doctors in the city of Zutphen. For 40 years, scientists have observed the life of 1373 residents of this town, born in 1900-1920.

In the group of subjects who took no more than 20 grams of pure alcohol per day, the relative mortality index was 36% lower than in the group of complete teetotalers. In moderate drinkers, the researchers found a 34% reduction in mortality from cardiovascular disease. Another interesting pattern is that people who drink wine lived 3.8 years longer than others.

Correct conclusions:

1). Acceptable can be considered a daily dose not exceeding 20 grams of pure ethyl alcohol per day. In terms of our traditional alcoholic drinks, this is approximately 50 ml of wine or 0.5 liters of beer. It makes no sense to count the amount of vodka, because they don’t drink it in such small portions.

In Russia, drinking alcohol every day in small doses is not accepted, we need a different counting system, for example, in weeks. Multiplying 20 grams by 7 days, we get 140 grams of pure alcohol. In terms of drinks, this is 350 grams of vodka (cognac, whiskey, etc.), 1 liter of wine or 3.5 liters of beer. How much alcohol can an adult drink per week healthy person, which has no contraindications to the intake of alcoholic beverages.

2). The most useful (at least harmless) alcohol is wine. It is this drink that is better to drink for the prevention of many diseases. Wine must be of high quality, made from grape juice.

Many of the wine drinks and draft wines that we sell are really harmful, but alcohol has nothing to do with it, it's all about chemical additives. This also applies to other types of alcohol. Only small doses of quality alcohol are harmless.

The healthiest alcoholic drink is wine

Alcohol helps in the prevention of the following diseases:

stress;
violation of brain activity;
colds;
osteoporosis;
lymphoma;
kidney tumor;
angina;
hypertension;
type 2 diabetes;
heart attack;
stroke.

Alcohol is not only not harmful to health, but it can also prolong life. This conclusion was made by experts from the University of Texas at Austin. In the summer of 2015, they completed a 20-year study involving nearly 2,000 people.

It turned out that heavy drinkers have a chance of dying ahead of time up 42%. But absolute teetotalers surpassed this figure. They have a 49% higher risk of premature death compared to those who drink a little.

Experts from the University of California claim that meager doses of alcohol can double the number of years lived. They proved it with worms.

Benefit or harm

Supporters of traditional medical tenets resist as best they can. On their side are the statistics of deaths from drunkenness, and a long list of chronic diseases. Doctors believe that only those who are interested in selling wine and vodka products or who seek to quietly exterminate the world's population scream about the benefits of alcohol.

The fact that alcohol is evil, except for California and Texas scientists, few doubt. Especially in our country. Several generations of doctors, scientists and members of the female community put their lives to prove that drinking is harmful and immoral. A man with a glass is always a weak-willed loser, and a woman with a glass - at best - is not the mistress of her head.

Many believed that this was not entirely true. And recently, their faith has been rewarded. Scientists have proven that people who drink alcohol moderately (this is the key word) are healthier, more educated and more successful in life and business. Among convinced teetotalers, only 14 percent of people with higher education. The rest of the highly educated, as it already happened, are drinkers. More than half of them own their own business.

Moreover, it turned out that most of the big businessmen with multimillion-dollar fortunes are convinced lovers of a little drink. Their list is headed by Donald Trump and Bill Gates. It would seem that these people have the most advanced achievements of medicine at their disposal, but they still drink. It turns out that the danger of alcoholic beverages, to put it mildly, is exaggerated?

"In alcohol, the first effect is pharmacological. It removes, kills all toxic fumes and painful factors. It cleanses and opens blood vessels, makes the intestines and stomach more powerful, moisturizes the skin, disperses stagnant rheumatic phenomena,

Representatives of official medicine reduce all talk about alcoholic beverages to the problem of alcoholism. But many years of research by scientists around the world prove that alcoholics make up a little more than one percent of the total number of people who drink alcohol. With the same success, all talk about thinking can be reduced to schizophrenia - according to WHO, 0.8% of humanity is sick with this disease. Latest Research scientists prove: an alcoholic drink can be not just a pleasant addition to the table, but also a medicine. So the total harm of alcohol is a myth.

It is generally accepted that drinking alcohol shortens life expectancy. Doctors say that under the influence of alcohol, brain cells begin to break down and the body rapidly ages. As evidence, they offer to look at neglected alcoholics. However, most scientists strongly disagree with this. If a person drinks liters of technical alcohol and toxic substances, he really gets chronic poisoning of the body. However, if you drink good alcohol in moderation, it is not alcohol that enters the blood and brain, but substances called alkaloids.

"The ancient physician Galen said that everything is a poison, and everything is a medicine. And indeed, alcohol in small doses can be useful. It can be used for treatment, for healing, for prolonging life. Especially wine from wild grapes",- says Viktor Vostokov, doctor of Tibetan medicine.

A poison called alcohol is produced by the human body on its own. Moreover, when the process of producing one's own alcohol is disrupted, the consequences for a person can be fatal.

"Alcohol is a product of endogenous origin. In fact, in our body, all processes of the biochemical spectrum end with the synthesis of alcohol, that is, these are derivatives of metabolism in general. We have endogenous alcohol, we have receptors for it. The biochemistry of our body cannot function without endogenous alcohol",- explains the doctor of medical sciences, nutritionist Mariyat Mukhina.

Oxytocin, the hormone of love, turned out to be almost identical to alcohol in the nature of its action on the human body and brain. Professor Ian Mitchell from the University of Birmingham explains: Both oxytocin and alcohol appear to act on different types receptors in the brain, but have the same effect on how hormones act on the anterior cortex and the emotional center. These areas are responsible for how we deal with stress and anxiety in difficult situations. social situations. Both oxytocin and alcohol make such tasks less daunting. According to the expert, this may mean that those people who are either in a state of love or periodically drink are more successful.

The results of recent studies suggest that alcohol in moderate doses is good for men over 40 years old. The traditional attitude that a real man should always be self-possessed and cold-blooded leads to the fact that by the age of forty, emotions simply tear a person apart from the inside, leading to premature heart attacks and strokes. And it is alcohol, according to scientists, that can smooth out this effect and become the channel through which a man can calmly release accumulated emotions and stress.

“According to some experts, alcohol helps to cope with depression in certain cases. This does not mean that you need to drink it chronically. But if something very bad happened in your life, then alcohol can sometimes help you cope with trouble, and in the long run drinking well can be better than being depressed for months or even years."

However modern medicine and especially narcology continue to insist that alcohol is fatally harmful to the human body, that it kills brain neurons, upsets memory and leads to premature aging. That the harm caused by alcohol is practically independent of the dose a person receives - whether it be a mug of barley beer, a glass of wine or a cup of sake.

“I categorically disagree. Alcohol by itself does not shorten life, moreover, life without alcohol is simply impossible, as doctors say. It’s all about the measure, as they say. The ancients knew this very well. In small doses, alcohol is indicated, prescribed, beneficial, useful, but if this measure is exceeded, of course, alcohol will turn into evil, "- considers Candidate of Historical Sciences, Senior Researcher at the Department of History ancient world Faculty of History of Moscow State University Vladimir Nikishin.

History of drunkenness in Russia

Despite many years of research by reputable scientists around the world, Russian narcologists continue to convince us that alcohol is the main enemy of man as a biological species. And one of the arguments is the alleged total alcoholism in Russia, which, according to some historians, is rooted in antiquity. But it would be a big mistake to agree with the statement that people in Rus' always drank, and alcoholism is our national disease. Because in fact, this is a great delusion.

