The human body breaks down alcohol in 3 various stages. Each
stage takes a fair amount of time while the body reacts to the ingested
substance. In most people, the average drink (12 oz. beer, 4 oz. wine, 1 oz.
shot) takes an hour to metabolize fully. As such, it’s important you know what
your body must go through in order to break down these types of substances.
Metabolism
When alcohol is ingested, the fluids hit the drinker’s
stomach on their way to the small intestine. This is the point where the
alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream. Here, small blood vessels will absorb
the alcohol before transporting it to the liver. Once alcohol reaches the
liver, our metabolism begins converting and breaking it down with enzymes into non-toxic
acid. In total, roughly 80-90% of ingested alcohol is broken down by our body’s
metabolism.
Excretion
Another ways our bodies remove alcohol is through the
process of excretion. Alcohol is eliminated largely through urinary passages
once it has passed through the kidneys. Additional excretion methods include
sweat, saliva, feces and milk.
Exhalation
Our lungs exhale roughly 5% of all ingested alcohol. This
factor makes it easy for breathalyzer tests to determine the body’s current
alcohol content. Alcohol content found in breath comes from air sacs in the
lungs, called alveoli.
Alcohol Levels
BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) is the most accurate way of
determining the current amount of alcohol in an individual’s system. The
measurement is made by the percentage of alcohol currently in the individual’s
blood. Though blood tests have been found to be more accurate, breathalyzer
tests are more common due to their ease of use. Urine tests may also help in
determining current system alcohol levels. If an individual chooses to drink
more alcohol than their body can metabolize in a short period of time, the BAC
is be increased.
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ReplyDeleteLike many people, at the start of the year, I made a resolution to decrease my alcohol intake.
DeleteDrink Less in Seven Days by Georgia Foster has really helped me stick to this resolution. Georgia is a clinical hypnotherapist and alongside the written version of the book, there are also 4 "Hypnosis Hub" recordings that readers are encouraged to access to help them with the program.
One of the great things about Drink Less in Seven Days is that Georgia (and I"m going to call her Georgia because she kind of feels like a friend) is totally non-judgemental about how much you drink, why you drink, why you feel you drink too much etc. I feel that this is an area where people carry a lot of shame and negative feelings and to have someone who approaches an emotional issue like this with absolute objectivity is helpful in driving the desired behaviours. She's on your side!
There are two main parts to Drink Less in Seven Days. The first is how your amygdala (the part of your brain that deals with emotions and fear/stress responses) can actually work against your efforts to quit or reduce your drinking. It shows you how to move your decision to drink away from this very instinctive part of your brain to your prefrontal cortex which is the part of your brain that is more concerned with considered decision-making.
I found this part of the book fascinating, particularly the parts where she spoke about silencing your inner critic.
However, it was the second part of the book, where Georgia broke down different personality types. what triggers them to drink and how to circumvent these triggers that I found most useful. (Also fascinating, if like me you love a good theory of behaviour and the ability to proclaim "Yes!!!! That's me!"). Because it makes total sense right? If you drink out of social anxiety (which is me a little bit) your methods to success will likely be different to someone who drinks because everyone around you is (also me a little bit).
The biggest take away for me was starting to understand what triggers my wanting to drink and learning alternative strategies should I decide not to. I think a really important thing about Drink Less in Seven Days is that it is NOT about quitting drinking altogether. It is about cutting down to a level that you are comfortable with, whatever that is for you. And this feels more manageable than quitting altogether.
The cru of this type of book though is does it work?
So here's the real deal. I started this program in January. It's now March and I can count the times I have drunk alcohol on one hand. During this time I have been to pubs, bars and restaurants, entertained at home and been entertained at other people's homes so it's not like I have been hiding myself away. I have been around alcohol and people drinking as much as I ever was.
Will I drink again? Almost definitely. For me, this experiment was never about giving up altogether. And I have far too much fun making cocktails for this to give it up completely! However, I feel that moving forward I will be able to drink in a more mindful considered way.
Thank you to Georgia Foster for a thoroughly fascinating book that does exactly what it says on the cover!
Here's a link to The 7 Days To Drink Less Online Alcohol Reduction Program.
John
I have friends who are really heavy drinkers and I am glad that no one among these guys was ever sent alcohol rehab centers. Primarily and I would say that this is because they still have hope in their lives. What I mean is that there are two types of drinkers. There are those who drink to celebrate, who are my friends and those who drink because they are desperate and thinking that there will be a solution in drinking.
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ReplyDeleteI like how to said about A Breakdown of the Alcohol Stages
ReplyDeleteMaybe, you want to check it out also---> Signs of Alcoholism
I hope it helps..
tRY this also---> https://www.learn-about-alcoholism.com/teenage-alcoholism.html
ReplyDelete