With summer quickly on the way in the southern hemisphere and predictions that this is going to be the hottest summer ever, most individuals will be drinking a lot of liquids, including alcohol, which is not such a good idea.
While we need to drink a lot of liquids throughout the day, especially in the summer, to replace lost liquids and keep our body’s fluid balanced, drinking copious amounts of alcohol is not the way to do it because alcohol is a diuretic.
Drinking water throughout the day in order to stay hydrated and in good health is vital, as the human body is made up of about 70% water, which is present in every cell and which is required to keep your body healthy and operating optimally.
Drinking alcohol is not good because it affects various parts of the body negatively:
- Bones: Alcohol is a diuretic and flushes calcium from the bones; it can also lead to an acceleration of bone deterioration and risk of bone fracture;
- Brain: Alcohol dehydrates the brain, slows down its communication pathways, makes it harder to think, and leads to learning and memory problems and anxiety and depression;
- Central Nervous System (CNS): Heavy alcohol use can cause permanent cell damage known as neuropathy, which manifests as burning, weakness, pain and a numbness in the hands and feet;
- Heart: Heavy or binge drinking increases the chance of cardiomyopathy, high blood pressure and stroke;
- Immune System: Chronic alcohol abuse will reduce your body’s ability to effectively fight off disease and harmful bacteria.
- Liver: Heavy drinking can cause serious liver damage that can lead to liver scarring and liver inflammation;
- Pancreas: Heavy drinking can lead to pancreatitis which can in turn lead to Type II Diabetes;
- Stomach: Alcohol can lead to an inflammation of the stomach lining, stomach ulcers, tearing, bleeding and anaemia;
Drinking Water is Good Because it affects your body positively:
- Brain: Drinking water boosts your mood and brain power and helps for mathematical problems, logical thinking, and many other functions;
- Heart: Drinking water keeps the blood at the right viscosity so that the heart is not strained and overworked;
- Immune System: Drinking water helps keep the immune system healthy by helping to flush out toxins and helps fight against the intestinal problems, flu, rheumatism, arthritis, and respiratory problems;
- Kidneys: Water dilutes the minerals and salts in the urine preventing kidney stones from forming;
- Muscles: Water lubricates the joints, builds muscle- tone, allows you to exercise for longer and prevents cramping;
- Digestion: Water helps to dissolve waste and move it through the digestive tract;
- Skin: Water hydrates the skin, makes it glow, flushes out impurities and improves blood circulation.
So, as you can see, it is far healthier to drink water than it is to drink alcohol. If you do want to drink alcohol remember to drink water in-between so that you do not get dehydrated.
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