Another common misconception is that in Rus' they always drank a lot, and vodka is the Russian national drink. But what can I say: ask any foreigner what Russia is, and he will first say - vodka. And only then with variations there can be a samovar, a balalaika, a perestroika or a round dance. By the way, the myth that Russians are the most drinking nation was not born in Russia, but we firmly believe it. It has become a kind of domestic brand, and even, oddly enough, a source of national pride. In fact, vodka appeared in Russia at a time when all of Europe and most of Asia were already heavily addicted to strong drinks.

If you delve into history, it turns out that for the first time Russians were called drinkers in European chronicles. It describes how Russia adopted Christianity in the 9th century. When Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich chose a faith for the state, he spoke with representatives of all faiths. Islam forbade drunkenness. And that's just what the historians got hooked on.

"Prince Vladimir thought and replied that:" No, I will not accept your law. Not because I don’t like him myself, but because, roughly speaking, the people won’t understand me, because,” he allegedly uttered a rhyming phrase, “in Russia there is fun to drink, we can’t be without it.” Well, and now from this it is concluded that, therefore, it was Russia from the very beginning that lived under the sign of unrestrained drunkenness. explains the appearance of the myth historian Wolfgang Akunov.

Here is how the Austrian diplomat Baron Sigismund von Herberstein wrote about how much Russians drink in 1549.

“He describes the day when he lived visiting some prince or boyar. Here, he says, they get up, at noon they sit down on the benches to drink. drinking, burping and, in general, all day long until sunset,- vodka historian Ruslan Bragin retells the essence of the document.

Von Herberstein called Russians lazy, deceitful and thieving. Let's see who this baron is and why he came to Muscovy. Recently, scientists have unearthed: the envoy had a secret mission that King Maximilian I instructed him to find an approach to Prince Vasily the Third. So that he, neither more nor less, gave the Smolensk region to the Polish king.

There is no doubt that Herberstein was almost thrown out. Will his notes about the country where he suffered a diplomatic fiasco be objective?

How was it really? What and how much did they drink, for example, before the baptism of Rus'?

There was no vodka back then. For fun, they used lightly fermented drinks - kvass, honey and beer. Their degree was lower than today.

On a typical day, no one would sit down with a glass of beer. Intoxicated was put on the table on holidays or at the end of a big deal. Teenagers were not served. Moreover, it was forbidden for newlyweds to drink before the birth of their first child.

It is noteworthy that the word "vodka" earlier, almost until the 19th century, meant a completely different drink.

"In the 16-17 centuries, all the main vodkas were medicinal. That is, when you now go to the pharmacy and buy some kind of potion, valerian, some sedative there, these are the echoes of these historical medicinal vodkas 17- Herbs were selected in a special way, alcohol pulled out healing substances from them and, when ingested, gave them away ", - says the historian of vodka Ruslan Bragin.

No matter how ambiguous it may sound, but vodka was medicine. There were vodkas to treat almost all ailments. From a cold to a nervous fever. They even used the medieval analogue of Viagra. They knew the recipe for vodka to improve memory.

“There was very interesting vodka, it was called “vodka of the night guards.” A man drank a thimble, which made his heart beat faster, and he could not fall asleep all night. stay awake until the morning", says Bragin.

If you look at vodka vessels in museums, they will not be faceted glasses at all and not even a fifty-gram glass. The volume of these beakers is simply microscopic.

"There were such special small glasses, they were called" flies ". They were somewhere like a thimble, 10-15 grams. And so they were treated. But then the word changed its meaning and vodka also became a gastronomic product",- says Ruslan Bragin.

The expression "under the fly" probably arose when they began to drink vodka from more serious dishes, but in memory of those same "flies". Gradually, honey and mash really replaced stronger drinks. We know about this, again, from the notes of European travelers.

However, they were in no hurry to accuse our country of love for strong drinks. Most likely, because they saw more serious sprees at home. For example, one of the most powerful monarchs of enlightened Europe, Louis XIV, shocked Russian diplomats by being constantly drunk.

“The envoys said that from the very morning His Majesty the French King was already tipsy, in a cheerful eye. And the proof of this is that breakfast, the first breakfast of the French king, which he consumed while still in bed, consisted of biscuits, which he dipped in Madeira",- says historian Wolfgang Akunov.

They drank in Europe also because the rulers of thoughts allowed it. After all, beer and wine were prepared, as a rule, in monasteries. They don't like to talk about it, but Pope Alexander VI Borgia died of drinking. And Martin Luther, the founder of Lutheranism, said: "Every country must have its own devil, the German devil is a good barrel of wine."

In the court archives of the 16th century, there are many protocols about drunken fights in the church. And their instigators were often pastors and even bishops. So, in medieval Bergen, a drunken priest burned half the city from one candle. And the theologian and scientist Heinrich von Rantzau wondered not about whether to drink at all. And about that - what, how much and in what company.

While the southern Mediterranean civilizations practiced orgies and bacchanalia, ancient Rus' led a chaste lifestyle to such an extent that scientists could not find a single mention of drunkenness or debauchery in any of the surviving chronicles, in any birch bark of those times.

Chronicles have kept the exact date of acquaintance with the drink, vaguely reminiscent of what we now call vodka. So, according to the records, Rus' took its first sip of vodka only in 1389. Note that by this time Europe had been drinking strong for at least a hundred years. It is curious that the Russian court, having taken a sip of foreign liquor, came to the conclusion that this nasty drink should not be drunk. However, it can be used in medical purposes for washing wounds. So they sold it for a long time in pharmacies drop by drop.

"IN ancient Rus' there was, firstly, the tradition of drunkenness as such. Rus' was not drunk. They drank mainly at princely feasts, drank at feasts (funerals), drank on major holidays. The life of a medieval person was so hard that getting their daily bread occupied most of the time. And there were not so many holidays. Therefore, there were no such absolutely spree drunkards. Even in Russkaya Pravda there are almost no laws on drunkenness,"

Chronicles testify that in pre-Christian Rus' there were neither strong drinks nor wine, since we did not grow grapes. But, the Slavs drank kvass, fermented honey, mash and sbiten. Teapots in Rus', for example, appeared long before the advent of tea itself and served to serve sbitnya. Foreign diplomats called this drink Russian mulled wine. This comparison arose, apparently, because in cold weather the sbiten warmed instantly.

Songs were composed about Sbitna, he appeared in fairy tales, proverbs, sayings. Monastic honey was no less popular. This drink had a strength of no more than three degrees.

"Monastic honey could be consumed, because there are all the ingredients that could be used in fasting, because there is a minimum degree. Fresh honey, only cooked, does not have any degrees at all. And if it is already infused, it can be three degrees maximum",- says restaurateur Yana Pitkevich.

After the baptism of Rus', wine was a rare drink. It was brought in small quantities from Greece or Burgundy and used as medicine or for religious purposes.

From the middle of the fifteenth century, the distillation of grain alcohol in Rus' was put on an industrial basis, to utilize low-quality grain and increase the state of the treasury. Ivan the Great introduced the first state monopoly on the production and sale of vodka and banned the import of imported vodka through Pskov. And in order to stop the smuggling of low-quality Polish vodka in Moscow, the Kamergersky, Gruzinsky, Rogozhsky and Dorogomilovsky shafts were built.

On weekdays, the townspeople were forbidden to drink. Only for foreign mercenaries in the settlement called "Naleika", which is beyond the Moscow River, a special round-the-clock tavern was built.

Residents of Moscow were allowed to visit the "tsar's taverns" established under Ivan the Terrible, but only during Holy Week and on Christmas Day. Drinking vodka on other days was imprisoned or subjected to corporal punishment.

