why is alcohol legal: the george best/opening hours thread

EZ, do you have concerns regarding the effects that alcohol is having upon your body?Also, does it bother you to be dependent upon a drug to relax instead of being able to relax all on your own?

1. Yes, of course. Although I am in pretty good physical condition and there are no real negative symptoms. (yet ?) Hopefully I remain below the consumption threshold for acute consequences.2. No, I think a lot of people use different things to relax. I seem to have reached a sort of equilibrium with alcohol, although I suppose I might be better off using meditation techniques or something non-chemical. I guess I have to admit being more uptight than most and I feel pressured a lot from work, although I know a lot of it is self-inflicted. Also, I am very much a creature of routine and when I get home and start to cook dinner, I have a few drinks in the course of it - then eat. Maybe one more drink after dinner. Habits are hard to change.

I don't see anything wrong with that. The question is, what do you do on your days off?

I used to do a lot of cycling (literally 100's of miles a week).
Now, carpentry and home renovation consume most of my weekends, but I still lift weights 2-3 times a week (early mornings before work).
I also have a very active dog that requires a lot of exercise, although my wife helps a lot here - she needs her exercise too I intend to resume cycling on a regular basis again once I finish my house. And yes - I regularly enjoy a couple of beers after a long ride.

That's no big deal--in fact, it's healthy.By the way, EZscience, I haven't seen you on here lately, but thanks for your explanations of some scientific concepts to me a while back.

Well I have been doing so much work-related writing I haven't had much of a chance to 'hang out' here. As a scientist working in agriculture, I don't ever seem to get caught up until around this time of year. Still, I do check back once in a while to see if there is a topic that might motivate me to put in my 2 cents worth. The best motivation is feedback like yours (thank you) - the opportunity to enhance scientific understanding in others. Now back to this book chapter I am supposed to be working on...This message has been edited by EZscience, 12-09-2005 12:00 PM

I came to this forum to learn more about the scientific basis for evolution, but I do run into problems, not being sufficiently trained. Right now I'm reading "What Evolution Is" by Ernest Mayr, and my problem is the technical terms. Of course, I look up the definition, but the definitions also consist of unfamiliar technical terms. People object to "popular science," but for someone like me it would be useful if accurate. If I knew enough, I would write a "popular science" book myself.That would be a good job for Crashfrog.This message has been edited by robinrohan, 12-09-2005 12:25 PM

That it is. Long term negative consequences of moderate drinking (a loosely defined concept, but could be considered two standard drinks a day for the average person) is only the possibility that it can lead to heavy drinking. On the other hand, health benefits include (and I'll be happy to back up any of these):

1. Increased HDL count
2. Reduced symptoms of diabetes
3. Reduced risk for heart disease
4. Reduction of plaque formation associated with LDL oxidation
   

The benefits of heavy drinking, however, don't exist. As a college student, I used to be a pretty heavy drinker, and even did the 21-shot challenge on my 21st birthday. Coming across this information (I wrote a term paper on beer), however, made me realize that heavy drinking isn't only incredibly unhealthy, but it ruins the benefits of what has the potential to be a very good thing.If it weren't for the potential for addiction, drinking beer wouldn't be much different than drinking milk. If, for example, you had 21 12oz cans of milk on your 21st birthday, you would likely suffer from the many symptoms associated with calcium poisoning, including the potential for a coma. On the other hand, long term negative side effects for use of milk are rare.

quite so.

You know what's funny though? I have the remains of an outstanding constitution.Being superstitious, I hesitate to write this, but I have really never been sick enough to go to a hospital.I just don't get sick. And I drink like a fish.

Well I am drinking like a fish as we speak and will also do the same tomorrow. I have some High BP issues(am medicated), and some joint pain but that is about it. I have never been in a hospital for being sick. Motto is everything in moderation, even moderation.

I like that.

It can be a hard motto to live by. Sometimes it can be so tempting to throw moderation out the window. Other times moderation takes over everything. It takes a truly disciplined person to follow the motto.

Some people simply handle alcohol better than others. It's not just a weight or gender issue; the actual metabolism of alcohol varies greatly from person to person.There are several enzymes that metabolize alcohol, but most notable are ADH (alcohol dehydrogenase) and cytochrome P450. ADH converts alcohol into acetaldehyde, which produce the negative symptoms associated with a hangover. Not only does cytochrome P450 not produce significant negative side-effects, but the production of this enzyme increases with consistent drinking.But before you get too excited, I wanted to point out some of the negative side effects of excessive drinking:

1. Pancreatitis
2. Livir cirrhosis
3. Degenerative central nervous system disorders
4. Abnormal sleep patterns
5. Impaired ability to think abstractly (this can last a couple months off of a single binge!)
6. Cardiomyopathy
7. Hemorrhagic Stroke
8. Depression
9. Lowered sperm count
10. Impaired sexual stimulation
    

I'll just stop there...

Thanks a lot. I'll wait a while and then commit suicide.