No alcohol, moderate alcohol and excess alcohol

We can say alcohol (also called ETOH at work) is the most easily available recreational drug or agent. Many patients are smart as they know what they are doing very well. During the medical interview last week, I asked my patient as routine "Do you like lager or wine? How much do you drink?, he answered " No too much, Doctor, only 10 -12 units a week, only weekend really!" . ( Gosh.. much less than my limit). Of course, this is in England. Most people have been familiar with alcohol units and recommendations. The UK authorities suggest that the tolerable maximum weekly consumption of alcohol for men is 21 units, and for women 14 units. Beer cans and all liquor bottles show up the formation of alcohol units as a legal requirement.

Obviously, we know very well alcohol excess is strongly associated with a wide spectrum of problems, from health issues to social consequences. If so, can we say it is safe enough to take a drink in moderation, that is, 21 units/week for men and 14 units/week for women?

According to cancer research UK, drinking 1-2 units a day can increase the risk of the seven cancers linked to alcohol.(Full story). I believe this is a reliable research report. What would be the next? Should we give up our drinking habit at the expense of our recreation?

At the same time, I am thinking myself why I want to live long. For what? For my patients? For my family? For human beings? For animals? I was so surprised to see a 81 year old man at work who kept asking me why he had osteoarthritis (joint pain), why he was not able to walk like others. Maybe he was demented. But at least he was not aware basically that it is inevitable for everybody to face the deterioration phase, like an old car, before going to heaven or hell, provided that the mode of death is not a sudden death.

Well, what I am trying to say is that so long as we know what we are doing, it is fair enough. No alcohol or moderate alcohol or excess alcohol, what ever it is. We still don't know what our mode of death would be yet :)




Here is the alcohol unit calculator. Really handy. You can know what you are doing easily.