"The guardsmen drank in the tavern. The guardsmen took a personal oath of allegiance to the tsar, they did not wear jewelry, dressed in dark clothes, they attached dog heads to the saddles of horses as a sign of loyalty to the tsar and brooms - as a sign of sweeping treason out of the state. And these people were allowed drink in the "Tsar's tavern",- says the candidate of historical sciences Irina Abramova.

In the nineteenth century, a movement for a sober lifestyle was organized in Russia. In 1850, the Kovno province abandoned alcohol, others joined it - Vilna and Grodno.

There were even anti-alcohol riots and pogroms of taverns. The government, under pressure from public opinion, introduced a law "on granting rural communities the right to close drinking public places within their territories."

This right was exercised by tens of thousands of rural communities. By the beginning of the 20th century, “drunken from time immemorial Rus'”, as they like to represent it in the West, was at the very tail in terms of alcohol consumption. Three liters per year per capita. France was in first place, followed by Belgium, England, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary, the USA, and Sweden. And in the first world war Prohibition was generally introduced in Russia.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the level of consumption of alcoholic beverages approached the period of the "dry law" of the early twentieth century - about four liters of alcohol per capita per year. The rise occurred from the mid-sixties to the nineties. But even in this case, Russia has not become the world leader in drunkenness. In the first place by the beginning of the 21st century was Luxembourg, followed by Ireland, Portugal, France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, and the Czech Republic. In this ranking, Russia ranked nineteenth. It is clear that this is not a reason for complacency. But, at least, this is proof that if we drink, then no more than others.

When did the myth that Russia is the birthplace of alcoholism appear? Historians believe that it arose in the sixties of the twentieth century, on the eve of cold war and was imposed from outside. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the myth was popular that the Red Army during the Great patriotic war fought exclusively in a drunken state. As an example, the expression "people's commissar's one hundred grams" was cited. However, those who do not know the history of the issue argue this way. This expression appeared during the Finnish war, when Voroshilov asked Stalin to give soldiers and commanders of the Red Army 100 grams of vodka and 50 grams of fat per day due to the fact that battles had to be fought in the cold. Stalin authorized the issuance of alcohol, but this did not affect the result of hostilities - vodka did not help the Red Army overcome the Mannerheim Line.

During the Great Patriotic War, a decree was issued on "combat one hundred grams." But they gave it out only on the front line, and experienced fighters refused this strong treat. Veterans said that only "unfired fighters" used the opportunity to drink before the battle. Soldiers who learned to survive in the war usually refused the People's Commissar's gift, preferring to maintain sobriety of thought and firmness of hands.

“It was believed that the Russians there were somehow terribly drunk, partly due to the fact that alcohol consumption was concentrated in cities. In fact, the urban population was a minority, but the urban population was in sight. In the villages, alcohol consumption was very small, insignificant, mostly practically only on holidays. In principle, really serious alcohol problems in Russia appeared in the early 60s of the last century",- says Andrey Korataev, head of the Department of the Modern East of the Russian State University for the Humanities, leading researcher at the Center for Political Demography of the RANEPA.

But alcohol became a truly serious problem for Russians only in the troubled 90s. Then the state abolished the monopoly on the production of vodka and gave it to private hands. The next stage, which led to the actual soldering of entire regions, was experiments on the transfer of tax revenues from the sale of alcohol to regional budgets.

The governors turned out to be extremely interested in the maximum demand for mass, cheap and not always high-quality vodka. To this flow was added cheap imported alcohol, which turned out to be a real poison. But even after such a shock alcohol therapy it turned out that total Russian drunkenness is still a myth.

Recently, the World Health Organization published the top most drinking countries peace. In terms of strong alcohol consumption and associated male mortality, Russia ranks 5th in this list with an indicator of 15.75 liters per person per year. Our country is confidently ahead of Moldova, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Germany.

"In general, in terms of total alcohol consumption, Russia is in 16th place in the world. Even the Balts are ahead of us - Estonia and, as far as I remember, Latvia. Moldova is in the first place now. What we stand out for is the use of strong drinks. But even in We are also not in the first place in this indicator,- says Professor of Harvard University Nikolai Kukushkin.

Ethnic alcoholism

Why do some peoples drink more alcoholic beverages than others? Recent studies suggest that there are nations that at the genetic level do not have the production of an enzyme that destroys alcohol. This discovery forced researchers to reconsider many historical facts. For a long time it was believed that the nation North American Indians almost completely destroyed by the conquistadors and the British colonialists. However, it is not. The researchers are convinced that it was firewater that dealt the most powerful blow to the Redskins, because this people at the genetic level does not have the production of an enzyme that processes strong alcohol.

"The Indians' enzymatic system is so arranged that they have a low content of alcohol dehydrogenase - this is an enzyme that breaks down acetaldehyde, which poisons our body, which has a toxic effect and which then turns into acetic acid,"- says psychiatrist-narcologist Alexei Kazantsev.

According to experts, most people experience the same problems with the production of a valuable enzyme. northern peoples. The alcoholization of the Soviet Union, which occurred in the second half of the last century, hit them hardest - the Yakuts, Nenets, Itelmens and another whole group of ethnic groups, some of which are completely destroyed today. A low level of the alcoholic enzyme was also recorded in some peoples of the Caucasus, among Jews and Asians.

"I can say that in almost all ethnic groups in culture there is a traditional use of alcohol in various forms and quantities. There is such an observation by scientists that, for example, the Mongoloid race has a lower content of alcohol dehydrogenase in the body. That is, it cannot be at all, its content is simply reduced. And therefore, their resistance to the alcohol they use will be lower, "- explains psychiatrist-narcologist Andrey Grishchenko.

In this symbolic battle for the right to be called the most persistent nation, science gives the palm of the strongest to the Japanese. In the body of the descendants of the ancient samurai, this divine enzyme is so much that they can drink even anyone.

"They have this enzyme, according to some sources, it is 80%. Russians have an average of about 44% of this enzyme"- says Alexey Kazantsev.

But even conditional 44% make Russians quite resistant to alcohol. According to statistics, high alcohol mortality in Russia is associated not so much with the amount of strong alcohol drunk, but with its quality.

According to experts, Russia, which took fifth place in the WHO alcohol rating for the use of strong drinks, did not quite deserve it. The key factor was alcohol mortality, associated with a huge amount of counterfeit and outright poison, which is sold under the guise of strong alcohol. In those years when the production of alcoholic beverages was regulated by the state, Russia did not even get into the top twenty.

“At one time, Russia generally stood in 22nd place. As we know very well, in France, almost daily alcohol intake is practiced. Even if it is not strong wine in small doses. In Italy, as well as in Spain, it is a daily intake. It all depends on the dose That is, we have a drinking culture, for example, this is Friday-Saturday, yes, that is, to the maximum in large quantities and so on, here, the festive culture of drinking plus the use of strong alcoholic beverages, and decalitres depend in different ways",- Andrey Grishchenko comments.

Alcohol and geniuses

It is generally accepted that alcohol leads to the inevitable degradation of personality. That it kills all the best in a person. That the high creativity of a genius and alcohol are incompatible. This is true. But many geniuses of the past created their immortal works just being very drunk. Read the biographies of such great figures of the past as Rembrandt, Rubens, Renoir, Beethoven, Turgenev, Blok, Stendhal and you will come to an unexpected conclusion. Before taking up a brush or pen, they thoroughly took on the chest.

