If there is one thing i can change about the culture of my people, is the habit of alcohol consumption. Some people like to use festivals or celebrations as an excuse to consume alcohol excessively. While i have no problem with social or occasional drinking, excessive and frequent alcohol consumption is like digging your own grave.
Most people who have alcohol-related health problems aren’t alcoholics. They're simply people who have regularly drunk more than the recommended levels for some years. Regularly drinking more than the recommended daily limits risks damaging your health and there's no guaranteed safe level of drinking. The more you drink, the greater your risk of ill-health.
And it's certainly not only people who get drunk or binge drink who are at risk. Most people who regularly drink more than the recommendations don't see any harmful effects at first.
Alcohol’s hidden harms usually only emerge after a number of years. And by then, serious health problems can have developed.
Health effects due to excessive alcohol intake:
- Liver problems
- reduced fertility
- high blood pressure
- increased risk of various cancers
- Cardivascular disease like heart attack
Other harmful effects:
- It creates poverty
- Road accidents
- Domestic problems
It is interesting to note that Malaysia, although a small country, is the 10th largest alcohol consumer in the world! (http://www.ias.org.uk/resources/publications/theglobe/globe200103-04/gl200103-04_p18.html). This blog writes an interesting article about alcoholism in Sarawak.
Alcohol recommendations vary across countries. This is a recommendation by NHS:
- Men should not regularly drink more than 3 to 4 units of alcohol a day.
- Women should not regularly drink more than 2 to 3 units of alcohol a day.
- If you've had a heavy drinking session, avoid alcohol for 48 hours.
'Regularly' means drinking these amounts every day or most days of the week.
Alcohol was the most harmful drug in the UK, worse than heroin or crack cocaine, in terms of damage to the individual and to other people - David Nutt
Drink responsibly.
interesting information. Thanks!
ReplyDelete