Many studies indicate consuming one drink per day in the company of others can be beneficial to your heart because it facilitates relaxation. Keep in mind heart disease is our number one killer, so this campaign for a drink a day has been strongly marketed.   Drinking one drink per day, however, does not benefit your liver even if it does benefit your heart.  Alcohol puts your digestive fire out.  It additionally strains your kidneys, an integral part of your digestive system.

Did you know that age spots are the result of poor kidney function?

Alcohol is a depressant.  One glass of wine each day can lead to depression.  It may also lead to two glasses of wine each day and then three.  Developing a deep-seated alcohol habit or addiction takes anywhere from 13 – 30 years.  Frequently, a person will hit a tough time in life and use alcohol to self soothe.  It may last 1 – 4 years and then they make the choice to stop drinking so much or to stop drinking.  If you’ve been on that roller coaster ride for awhile, it’s time to take action before a deep-seated habit or addiction develops.

What Alcohol does to Your Digestive System

Alcohol is quickly absorbed into your blood stream and needs very little time to digest, unlike food.   Thirty percent alcohol consumed is expelled with breath, urine, and broken down in the stomach by an enzyme called dehydrogenase.  Woman naturally have less of this enzyme than men which explains why women are more quickly and adversely affected by alcohol than men.  The remaining alcohol enters the small intestine where it is absorbed into the blood.  Your liver is next in line as it is filtering two quarts of blood per minute. 

Your liver prefers to work with fatty acids, but it is smart and knows it must take care of alcohol first perceived by the liver to be poison.  Yes, I said poison.  Your liver can only digest one drink or one-half ounce of alcohol per hour.  This means your liver has to store fatty acids to break down alcohol.  Many people with chronic drinking habits end up with “fatty” livers because of this.  

Read this twice!  Once you have that drink, your liver stops digesting everything else to get the poison out.  That’s why that nightly glass of wine equals 5 to 10 pounds over the course of 6 to 8 months.

Alcohol depletes the liver, adding to weight and depressing you.  Give your liver a break so that it can do its job more effectively. 

Coping With a Slip

Many people slip while trying to eliminate alcohol  If you slip, its okay.  Just get back on track as soon as you realize the slip.  Double your Neem dosage, drink some organic orange juice, eat a banana and make good choices including leafy greens and fruit for the rest of the day.  Drink lots of fluid and maybe take a little aloe juice as well.  This will act as a tonic and refresh your liver.  Take a vitamin supplement containing all the B Vitamins and take a few doses of vitamin C.If you know ahead of time that you will be drinking, double your Neem and drink lots of water with your beverages.  Always eat before imbibing to slow the absorption of the alcohol.  Before you go to bed after a night on the town, boil hot water and drink a cup or two.  Adding fresh ginger to your hot water is very beneficial.  This will help flush your system.   In the morning, take more Neem, orange juice, aloe and banana.

If you find that slipping up and drinking alcohol is a chronic problem, or feel that there is no way you can stop drinking for an extended period of time,  you are cultivating awareness around your alcohol consumption.  Reach out for help.

 Dealing With Alcohol Craving

The following are sound steps to eliminate your craving and help you over the hump:

  • Make an appointment with an acupuncturist.  Tell him/her that you would like points placed in your ears that you can leave in for up to a week that help curb cravings for alcohol and sugar.  (Much of our craving for alcohol stems from sugar addiction.)
  • When you are in the moment of wanting a drink, pause and ask yourself why.  For me, it happens at after a long day of work.  I’m making dinner for the family, trying to do homework with my kids and the phone starts ringing.  A glass of wine helps me to feel calmer.  Unfortunately, one glass can turn into two quite easily and that can turn into a nightly habit that ages me and adds unwanted pounds.  Instead, know who you are.  In this situation I need to turn off the noise, send the kids away and take a 5 minute walk or meditation.  Then I can go back to my tasks calmer and with focus.
  • Substitute.  If you are used to drinking hard alcohol, switch to wine or beer.  They are easier to digest and more filling.  Dilute your wine with water: think spritzer.   Have a glass of fruit juice in a fancy glass and pretend.
  • When you are out for the evening or with friends and are being encouraged to drink, simply tell them that you are trying to lose weight.  Telling people that you are trying to lose weight deflects from their own need to drink.  They will usually stop pressuring you.  If they don’t stop pressuring you, pretend to drink.  Get a bottle of beer and carry it around all night.  As long as people think you are drinking, they don’t care.   Remember, one in three American adults have a drinking problem and they don’t want to drink alone.  Your friends and family can sabotage you.  Avoid them.

Additional Herbal Therapy

If you have been consuming one or more alcoholic beverages per day or most days, I recommend the following additional herbal therapy:A multi-vitamin that includes all B-vitamins, vitamin C and D

Flaxseed oil

Ashwagandha

Neem
From the Center for Disease Control:  Excessive drinking both in the form of heavy drinking or binge drinking, is associated with numerous health problems, including—

  • Chronic diseases such as liver cirrhosis (damage to liver cells); pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas); various cancers, including liver, mouth, throat, larynx (the voice box), and esophagus; high blood pressure; and psychological disorders.
  • Unintentional injuries, such as motor-vehicle traffic crashes, falls, drowning, burns and firearm injuries.
  • Violence, such as child maltreatment, homicide, and suicide.
  • Harm to a developing fetus if a woman drinks while pregnant, such as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
  • Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
  • Alcohol abuse or dependence.

 

Giving up your nightly glass of wine is going to allow your liver to go back online and process fats, hormones, and enzymes as intended.  You will be surprised this may be your biggest contributor to not being able to take off those last 5 – 10 pounds.  

 

*The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of ayurveda, yoga, and meditation. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease. If you have any serious acute or chronic health concern, please consult a trained health professional who can fully assess your needs and address them effectively. Check with your doctor before taking herbs or using essential oils when pregnant or nursing.