Are alcohol and inspiration related, and if so, how? For the first time, the famous Russian geneticist Vladimir Efroimson thought about these questions. In his work, he came to revolutionary conclusions. The scientist argued that between the concepts of "genius" and "alcohol" there is a direct connection. The scientist said that alcohol "erases the boundaries, letting the brain go free." It is under its influence that the brain cells work more actively.

Many modern scientists categorically disagree with the conclusions of Professor Efroimson. In their opinion, alcohol is not an inspirer, but the main destroyer of the creative process. Scientific research have already proven that it is enough to drink a mug of beer, a glass of champagne or a glass of vodka, and within two weeks a person cannot have any insight.

Scientists came to this conclusion after conducting a series of unique experiments. They found that at the moment when a person creates, the body produces a special hormone called "noroadrenaline" and our mood falls. At this moment, all 15 billion brain cells are activated, mobilize the body and begin to work, solving the problem. And then comes the moment of insight, when a person gives birth correct solution. The mood rises and the body releases "serotonin" a hormone that acts opposite to "noroadrenaline". It is this moment that is called enlightenment, when a person feels absolutely happy. However, this ideal scheme collapses if a person consumes alcohol. Indeed, according to scientists, any alcohol-containing drink disrupts the normal functioning of the brain.

"That is, at first we see the so-called euphoric stage, then the stage of inhibition, oppression, which is replaced by the stage of sleep. And if you increase concentration, then, in the end, there will be a state of coma," Andrey Grishchenko says.

Scientists have yet to unequivocally answer the question of whether alcohol stimulates creative processes. However, researchers who do not deny the effect of powerful creative alcoholic doping cite historical facts in their favor. So in China, alcohol has been considered a source of inspiration for many centuries, and intoxication is a special state in which a person approaches the divine. One of the most effective martial arts of Chinese hand-to-hand combat is the "Drinker Style", which features unpredictable movements and incredible "drunk" fighting dynamics. The recognized master of this style was Su Can, a member of the legendary group of martial artists called the Ten Cantonese Tigers.

"In Chinese martial arts, there is a style of a drunkard, in which a person does not imitate the movements of a drunkard, but enters into a state of relaxation and "detachment",- says sinologist Bronislav Vinogrodsky.

Biographers testify that the great writers of the 20th century, the real masters of thought Erich Maria Remarque, Ernest Hemingway and Mikhail Bulgakov, as a rule, sat down to write after drinking their favorite drink. Each of them had their own preferences, which then flowed to the heroes of their books.

Heroes in Remarque's works traditionally drink Calvados, Hemingway's heroes drink rum, but in Bulgakov's works, heroes are very fond of drinking home-made vodka, which is infused with certain herbs and ingredients.

The brilliant English politician Winston Churchill drew his inspiration from alcohol. Moreover, he preferred the fifty-degree Soviet cognac "Dvina". The French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who conquered almost all of Europe, also loved strong grape alcohol. Joseph Stalin, who, with all the pluses and minuses, cannot but be called the largest politician of the 20th century, was very fond of the red Georgian wine "Kindzmarauli".

“Alcohol relieves anxiety, removes protective protective social barriers. It really allows a person to be more sociable, more active for a short time. early stages in a state of mild intoxication, you can communicate more productively, even your working capacity may increase for a while, creative productivity in including", - says psychiatrist-narcologist Andrey Grishchenko.

Alas, you have to pay for everything. And for the high pleasure of a genius to create - too. The powerful emotional tension that a creative person stimulates with alcohol, alas, often turns into nervous exhaustion, nervous breakdowns, which have led many rulers of thoughts to a sad end. This should be firmly remembered by future geniuses who have not yet tasted the taste of alcohol.

"Hemingway, who abused alcohol, suffered several alcoholic psychoses and who committed suicide by shooting himself in the mouth. Sergei Yesenin - the great Russian poet - abused alcohol, was treated in Ganyushkino for delirium tremens and died at 31. Again, it is unreliable - they hanged or hanged himself. That is, suicide itself is already a mental disorder. Alexander Blok, as far as I remember, also abused alcohol, there were also problems. And he also died at 41, if I'm not mistaken, "- comments psychiatrist-narcologist Alexei Kazantsev.

The list of drug addiction horror stories necessarily contains stories about how defenseless an alcoholic becomes in front of any external influence. His immune system falls catastrophically, and even an unfavorable environment can have a detrimental effect on his health. However, the liquidators of the consequences of nuclear disasters are people with an extremely strong psyche and do not suffer alcohol addiction, argue that it is alcohol that is one of the most effective means protection from high radiation.

How much and how

Well, now we come to the most important thing. When to drink, how much to drink and how to drink in order to benefit the body. The principle “we don’t drink, but we are treated”, which guides people, taking three hundred or four hundred grams on their chest for barbecue and herring, has nothing to do with medicine and, in principle, has nothing to do with health. Rather, on the contrary. Because when scientists talk about the healing qualities of alcohol, they mean a completely different format for taking alcohol inside.

Scientists emphasize that the benefits are provided not only by the correct dosage, but also by the duration of use. The human body is able to painlessly and beneficially process a strictly defined amount of alcohol. Any excess of the correct rate of use deprives the whole procedure of meaning.

“If we talk about a glass of wine a day, it all depends on how fast you drink. If you drink a glass of wine in a second, you will stress the entire body and neutralize all the positive effects. But if you stretch a glass of wine, say, for an hour, the body will begin to work with the beneficial substances that make up its composition.This process is associated with metabolism.After all, a glass of wine contains about 50 grams of ethanol and the body needs to process them in an hour.If you drink slowly, the effect of alcohol will not be so sharp, and in the future you will have a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases,- advises Kui San, an assistant professor at the Harvard Institute of Public Health.

The Harvard Health Institute is preparing a new study related to alcohol. To successfully complete it, the research team will have to process huge amounts of data, carry out serious scientific and analytical work, but its result can radically change the alcohol market.

"I'm also researching red wine, so one thing I'm particularly interested in is whether polyphenols can really have a positive effect on people's health. Our research is very exciting - we will soon come to the study of things that we never dreamed of before," Kui San says.

The next result, already more practical, will be the definition of groups of people for whom alcohol is useful, and those for whom it is contraindicated. Moreover, in this case we are talking not only about hereditary problems or national characteristics.

"Advances in genetics are helping us understand the mechanisms that bring about the positive effects of modest alcohol consumption. Moreover, we can identify people who can actually benefit from alcohol consumption and identify those who are generally contraindicated to drink," Kui San explains.

Despite the latest discoveries of scientists, narcologists continue to insist that addiction and antisocial behavior are the same inevitable companions of alcohol as a hangover and other signs of poisoning. In that case, what would they say if they learned that in the UK, Professor David Nutt is close to discovering a formula for a completely harmless drink that will, in principle, exclude any form of addiction? But at the same time it will give euphoria, inspiration and strengthen the immune system?

Whether we like it or not, the history of human civilization is inseparable from the history of drinking. In one case, it is a magical elixir that gives inspiration. In the other, a terrible, destructive potion.

There are few absolute teetotalers among our contemporaries. Most often, people refuse alcohol due to serious health problems, sometimes due to a certain life position or requirements of religion.

Among those who from time to time allow themselves to "use", there are many people who believe that alcohol can well improve their health. The benefits of alcohol - myth or truth?

Is there any medical evidence that can strengthen the supporters of the opinion about the positive effects of alcohol on the body in their belief? Or are the skeptics who call alcohol a poison right?

Once (this was in the 20th century, when discussions about the effects of alcohol on a person were already in full swing), doctors from the Dutch city of Zuften decided to conduct an experiment. It was long, covering 4 decades and 1373 people.

