Alcoholism – or Not. It’s Proprietary.

Just before St. Patrick’s Day I half-read an article on Yahoo! Shine that quotes Dr. Richard Saitz (a primary care internist and professor of medicine and epidemiology at Boston University Medical Center) in an unequivocal statement: "Any woman who drinks four drinks is going to feel it, unless she has alcoholism." 

Worse, the article warned, it (alcohol consumption) can cause breast cancer, brain damage, and heart disease” and other dire ailments. 

I say “half-read” because I’ve seen the statistics before. They are nothing new. Yes, it’s true, alcohol is bad for you. But …

The statistics are based on the majority so that likely includes you, right? Not necessarily. “The majority” numbers are those reported (medical records and/or studies), or surveyed (don’t lie again and say you’ve never lied on a survey), not based on everyone who consumes alcohol.

Every BODY is different and the effects of alcohol – or anything we eat, inject, inhale, or otherwise shovel into our bodies, good or bad – can be devastating or not, depending on one’s metabolism and how your body reacts. 

Your body will respond differently than your mother’s brother’s, your neighbor’s, or Joe Blow’s on the other side of the globe, to varying amounts of any substance. The article’s author also cites WHO as a source that deems alcohol a carcinogen. At least I have control over how much of it I pummel my body with – unlike the carcinogens our government has proclaimed a “reasonable amount,” which are buried in the foods we ingest every day.

I am sixty-plus. (Oh, lord, how did I get here?!) Honestly, if I don’t live another day, I seriously don’t care. That is not a fatalist or suicidal point of view. I simply mean that although I certainly want to live longer, I have lived a long time … the majority of those years, drinking some form of alcohol nearly every day. And I readily admit, as a young adult many a conversation began with, “I’ll drink to that!”

There is no denying the fact …

I love the taste of beer. I also grew up near California’s wine country. So, consuming alcohol at an early age came natural in our Irish / Austrian / USA-Heinz 57 family.

Looking back over the years of consumptions in our family, smoking (I do not / never have) has been the most devastating. Alcoholism was not a particular issue, except when paired with cigarette smoking. For those who smoke(d), the two seem to be glued together.

However, I lived with an alcohol problem in my first husband, and unfortunately I learned through him and another battered relationship that alcohol also seems to go hand-in-hand with drug abuse. So it can certainly be a catalyst, as well as its own devil’s advocate.

I can’t help wonder though, how is it, through decades of possible addictions (even the Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll era!) I escaped with only my fondness still, for beer and wine – and [these days] never to excess? Some family and friends’ bodies meanwhile, betray them with cravings they can’t kill no matter how much they want to.

Everyone’s metabolism is proprietary.

I feel very fortunate. Yes, I still love my beer and wine. Yes, I have three to four drinks (nearly) every single night – and more on weekends. I don’t have hangovers. I don’t get up in the morning thirsting for an alcoholic drink (unless that’s what you call coffee). It has never interfered with a job. The last time I was tested, there were no liver problems.

Yet, by “expert” definition, that I regularly consume at least three drinks in one sitting is a telltale symptom of an alcoholic. My, Super Bowl Sunday sports a LOT of alcoholics! However, I have often done without any alcohol for a week or more; especially when I have a cold or other minor malady – which is rare – another proprietary metabolic secret?

Mind you, even “health” foods or other good-for-you-substances can be right for others, but not for you. I have a difficult time digesting vegetables; I can eat them fairly regularly, but wouldn’t do well as a vegetarian. My theory is I was raised on a “meat-and-potatoes” diet and what your body consumes as a child often dictates what your body likes and dislikes as an adult, even as you learn to enjoy foods new to your palate. Though it tastes good, your body may still reject it. What is healthy for another may not be for you – conversely, what is detrimental to someone else, may not affect you in the same way, or at all.

And then m’dears, there is “old age.” No doubt about it … I simply cannot eat some of the same foods I heartily enjoyed as a young adult. (However, I am a proud member of the 39 & Holding Club!) I feel that my body is betraying me after all these years. But … it has dictated to me … less alcohol, a healthy dose of veggies and fruit, less salt, less direct sunlight, and become more aware of my body … I listen to it (most of the time).

The moral of this story is … know your body. Only you can tell you what is truly good and bad for it. Yes, various tests can root out issues you may not know exist in your body. Cancer is particularly sneaky. There has been more than our share of cancer in my family; so if I end up with it, will it be from family genes or alcohol? Bottom line, I don’t let articles – often headlined to grab publicity for the author – or even experts, label me.

I am not saying alcohol is good for you – or even me. However, I’ve lived with it a long time and how I die still remains to be seen. At this point, I don’t believe it will be from alcohol. Hell, worry, frustration, depression, and lack of funds for health insurance, caused by financial issues, have exacted a higher toll on my health than anything I could ingest.

As I age, my new mantra is “Everything in moderation” – well, almost everything. I’ll drink to that!

Cheers,

Although this article reflects medical issues and offers general, wizened suggestions, it is NOT meant to diagnose, treat, or otherwise provide any form of medical advice to anyone. I am not a doctor of any kind and take no responsibility in what you do with this purely observational information.