10 reasons I don’t drink
By Laurentia Campbell, Nutritionist and Neuroscientist (mental health, polyphenols, diabetes/obesity, gut microbiota) academic, content writer, food waste warrior & science/healthtech/food/fmcg NPD(ideation-scale)
I stopped drinking over 8 years ago, but didn’t tell anyone initially at first cause I was embarrassed socially. I thought it would make me appear boring; less fun and socially enclined and harder to meet a normal guy. Since then I have had alcohol a few times, on holidays or on nights when finding it hard to sleep and desperate for a quick solution, and it always makes things worse rather than better. Why? Alcohol is a depressive. In the short time it makes you more relaxed and fatigued, but it also disrupts our sleep and brain chemicals, increasing anxiety and depression. I have learnt I cannot do the adage, “everything in moderation” as feeling anxious and depressed is too great a cost.
If not wanting to feel depressed is not a strong enough explaination, here are the 10 main reasons I am PROUDLY teatotal.
- Sleep
Alcohol is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant which increases GABAergic (our brain tranquilliser) neuro (brain) transmission. It can block glutamatergic (our brain stimulant) neurotransmission, calming us. It also boosts Serotonin, the happiness and empathy-inducing neurotransmitters and endorphins, pain-killing chemicals which give us a temporary euphoric high.
Alcohol also works on the dopamine and adenosine systems, two neurotransmitters in our brain. As Dr Els van der Helm, neuroscientist and sleep expert explains, “Dopamine has been dubbed the ‘feel good hormone’, as it gives you feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation. Adenosine is a hormone that makes us feel sleepy by decreasing central nervous system activity. It builds up the longer we are awake. Alcohol makes it easier to fall asleep as it increases adenosine (hence the idea of a nightcap) but it reduces key memory forming, emotional processing REM sleep. So we sleep lighter and less restfully. It also is a dieuretic, so we are more likely to wake in the night to go to the loo, disrupting our sleep cycles. This can also cause dehydration (which is what causes many of the symptoms of a hangover). It also means we wake up fatigued. Fatigue is a major cause of poor mental health and decreased emotional processing means we are more likely to experience extreme emotions, anxiety and spiral into dark, self destructive mindsets.
2. Mental health/emotional regulation
The balance between GABA and glutamate is crucial for optimal brain function and alcohol disrupts this balance. Our brain adapts to counteract this imbalance which leads to low levels of GABA and high levels of glutamate which can trigger overthinking and anxiety symptoms. To counteract this, watch your alcohol levels, especially in emotional times.
3. Brain health
Research has found that even low levels of alcohol consumption may affect brain structure. Recent large-scale studies of the general population have shown negative associations between alcohol consumption and brain structure, showing widespread reductions in grey and white matter volume as well as white matter microstructure and cortical thickness. Drinking literally kills brain cells and shrinks your brain.
4. Impact hangover
8–48 hours after alcohol consumption, alcohol causes reduced appetite, nausea, depression, suicidal thoughts in some, headache, fatigue, memory problems, anger, vomiting, gastritis and concentration problems and decreased cognitive capacity. This is the hangover. Drinking too much activates both D2 and D4 Dopamine receptors and upregulates Serotonin receptors in the brain, making us crave more alcohol. It reduces your energy and vitality and overall, makes you feel sluggish, lethargic, angry, negative and low.
5. Gut microbiota
Alcohol is anti-bacterial (think alcohol hand gel). It kills bad microbes and pathogens (micro-organisms that cause disease) but ALSO good ones, meaning it disrupts the gut microbiota. Although wine is fermented grapes, the alcohol in the wine prevents any fermentative prebiotic effects from wine.
6. Liver
The liver is the organ in charge of ethanol metabolism and is most vulnerable to alcohol’s toxic effects. Alcohol is broken down to acetaldehyde chemical and then acetate and carbon dioxide and water in the liver by the enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in the microsomal ethanol oxidizing system (MEOS) with Catalase antioxidant enzyme and p450 enzymes. Acetaldehyde is a carcinogen which leads to the production of acetate and one molecule of NADH which increases the production of free radicals.
These free radicals cause protein, fat and cell membrane damage and inhibit antioxidant capacity. Some alcohols like brandy and whisky also contain congeners such as histamines and methanol. Ethanol dehydrogenase converts methanol to formaldehyde and formic acid, both of which are highly toxic. It is these toxic metabolites and the dehydration from alcohol that result in the symptoms of a hangover.