For forty years, scientists have observed the lives of people who have different attitudes to alcohol and recorded changes in their health. The mortality rate in each of the groups was analyzed: the one that completely refused any alcohol-based drinks, the one that drank moderately and the group that drank "just a little".

It turned out the following:

Moderate drinkers were significantly less likely to die from cardiovascular diseases than those who did not drink at all (by 34%).
Among those who drank no more than 20 g of alcohol per day, the mortality index was reduced by 38% compared with teetotalers.

Is there any benefit from alcohol?

Analyzing the results, scientists suggested that alcoholic beverages can help the body become stronger and withstand more noticeable loads.

If you combine vodka with herbs, you will get wonderful tinctures. So, with a sore throat, it is often necessary to rinse with vodka with, when coughing, drink tincture of honey (no more than 20 g of vodka at a time). eliminates the symptoms of cardiovascular diseases.

If you get sick (that is, you feel the first signs of a cold, but there is no temperature yet), drink a glass of vodka with honey or a piece of red hot pepper and go to bed. By morning, the disease will subside.

Balms

Balms are a kind medicines, made on an alcohol basis with the addition of extracts of many useful plants. Fortress balm - from 40 0 and above. Famous balms, the positive effect of which on the body is recognized even by official medicine:

"Riga black";
"Bittner";
"Becherovka";
"Unique";
"Karelian";
"Gorno-Altai".

These drinks stimulate the immune system, have an analgesic effect, perfectly tone up. Some have a choleretic effect, others have an antispasmodic effect (depending on which components are included in the balm).

Drink these drinks in an amount of no more than 30 ml at a time. Most often consumed after meals, pouring a little into tea or coffee.

You can periodically take a teaspoon a day for the prevention of painful conditions.

Wine and beer

Wine, especially red wine, perfectly cleans the vessels. It helps the vessels to remain elastic, normalizes blood circulation. Red wine is believed to prevent some forms of cancer. Curiously, wine helps keep weight at the desired level: women who are used to drinking about 1-2 glasses a day usually do not get better.

(of course, we are talking about a quality drink) helps to “wash out” the sand from the kidneys, relieves stress. Beer "knows how" to remove aluminum salts from the body, which, when accumulated, lead to dangerous diseases. Light bitterness stimulates appetite, which allows you to recover faster after long-term illnesses.

They also say that beer prevents premature aging. True, this statement cannot yet be called a scientifically proven fact.

Interesting: almost all alcoholic beverages in small doses stimulate the production of hormones, in particular estrogen, which supports the bone apparatus. In addition, anyone who has experience of "drinking" will agree with the statement that alcohol improves mood and perfectly calms.

So in small doses, alcoholic beverages are really useful. But moderation is very important here. "Drink, but understand the matter!" says folk wisdom. Let's not deny ourselves the joy of sometimes drinking wine or cognac, but let this warning always be ready in the mind. Then alcohol will bring real benefits!

Thank you

The site provides background information for informational purposes only. Diagnosis and treatment of diseases should be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. All drugs have contraindications. Expert advice is required!

Consumption in the world

According to the World Health Organization, Uganda is the most drinking country in the world. This is due to the fact that in Africa many drinks based on the fermentation of plant materials are consumed, which are also considered alcohol.
Luxembourg is in second place, Ireland is in third, followed by Hungary and Moldova. To Russia's credit, it should be said that it occupies only 22nd place in the ranking of the most drinking countries, and Ukraine does 61st place. In the calculations, everything is fair. The consumption of pure alcohol per capita was calculated, including infants and the elderly.

Classification

The main parameter in the classification is the strength of the drink.
Therefore, the indicator of all drinks are divided into:

Strong. Include more than 38% vol. alcohol. This is cognac, vodka, whiskey,
Medium. Include alcohol from 20 to 38% vol. - liqueurs, liqueurs, tinctures,
Weak. Include alcohol not more than 20% vol. - beer, wine.

Strong alcohol

The main difference in strong alcoholic beverages is the raw material from which they are made.
If in European southern countries this raw material is grapes, then in more northern latitudes it is potatoes or grain. For example, in Ireland and Scotland it is whiskey, in France and Spain - brandy, in Russia and Poland - vodka, in the Scandinavian countries they prepare aquavit from potatoes.
In the Caribbean, sugar cane is the basis for alcohol. Therefore, in Latin America that's what rum is made from.
The abundance of agave in Mexico has given rise to the manufacture of tequila, which used to be called agave whiskey.
In North America, the history of spirits began with rum from sugar cane. However, after some time, settlers from northern Europe discovered that instead of the usual barley, corn can be used, or rye in the north of the country. Therefore, Canadian and American whiskey is made from rye and corn.

Another parameter for classification is exposure. Over time, people have developed the technology of aging spirits. Canadian or American whiskey, for example, must be aged for at least two years, cognac for at least two and a half years, and Scotch whiskey must be aged for at least three years.
Not all alcoholic drinks stand. Vodka, grappa and gin are not aged. Therefore, these drinks have no color and are completely transparent.
At the same time, there are drinks, for example, tequila, rum, brandy and aquavita, the production of which involves both aged and unaged types.

In trade, the classification of alcohol is simplified: all strong drinks are divided into white and brown.

Most of all in the world consume the following strong alcoholic beverages:

Vodka,
Whiskey,
Brandy,
Gin.

You can classify alcohol and the complexity of production. Then it will turn out:
1. Pure spirits prepared without any improvers from any kind of raw materials ( vodka, grappa, whiskey),
2. Flavored spirits from a variety of raw materials ( aquavit, gin),
3. Drinks based on alcohol with a lot of various additives, including sugar ( tinctures, liqueurs, creams).

calories

Calorie records are undoubtedly beaten by liqueurs. The calorie content of 100 ml of the product is more than 300 kcal.
There are a little more than 280 kcal in 100 ml of vodka.
Liquor wines and whiskey contain about 220 kcal per 100 ml.
Dessert and fortified wines contain from 150 to 170 kcal per 100 ml.
Vermouth - about 120 kcal.
Sweet wines and sweet champagne around 100 kcal.
Semi-sweet wines 80 - 90 kcal.
Dry wines - 60 - 70 kcal.
Beer 35 - 50 kcal.
Non-alcoholic beer - 33 kcal.

Degrees and blood alcohol content

Without a doubt, the higher the amount of drink consumed, the greater the “degree” will enter the bloodstream.
But not only the amount affects the level of alcohol in the blood.

1. Fortress of alcohol. The stronger the drink, the more alcohol in the blood. But due to the fact that drinks with a strength of 40% irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa, the work of the pylorus valve is inhibited. Therefore, the contents of the stomach do not enter the intestines so quickly and thereby delay the flow of alcohol into the blood. Drinks with a strength of 15 - 20% penetrate the blood most rapidly. Due to the fact that there is quite a lot of water in beer, alcohol from it also enters the bloodstream not immediately. But aperitifs, with a strength of 15 - 20%, penetrate the blood the fastest, which is why they increase appetite, causing an acceleration of blood circulation. The gas present in champagne and mineral waters ( they are used to make cocktails) accelerates the penetration of alcohol into the blood.

2. Usage speed. If you drink quickly and a lot, the blood alcohol level will be higher than if you drink the same amount, but slowly, little by little. During the time that another portion of alcohol enters the blood, the liver manages to process part of what has already arrived. The liver processes alcohol in 25 ml of vodka or 250 ml of beer in an hour. Therefore, if you drink at this rate, the level of alcohol in the blood will be constant.

