I saw a programme on television a while back (I think Chris Packham was involved) in which there was a gentleman who, seemingly unprovoked, would quite regularly lose co-ordination, become disorientated and somewhat ‘lary’. Despite his protestations, his wife began to suspect that he was sneaking off to the pub at every available opportunity without telling her. Understandably this placed rather a strain on their relationship until finally it transpired that he was innocent after all. It turns out he was suffering from something called Auto-brewery Syndrome.
This thankfully rare condition is thought to occur when there is an overgrowth of yeasts in the intestines that produce a natural fermenting process in the gut, resulting in high alcohol levels that make the sufferer quite literally drunk without having consumed any alcohol.
Fermentation (the science of which is known as zymology for the purposes of pub quiz trivia) is key to producing alcohol and there is evidence to show that we, as a species, have been using it to make alcoholic drinks for thousands of years, as far back as 7000 BC. In the middle ages we were brewing beer as an everyday drink, often protecting against various water-borne diseases. It was also quite handy for sailors to take along with them on long voyages. Essentially, alcohol – specifically in alcoholic drinks ethyl alcohol or ethanol – is produced when yeasts and bacteria break down natural sugars found in fruits and grains in the absence of oxygen. Lactic acid that causes cramp in muscles during exercise is formed through a similar process.
Of course, as much as we like it, drinking the stuff does not always result in the best of outcomes. Some research has estimated that, at any one time, up to 0.7% of the world’s population (equivalent to around 50 million people) are drunk. Unfortunately in the UK in 2016 7,327 people died from alcohol specific causes and around 40% of all violent crime involves alcohol in some way. It accounts for more than a million hospital admissions each year.
As you can imagine, this creates rather a strain on the health service as well as on a person’s general health. When we drink alcohol, it creates a numbing effect on the brain, resulting from inhibition of certain neurotransmitters. Most likely it is this sensation that has us coming back for more each time. While in the moment it could be described as pleasant, it has some far more negative effects.
Your body reacts to ethanol as a toxin and this causes a reduction in insulin effectiveness in the long term if we drink a lot. Conversely, in the hours after drinking lots of ethanol, there will be an upturn in insulin production, lowering our blood sugar and causing tiredness and fatigue. As it is broken down, it produces acetaldehyde, which is heavily implicated in hangovers. It is also something which has been implicated in ethanol’s role in causing cancer, in this case by damaging DNA.
There are seven proven types of cancer (probably more yet to be proved) in which alcohol has a causative role: bowel, breast (possibly due to increased oestrogen levels), laryngeal, pharyngeal, mouth, oesophageal and liver. The liver becomes more and more damaged with persistent alcohol use and the scarring produced from this (cirrhosis) can cause irreparable and unpleasant consequences which may ultimately be fatal.
If that is not enough, excessive alcohol will drive up blood pressure and predispose a drinker to diabetes, all of which increase the risks of heart attacks and strokes. Alcoholic drinks account for around 11% of the UK population’s sugar intake further compounding this risk. It will inevitably cause weight gain and likely some tooth decay along the way.
Sleep can be greatly affected by alcohol. While many people drink as an aid to sleep, although that initial numbing effect may help them drift off, the sleep achieved will be restless and inefficient. Time spent in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep will be increased, resulting in less time spent in deep and restful slumber. This only causes fatigue and makes things worse rather than better.
What then, is a ‘safe’ level of
alcohol? The chief medical officer’s official recommendation is that we do not
exceed 14 units of alcohol each week (one unit is 10ml of alcohol). This is a
reduction from the old recommendations and represents roughly 6 pints of beer,
or 6 glasses of average strength wine.
Often people underestimate how many units there are in their drinks – it is
more than you might think!
If you do drink 14 units a week, spreading them out is the way to go rather than all at one time. If you are drinking any more than this, you are really not doing your health any favours, not to mention your bank account. Incidentally, the most expensive vodka in the world will set you back a cool 3.7 million dollars. ‘Billionaire Vodka’ is filtered through ice and then some Nordic birch charcoal before being passed through sand made from crushed diamonds and gems. Served in a diamond encrusted crystal bottle, it is some fairly serious stuff. While not all alcohol is priced that high, it does highlight the glamour that often surrounds it. Therein lies much of its danger.
Dependence on alcohol can creep up on you and, if unchecked, can quite literally kill you. It is thought that only 6% of alcohol dependant people will access treatment every year, so if you are unsure it is worth coming to see your GP or accessing any of the online resources listed at the bottom of this article.
You may have heard every now and again about the benefits of alcohol. In the past, before the advent of anaesthesia, surgeons would ply their patients with alcohol before procedures and physicians would recommend a ‘hot toddy’ to stave off a cold. In fact, while giving an initial boost (due to the effects of alcohol on the mind) a dash of whisky in your hot drink probably only serves to slow down the natural process of fighting off the infection.
Certainly there have been studies reported in the papers about regular red wine being good for your heart. The truth is, certainly in my mind, that there is simply not enough evidence to back this up. While some studies have shown benefits, the context in which they have been carried out is far from conclusive. Things like red wine do contain ingredients known as flavonoids, thought to be rich in anti-oxidants which, among other things prevent clotting disorders. However, current evidence only points towards an overall benefit in a very small amount of alcohol (5 units a week) for women over 55 years old. Before you all go rushing down to the pub, remember that is a mere 5 units a week!
So I would recommend that the next time you feel a spot of cenosillicaphobia coming on – a pathological fear of an empty glass – consider filling it with something other than alcohol instead. I’m not saying we should stop drinking altogether but moderation is the overwhelming key. And if there are any generous billionaires out there, I would much prefer a nice house or three rather than a bottle of vodka. Thanks.