Alcohol also compromises the liver as the p450 enzymes that usually break down fatty acids, cholesterol, steroids, bile acids and drugs, switch to breaking down alcohol in a dose-response (the more you drink, the less metabolic capacity your liver has) (Scherrer et al., 2021). This reduces the body’s insulin and sensitivity and liver detoxification capacity, enhancing inflammation. It also decreases your liver’s ability to store fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and minerals iron and copper (which is why your iron levels rise when you drink) and sugars, increasing blood sugar levels and diabetes risk. It also damages the blood vessels in your gut, decreasing your gut’s ability to absorb key nutrients such as vitamins B1, B3, B6, C, A, and E and minerals such as magnesium, calcium and iron. Alcohol use can lead to B1 (Thiamine) deficiency, B3 (Niacin) deficiency and Pellagra (depression, dermatitis, memory loss and diarrhoea are common symptoms) and B9 (folate) deficiency and disrupt one-carbon metabolism (DNA synthesis, repair and methylation), decreasing energy and vitality and immunity.
The more you drink, the more you stimulate MEOS and the more toxic acetaldehyde you produce. “Flushers” is when the face goes red due to high levels of acetaldehyde in the body. This can either be due to low body levels of ADH (such as genetically for those of Chinese, Korean and Japanese descent) or chronic alcoholism.
7. Metabolic health
Alcohol can be particularly disruptive for someone trying to maintain a healthy weight. It is an empty (7 calories per gram) calorie source that offers no nutritional value whatsoever. As Dr Els explains “the oxidation of alcohol delays fat oxidation”, meaning we get less energy from our fat and are more likely to store fat. It also decreases brain Glutamate (brain stimulatory chemical) and so you cannot think straight and are more likely to binge eat after drinking. It also disrupts our sleep and after sleep deprevation we are less able to recognise our appetite fullness gut hormone Leptin, and so are more likely to overeat. We are also fatigued and so our brains will crave quick sources of energy, which will not be healthier complex carbohydrates such as fibre in healthy vegetables and protein which provide slow acting, long-lasting energy, but quick-acting short-lasting calories from simple carbs like sugar and fat. Alcohol also causes dehydration and this increases appetite and decreases energy levels further.
8. Blood sugar balance
Alcohol and alcoholic beverages (especially sparkling wines like Prosecco, or liquors like Ginger Wine or those with a sugary mixer like rum and coke), cause huge spikes in our blood sugar. Our body detects this and releases something called Insulin (a gut hormone), which regulates blood sugar and quickly lowers it. This causes your blood sugar to fall, and in turn Cortisol is released. Cortisol is the stress hormone, and so it leaves you feeling stressed. Low blood sugar also increases appetite, so you are more likely to feel stressed and binge eat. Low blood sugar also makes it hard to think straight, so you may feel tired and emotional and irritable, and less able to focus, think rationally and logically and problem solve. You become all brain amygdala, or emotional brain, rather than logical prefrontal cortex (PFC) brain.
9. Immunity
Our immune system is our ability to fight disease. When our body is focusing on detoxifying alcohol, it is less able to fight disease. This can lead to increased inflammation and increased susceptibility to optimistic infections. These are pathogens (disease causing microorganisms) that wait until your immune system is compromised to cause disease. You are more likely to get colds, flu and other infections when you have had an alcoholic drink. These illnesses can leave you fatigued and even more likely to get other illnesses and to experience poor mental health episodes. To keep yourself mentally well, do whatever you can to prevent illness and other sistuations (hunger, anger, lonliness etc) which can cause extreme emotions. Alcohol increases hunger, illness and extreme emotions. It is a mental health toxic drink.
10. Financial cost and well as physical and mental cost.
Alcohol is expensive, especially in major cities. A cocktail or glass of wine or champagne can cost upwards of £15. Most people under the poverty line live on £30-£60 a week and so this alcohol could take up most of your budget and mean you have less to spend on wholesome, whole foods which are necessary for health like good sources of lean protein and fresh fruit and vegetables. Use the money you would have spent on alcohol to prioritise for longevity and optimise your happiness and health.
Overall?
It just isn’t worth it. There are loads of tasty and amazing alcohol free options. Don’t drink just because everyone else mindlessly it. Mind your own mental health and stay stylishly sober for the sake of your sanity.
COPYRIGHT LAURA CAMPBELL
Did you enjoy reading my article? I am happy to send you the research behind any of the claims I make in this article. I am a scientist FOREMOST. Do you want me to write for you or to help you with new product development or nutritional advice? I go ONLY ON SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE and will not endorse products I do not believe in. I am vitriolic in my passion for preventing scientific misinformation based on unsubstantiated claims.
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