3. The presence of food in the stomach. If there is no solid food in the stomach or intestines, alcohol quickly penetrates the walls and into the blood. If a person eats fatty foods, alcohol is absorbed 6 times slower than on an empty stomach. Therefore, before the first glass, it is better to eat dense, fatty and warm food.

4. Body mass . The “bigger” a person is, the more fluid his body makes up. Thus, a tall person will have a lower blood alcohol level, ceteris paribus, than a low one. Since there is less water in fat cells, an obese person's body will increase alcohol levels faster than a lean person who has consumed the same amount. In any case, women have less water in the body than men. Therefore, they get drunk faster.

Myths about the dangers of alcohol

Myth 1. Alcohol is food
The fact that alcohol is a narcotic poison, scientists knew at the beginning of the twentieth century. And in the mid-70s, the World Health Organization officially recognized alcohol as a drug that undermines the health of the population. Until now, no scientist has been able to reliably refute these statements.

Myth 2. If you drink a little - there will be no harm
The refutation of this is that all alcoholics began to drink little by little. But like any other drug, alcohol is addictive. The dose can only be increased. Even small amounts of alcohol cause a person to experience a feeling of euphoria, often very dangerous.
According to academic research Pavlova, reflexes after drinking small doses of alcohol disappear and normalize only after 7-11 days. According to modern data, even in people who drink moderately after 4 years, the probability of brain shrinkage is 85%. The more complex the work of the brain, the more severe the consequences of small doses of alcoholic beverages. A person's desire to work disappears. Small doses of alcohol poison the liver, as well as brain cells and reproductive systems. Even small doses increase the likelihood of diabetes and cancer, as well as hypertension.

Myth 3. Alcohol helps prevent colds and keeps you warm
Alcoholic drinks are actually a source of calories, which means they can theoretically warm you up. But their processing by the body is more difficult than other types of energy ( sugars or fats), and the damage done to the body is higher. An imaginary sensation of warmth arises from the fact that under the influence of alcohol paralysis of the skin vessels occurs, they become wider and blood flow to the skin increases. The amount of heat that is given off by the body increases, so there is no benefit from this “warmth”.
The maximum amount of strong alcohol that can really “disperse the blood” a little is 50 grams. Large quantities only affect negatively.
According to statements French Academy The science of alcohol does not affect any influenza viruses in any way. Therefore, it is useless to use it for acute respiratory diseases (ARI). Even harmful, because, getting into the body, alcohol weakens it. drinking people more prone to infections, this has been proven as far back as the nineteenth century. 100 grams of good red wine in the form of heat can stimulate the immune system a little, but you should not drink more.

Myth 4. Alcohol relaxes and amuses
The use of small doses of alcohol actually reduces restraint and liberates people. But the reason for this is paralysis of the cells of the cerebral cortex. In this regard, drunk people control their actions and words worse. Such fun is the result of the drug. After a while, a person loses the ability to concentrate, becomes tactless, his actions often interfere with others.
Alcohol intake should also not be used to relieve stress. After all, the effect of alcohol on the body is similar to the effect of stress itself. The narcotic effect of alcohol is that it reduces the feeling of fatigue and other unpleasant sensations. However, after the alcohol is removed from the body, all these feelings will flood with a vengeance.
In the most extreme case, if there is no other method of distraction, you can drink no more than 30 grams of strong drink or 40 grams. guilt.

Myth 5. Alcohol improves appetite
When alcohol enters the digestive tract, the glands begin to intensively produce digestive juice. This is a false feeling of hunger. Gradually, the glands atrophy and digestive function deteriorates, the walls of the stomach collapse and an ulcer appears.
If the amount of alcohol consumed is not so large, a person's craving for food increases, body weight increases, and intestinal function is disrupted. It turns out that the feeling of increased appetite is just a hoax. In fact, alcohol disrupts the functioning of the glands of the digestive system, impairs the functioning of protective mechanisms.
Those who stubbornly try to stimulate the appetite with alcohol can be advised to drink no more than 20 grams of a strong alcoholic drink. The action will be noticeable in 15 minutes. But such drinking on an empty stomach entails the complications described above.

Myth 6. Wine has many health benefits
According to research, most of the beneficial substances found in grapes are processed or destroyed during the process of making wine.

Myth 7. Alcohol improves performance
According to many people, in a state of light drunkenness, it is easier to work. In no case does not mean the average degree of intoxication. According to Australian researchers, the reaction rate of slightly drunk people is actually slightly higher. However, their reactions are not always correct. But the ability to concentrate and mental activity undoubtedly falls. It turns out that even if things go faster, there will be errors in the work.

Myth 8. Alcohol lowers blood pressure
Most people suffering from high blood pressure are convinced that alcohol increases the lumen of blood vessels and thereby reduces pressure. This is not entirely a misconception. Indeed, in small quantities, alcohol relaxes the tension of the vascular walls. But it immediately increases the heart rate. And the volume of blood passed by the heart affects the amount of pressure. Thus, as the heart rate accelerates, more blood is pushed out and the pressure rises. In addition, active ingredients are present in alcoholic beverages, which most often negatively affect pressure indicators.

Myth 9. Quality alcohol is not harmful
In fact, even the most expensive and high-quality alcohol is a toxic poison for the body. This is due to the fact that during the decomposition of ethyl alcohol in the body, acetaldehyde, a toxic substance, is released. At the same time, of course, low-quality alcohol is even more harmful, since initially it includes harmful fusel oils that aggravate the effect of acetaldehyde.

Is there any benefit?

The benefits of small doses of alcohol have been talked about for a long time and in many countries of the world.
Are these claims based on scientific evidence, or is it just a ploy by the liquor manufacturers?
After all, if everyone unanimously refuses alcoholic beverages, recognizing them as a soft drug, this will cause huge losses both to producers and to the state itself, which receives gigantic profits from taxes on alcohol. Therefore, everyone chooses the answer to this question for himself.

In the meantime, there is an opinion that:

The use of small doses of alcohol reduces the likelihood of developing coronary heart disease, as it prevents the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and increases the amount of "good cholesterol" in the blood,
Moderate drinking reduces the risk of arthritis
Under the influence of small doses of alcohol, areas of the brain that are dormant in a sober state are activated,
Moderate drinkers are less likely to suffer from kidney neoplasms, intermittent claudication, colds, angina pectoris, lymphoma, osteoporosis, and type 2 diabetes,
Moderate drinkers are several times less likely to die from a sudden heart attack,
Moderate drinkers get paid 20% more than teetotalers,
Even in the Old Testament in 191 places it is said about the benefits of wine ( it should be borne in mind that in those days they drank only natural grape wine and well diluted with water).

The vast majority of researchers involved in this topic believe that the benefits of drinking even small doses of alcohol are so small that you should not take all of the above arguments seriously. And any dose of alcohol brings a lot of harm to the body. The media try to just justify bad habits society, acting rather irresponsibly.

Alcohol treatment

In the medicinal traditions of many countries there is the use of alcoholic beverages. So, in Rus', vodka was used for rubbing, treating coughs and inflammation of the middle ear. And in southern countries, wine was used for treatment of diarrhea, cough, anemia, and weakness. In any case, before starting treatment, you should consult with your doctor.
Alcohol and vodka by themselves medicinal benefits Dont Have. However, they pull well. useful material from herbs. Vodka and alcohol have historically been used to make various tinctures.

