Alcohol: how much is too much?

Many people knowingly or unknowingly consume too much alcohol, having come to rely on it as a wind down tool at the end of their working day. And since it is also a common feature of many social gatherings, it can quickly become something that people consume every day without really thinking about it.

Some take the yo-yo approach to alcohol perhaps hitting it hard on certain months and winding it back or abstaining from it on others, maybe joining challenges such as Dry July or Octsober. While your liver will thank you for any ‘break’ you give it, this scenario can still easily lead to too much alcohol consumption throughout a year, adding to your liver’s overall load and detracting from your health and daily sparkle, your motivation and overall zest for life.

The effects of too much alcohol may silently or loudly reverberate through your life, not to mention the lives of those around you. In excess, it can have traumatic effects in people’s lives, or drive some major or minor health concerns. The load that it places on your liver can lead to increased body fat, lousy energy, persistent fatigue, mood fluctuations, sleep disturbances and can worsen PMS and menopausal symptoms. As fun as it may momentarily be at the time, too much, or consumed too often, alcohol can rob you of your clarity and purpose, take the edge off your vitality and in a way your greatness.

When was the last time you paused to consider your relationship with alcohol? If you are really honest with yourself, are you drinking too much for YOU? Has it become a crutch to help you cope with perceived stress or to dampen down painful emotions? Does that actually work? Do you feel as though the only time you can let loose and enjoy yourself is with a drink in your hand?

These questions may be uncomfortable to consider, yet getting to the heart of your relationship with alcohol can make all the difference to your health now and into the future.

The current recommendations provided by heart organisations say that two standard drinks per day with two alcohol-free days per week is okay. Yet, for optimal health, I would encourage you to flip this and have five alcohol-free days with only two standard drinks on the other two days, if you choose to drink alcohol. Even this will be too much for some – even this can be enough to take the edge off hormone balance, robust gut function, mind clarity, stable moods, energy and vitality. Beyond this too, listen to your body. It’s all very well to say, “I or so and so said", yet, whenever you adopt any recommendation from an external source, I encourage you to check in with yourself to make sure it is truly making a difference. Your body may not have a voice, but it still communicates with you every day and it is so important you listen to it and act on what you know to be true for YOU.

To give you an idea, this is what a standard serving of alcohol is for each type of drink you may choose is in millilitres.

As you can see, a glass of wine you pour yourself can very easily become two or even three standard drinks if you are filling up a large glass!

I’m not suggesting that you don’t drink alcohol many people can take it or leave it they’re not attached and no change is necessary. I simply want to appeal to you to get honest with yourself about how alcohol affects you. In your heart you know if you drink too much and when it is impacting on your health in a lousy way. Are you curious to know how robust, energised and clear you might feel without it for a while?