Alcohol is one of those substances that can have both positive and negative effects on the body, with the latter manifesting much more often.

Yes, getting drunk can make you feel good for a couple of hours, but there are many things going on in the backend, which you simply can’t feel until it’s too late.

In this article, we’re going to give you an insight into drinking, how much is too much, what the word “moderation” means, and even, when drinking in moderation starts to become counterproductive.

Why Do We Get Drunk?

When consuming alcoholic beverages, your liver starts breaking it down, utilizing a flurry of powerful enzymes.

Enzymes are basically molecules that speed up the rate of the chemical reactions occurring in your body.

The state we refer to as “drunkenness” occurs when you consume alcohol faster than you can break it down.

Now, the body can break down one standard drink per hour and in most cases, people go way above that.

Especially in cultures such as ours, where excess alcohol consumption is encouraged!

However, given that getting drunk is one of the purposes of drinking alcohol in the first place, an important question comes to mind...

How Much Is Too Much?

Whether we’re talking about alcohol, water, food, or anything else that you put in the body, moderation should be one of your main rules of thumb.

Specifically for alcohol, the dietary guidelines for Americans define drinking in moderation, as having 1 drink and 2 drinks per day, for females and males, respectively.

It is important to note here that a “drink” is usually defined as a 350 ml beer, not a big whiskey!

Certainly, consuming harsh alcohol on a daily basis will manifest alcohol’s side effects much quicker than a beer or two.

When Is Moderation Counterproductive?

If you are generally healthy, and have good nutritional, sleeping and training habits, having alcohol in moderation will have little to no side effects.

However, in certain cases, even low alcohol consumption may have certain side effects.

 Try and avoid alcohol, if you:

• 1. Are about to participate in physical activities
• 2. Take medication that interacts with alcohol
• 3. Have a health condition that may worsen with alcohol consumption
• 4. Find it difficult to control your alcohol intake after you start drinking
• 5. Are trying to have kids (alcohol may worsen the function of your reproductive system)
• 6. Are drinking alone and using it as a coping mechanism or to numb out
• 7. An athlete or attempting a body transformation
• 8. Are attempting to reduce caloric and sugar intake

💡Did you know?

It is not just the empty calories that alcohol provides that can be counterproductive…

• Alcohol consumption can inhibit your body’s ability to ‘burn’ fat for up to 72 hours after drinking. 
• Alcohol also contains 7 calories per gram (whereas carbs and protein contain 4 calories per gram).  
• According to a study conducted by Parr et al in 2014[i], alcohol reduces the anabolic response of muscle protein synthesis - muscle building.

Furthermore, this inhibition occurs even when an individual consumes protein at the same time in an attempt to provide sufficient nutrients for muscle growth.

Hence if you are a serious athlete, are competing or undertaking a fat loss or weight loss body transformation alcohol can be a serious inhibitor to those aspirations.

To find out how many calories are in what you are drinking see the following Alcohol & Calorie Guide Infographic.

You can also grab your own PDF copy here ⬇️⬇️