ENT organs

For the treatment of sore throats, bronchitis, colds, you need to irrigate the throat and mouth with a mixture alcohol tincture eucalyptus or calendula and water in the proportion: for 200 ml of water 1 tsp. tinctures.
With follicular angina, the throat and mouth should be irrigated with 10% Kalanchoe tincture in vodka.
With SARS, flu, it will be useful to drink a warm drink before bedtime: 50 ml of dry red wine, 50 ml mineral water, 1 tbsp. honey, a little cinnamon.
For pneumonia, it will be useful: heat 200 ml of red wine, 1 tbsp. honey, a little lemon balm and thyme. Drink in small sips and immediately wrap yourself in a blanket.
To reduce the temperature in ARVI: 200 ml of dry white wine, 1 tbsp. lime honey, a little nutmeg, 1 tbsp. lemon juice. Leave for 60 minutes to infuse. Take a teaspoon 4 times a day
For chills: 200 ml of wine, 1 tbsp. honey, juice of 12 lemons and 3 cloves warm on fire, leave covered for 30 minutes, drink little by little,
For the treatment of rhinitis: 1 tbsp. alcohol tincture of propolis diluted with 2 tbsp. beetroot juice. Drip 4 times a day, 3 drops in each nasal passage,
For the treatment of cough, bronchitis: 1 tbsp. olive oil, cognac, honey, warm slightly and consume immediately before going to bed,
To strengthen the body with colds, combine equal amounts of Cahors, honey, aloe juice. Drink 1 tbsp. 30 minutes before meals 3 times a day.

Heart and blood vessels

100 gr. dry red wine, 8 ml of cinnamon tincture, 6 ml of lemon balm tincture, 30 ml of honey. Take a tablespoon 3 times a day
In chronic heart failure: 500 ml of dry red wine, 2 handfuls of rose petals, stand in a warm, dark place for 15 days. Drink 50 ml once a day after a meal,
With increased pressure: 300 gr. red dry wine, 150 gr. honey, 100 gr. crushed aloe leaves. Hold for 24 hours to infuse. Use a tablespoon 3 times a day before a meal for 6 weeks,
With increased pressure: 250 ml of vodka, 250 gr. honey, lemon juice, 300 ml cranberry juice. Use 1 tbsp. 3 times a day between meals
With vegetative-vascular dystonia, you should drink a glass of good red wine every day.

Varicose veins

Mix acacia flowers with 150 ml of vodka. Cover the bottle and leave in the dark for ten days. Use for rubbing the affected areas,
Chop 6 chestnuts, add 500 ml of vodka. Keep in the dark for 14 days. Pass through gauze and drink 30 drops 3 times a day on an empty stomach. The duration of therapy is 4 weeks,
From hemorrhoids 50 gr. chestnut flowers pour 500 ml of vodka, leave for 14 days. Take 40 drops 3 times a day after a meal.

Indigestion

For gastritis with reduced acid production: for 21 days every day, drink 75 ml of dry red wine twice a day. Drink 30 minutes before meals
For diarrhea: 1 liter of red wine, 30 gr. mixtures of herbs in equal quantities ( oak bark, underground parts of galangal, marshmallow), consumed warm, 1 tsp. once every 60 minutes.

Cholagogue and diuretic disorders

500 ml of alcohol and 25 gr. birch buds withstand 14 days in the dark. Use 1 tsp. 3 times a day after meals
With atony of the gallbladder, take 2 tablespoons per 100 ml of vodka. barberry leaves. Withstand 15 days. Take 30 drops in a small amount of water 3 times a day for 14 days,
With a stomach ulcer: 200 gr. vodka and 50 gr. oar mushroom. Withstand 15 days in a cold place. Use 1 tbsp. 3 times a day after a meal.

Joint diseases

From puffiness and pain: mix vodka and honey in equal proportions. Make lotions at night with a warm composition,
Before breakfast, drink 200 ml of milk with a dessert spoon of alcohol,
20 gr. bitter herbs and 500 ml of alcohol stand in the pantry for 14 days. Drink 1 dessert spoon 3 times a day after a meal.

Gout
Grind one immortelle bulb and add 5 parts of alcohol. Keep 14 days in the pantry, treat the affected joints.

Osteomyelitis
100 gr. propolis mixed with 500 ml of alcohol. Keep in storage for three days. Use inside, diluting 1 tsp. tincture in 100 ml of water 3 times a day.

Overweight and alcohol

Excessive addiction to alcohol is among the first causes of excess weight. First of all, any alcohol has a lot of calories. In addition, alcohol penetrates into the blood in a matter of minutes and is rapidly absorbed by the body. Once in the stomach, alcohol activates the production of gastric juice, speeds up the digestion of food and thereby increases appetite.

Even a small amount of alcohol reduces the ability to keep track of the amount eaten. If you drink often enough, you can short term increase body weight. Most of all it concerns beer. This is not to say that there are a lot of calories in this alcoholic drink, but you can eat a lot of high-calorie foods with beer. The same applies to aperitifs. Thus, if there is alcohol at the table, more will be eaten. At the same time, more high-calorie food is also selected as a snack.

Those who want to monitor their weight should pay attention to red wine. Which in small quantities accelerates metabolic processes, the movement of blood through the vessels, and causes the walls of the vessels to expand. The formation of atherosclerotic growths decreases, the tone of the heart and blood vessels increases. White dry wine also useful in small amounts, improving the condition of the digestive tract.

Heart, vessels and alcohol

According to some reports in the United States conducted a study of the effect of alcohol on the state of the cardiovascular system. It turned out that small amounts of alcohol favorably affect these organs. Thus, the likelihood of developing senile dementia, stroke and heart attack decreases.

Doctors from the American Heart Association spent 3.5 years conducting a study in which more than 2000 volunteers suffering from vascular and heart diseases participated.

After the end of the experiment, the scientists outlined their advice to patients. According to them, 2-3 servings of alcoholic beverages per day improve health. So, the fair sex is recommended to drink 200 ml of red wine per day, and the representatives of the strong half of humanity - 400 ml each. Scientists believe that not drinking at all is worse than drinking a little. A rather strange statement from the point of view of most scientists, however, words cannot be thrown out of a song.

Scientists believe that people who drink small amounts of alcohol from time to time have a quarter less likely to develop a heart attack, a fifth less likely to develop a stroke. The walls of the vessels are strengthened, and the blood circulation of the brain improves, therefore senile dementia is prevented.
To date, small doses of alcohol, from the point of view of doctors from the Association of Cardiologists, are one of the secrets of well-being and health. They immediately warn that increasing the daily dose to 5-6 servings at times increases the likelihood of death from a heart attack. Scientists also warn teetotalers against urgently starting to drink alcohol "for health", considering this an unnecessary measure.

Beer

In connection with the craze for beer, it is impossible not to dwell on this drink separately.
Beer is a low-alcohol beverage produced by fermenting malt with the addition of brewer's yeast and hops.
Regular beer contains 3 to 6% vol.
In strong varieties from 8 to 14% vol.
This is a very common drink, there are at least a thousand varieties of it. It was known to people already 10 thousand years ago! And a number of scientists believe that people began to grow crops only for the sake of obtaining raw materials for a foamy drink.
The quality of beer is determined solely by its taste. It is wrong to assume that the higher the foam, the better the beer. The height of the foam cap depends only on how the drink was poured into the glass.
The first place in terms of beer consumption per capita is occupied by the Czech Republic, followed by Germany and Austria.

