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It’s the weekend, and many folks have plans to celebrate, with drinks being a major part of the fun. Even though there is no completely safe level of drinking, it still plays a vital role in gatherings. Experts often advise against it, but if you choose to partake as a social drinker, there are smarter ways to approach it. How can you do that? Dr Vartika Vishwani, a surgical oncologist from Gurugram, recently shared some helpful tips in a video on how to lessen the impact of drinking. “As a cancer doctor, I know if I tell you to stop drinking, you probably won't listen,” she said, stressing five crucial things to avoid at all costs.
Dr Vartika Vishwani's first piece of advice was to steer clear of binge drinking. This means consuming a large amount of alcohol within just a few hours. It's generally defined as having five or more drinks for men and four or more for women. She explained that this behavior leads to making acetaldehyde, a harmful substance produced in the liver. Why is this substance dangerous? It is known to cause cancer and can lead to hangovers and liver problems. When binge drinking raises its levels in your body, it can result in headaches, nausea, sweating, dizziness, and a fast heartbeat. Next, she suggested not to drink and smoke at the same time. Both alcohol and smoking are bad for your health, even in small amounts. “Combining alcohol and smoking doesn’t just add to the danger; it multiplies it,” she warned. As a result, the health risks can increase by up to 21 times. Since drinking already sends toxins to your body, especially your liver, why add more dangers to your lungs?
Dr Vartika Vishwani pointed out that vaping is just as risky as smoking. You can't really say you vape and not smoke. Therefore, while you enjoy a drink, the safest choice is to skip both vaping and smoking completely. You are there to have a good time, not to end up in an emergency room worrying about your health and that of your loved ones. Drinking on an empty stomach is the worst thing you could do for your body. Some adventurous older adults and millennials might share wild tales of their drinking experiences and claim to have high tolerance. They might even brag about their history of excessive drinking to the point where they could write a guide on what not to do while consuming alcohol. If you believe their advice isn’t valid, consider what a cancer expert has to say. “The more you drink without eating first, the more alcohol your body absorbs. This raises the potential for harm,” she explained.
Many individuals believe that combining different alcoholic drinks causes a hangover, but this idea is only somewhat accurate. Typically, when people mix various types of alcohol, they do not consider how much alcohol is in each drink. This often results in them drinking more alcohol than intended, which increases the creation of acetaldehyde, leading to a hangover the following day. As previously stated by the doctor, acetaldehyde is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen. Therefore, it’s not just the hangover that's an issue; your body also faces more toxins, the impact of which may be hard to understand fully. Enjoy yourself and have a good time, but be sure to limit how much alcohol you consume.