Harm of beer
1. The heart suffers most from the abuse of beer. Doctors call this disorder “bull heart.” The cavities of the heart become more voluminous, its walls thicken, and there are multiple tissue necrosis in the myocardium. Similar changes in the heart appear under the influence of cobalt, an element that is added to beer to stabilize the foam. There is 10 times more cobalt in the heart muscle of beer drinkers than it should be. Cobalt also destroys the lining of the stomach and esophagus. Bad for the heart is the presence of a large amount of carbon dioxide in beer, as well as large volumes of liquid consumed by beer lovers. Penetrating into the body, beer immediately causes a rush of blood in the vessels, which sooner or later causes varicose veins, as well as an increase in the volume of the heart. Such a diseased heart is large in size, but it functions very weakly.

2. Beer contains substances that change the metabolic processes in the body. For example, in the body of the stronger sex, under the influence of beer, the production of male sex hormones decreases. Such men can be recognized by the increased amount of fat on the sides and thighs, enlarged mammary glands, and increased pelvic volume. Beer suppresses sexual interest. According to doctors, 15-20 years of heavy beer consumption causes impotence. Women who often drink beer are at greater risk of getting cancer, they may have a lower voice and a mustache.

Most modern scientists consider beer to be the first legalized drug. According to experts, beer causes one of the most cruel forms of alcoholism. To date, every second first grade student has already tasted beer. The amount of consumption of this drink has increased 12 times over the past 10 years. None of the official sources mentions that in beer fusel oils, aldehydes, ethers and methanol are not less than in moonshine and tens of times more than the permissible limit in vodka.

It is officially recognized that beer drinkers are more likely to develop alcohol dependence than wine or vodka drinkers.
The World Health Organization warns that people who frequently drink large amounts of beer increase their risk of developing colon cancer.

Beer contains substances that promote relaxation. This is what makes it so dangerous in terms of addiction. Gradually, rest is already impossible to imagine without a few bottles of beer. The situation is aggravated by the public opinion that does not consider beer to be alcohol. Beer alcoholism appears and develops slowly and imperceptibly. After all, the desire to drink beer does not cause anxiety in anyone. It's not vodka! However, having developed, it proceeds more severely than vodka alcoholism. Due to the fact that beer in large quantities is a cellular toxin, it is in beer alcoholics that the internal organs are most severely affected: the heart, liver, in addition, a decrease in self-esteem and dementia usually develop. Yes, and it is more difficult to recover from this alcoholism.

Unfortunately, completely recover from beer alcoholism ( just like any other) impossible. Even attempts to control the dose in alcoholics lead to an inevitable binge. No matter how many years have passed since the last beer was drunk, everything can start all over again.
Even non-alcoholic beer is dangerous, because it contains a minimum dose of alcohol. Therefore, for many alcoholics, binges begin with a bottle of non-alcoholic beer.

The benefits of beer
1. Body massage using this drink makes the skin silky and tender,
2. Drinking 1-2 servings of beer a day prevents premature aging of the body,
3. Beer removes salts of the poisonous aluminum metal from the cells,
4. According to Japanese scientists, this drink reduces the likelihood of developing cancer by half,
5. The presence of bitterness in the drink activates the digestive tract,
6. Hops have a sedative effect, which is transmitted to the foamy drink,
7. For those who suffer from increased sweating, a bath will help: pour a bottle of beer into a bath of warm water and lie down for 15-20 minutes,
8. For a cold: a mug of warm beer and a tablespoon of honey, add a little cinnamon, cloves and one raw egg to a mug of warm beer, you can add lemon zest instead of an egg,
9. Perfectly cares for hair, making it obedient and nourishing,
10. According to American scientists, drinking a glass of beer a day reduces the likelihood of developing heart attacks by half.

Absinthe

This drink is banned in most European countries. On the territory of the post-Soviet space, it is officially allowed for sale and use. Refers to strong drinks, contains from 68 to 72% vol, and Swiss varieties up to 80% vol.

People argue about the benefits and harms of alcohol exactly as much as humanity already exists. Doctors and nutritionists put forward one theory after another. Some argue - not a drop, others say that it is possible and even necessary. So all the same, is alcohol useful and in what quantities it can be consumed.

Red and white wine

Useful properties of alcohol

Alcohol can be helpful, but only in small doses. This is increasingly supported by scientific evidence.

Alcohol can lower blood cholesterol, prevent blood clots, dilate blood vessels and speed up the process of blood circulation. As a result, the likelihood of occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases is reduced.

Useful substances of alcohol:

B vitamins;
Minerals (potassium, sodium).

Grape wine:

Organic acids (malic, lactic, tartaric);
Aldehydes, esters, acetates;
Minerals (manganese, zinc, fluorine, cobalt and 20 more trace elements);
Vitamin C;
B vitamins;
Vitamin RR.

The best alcoholic drink is natural wine made from red grapes. There are other quality alcohols that can be beneficial in small doses. The dosage should be selected according to well-being, but on average it is about 50 grams of alcohol per day.

Above this rate, alcohol turns into poison, harming most organs and systems of the body. The harm of alcoholic beverages also lies in the fact that 1 gram contains 7.3 kilocalories. Alcohol is not inferior in calories to fat!

Alcoholic drinks can be consumed. They will be harmless only if simple conditions are met:

Take small doses that do not cause a noticeable change in behavior. At the same time, it is important to rely not only on your own opinion.
The intervals between doses should be irregular.
Drink only drinks High Quality that do not contain harmful additives.

Alcohol is contraindicated:

When taking antibiotics;
During pregnancy;
encoded;
With psoriasis, epilepsy;
Mentally unbalanced people;
The rest take alcohol with great care!

How much alcohol can you drink per day

Men can take 250 ml per day. wine, or 500 ml. beer, or 40-50 ml. a drink with an ethyl alcohol content of about 40%. For a woman, the same alcohol is allowed to be consumed, respectively, in the amount of 150, 330 and 30 ml. Is alcohol good for you in large quantities? Of course not.

These data are calculated for people of average build. The systematic use of alcoholic beverages above the specified norms can lead to alcoholism and other diseases.

How to choose alcohol

Quality wine is bottled in thick glass, with a recess at the bottom. The label must contain reliable information about the producer, grape variety, bottling date. It is important that there is no inscription on the expiration date of the wine on the packaging!

When choosing a liquor, you should first of all be guided by the label.

When choosing cognac, pay attention to the clogging of the bottle. First of all, look at how the bottle is corked. The cap should fit snugly against the bottle. The composition should not contain flavors and distillation alcohol. Another undesirable sign is sediment at the bottom. A clear sign of counterfeit is an unevenly pasted label.

When choosing vodka, carefully look at the label, it should be glued evenly, with a well-placed seal.

Champagne should not contain flavorings. The date of bottling is important, as the freshest champagne is the most delicious. Champagne with a plastic cork is of poor quality. Cork must be made from the bark.

Recipes for healthy dishes with alcohol

Crush a large sprig of mint with 20 grams of syrup with a wooden spoon. Add lime halves, 30 grams of lime juice, 60 grams of white rum and 90 grams of soda. Divide the resulting mixture into glasses, sprinkle with ice on top.

Insert the straw and stir the drink. Condensation should appear on the walls.

Mulled wine

Take 150 ml. water, pour spices into it (cinnamon stick, 12 clove buds, nutmeg, ginger, orange peel or lemon zest).
Bring everything to a boil.
After boiling for 5-7 minutes, add a liter of red wine, bring the mulled wine to a boil, but do not boil.
The drink should be infused for 10-15 minutes.

Mulled wine is ready to drink!

And finally, a comic excerpt from the newsreel Wick Evgeny Leonov. Monologue about the benefits of alcohol. “Get drunk! Healthy!"
Do not take to heart on an empty stomach)!