Short answer: absolutely. Alcohol leads to weight gain, sets you up for making unhealthy choices and damages your liver. Does that mean you can’t enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or the occasional celebratory drink? No. Just don’t make a habit of drinking alcohol and definitely avoid relying on it to boost your confidence and make you feel invincible. Seriously, not cool. Don’t be that guy who thinks they are all that and a box of Twinkies when all you are is loud and obnoxious. Drinking gives you a false sense of reality, which is why a lot of folks feel more clever and bold a few drinks in, even though to outsiders … that person appears less than intelligible. Although fun in moderation, excessive drinking is nothing to laugh at and can lead to faulty decision-making. The definition of alcoholism is when a person becomes so dependent on alcohol – physically and psychologically that they simply cannot function without it.
The most obvious short-term side effect of drinking too much is a hangover, but did you know that weight gain and high blood pressure are also common with multiple episodes of excessive drinking? Long-term over consumption makes you more prone to depression, cancer, and even reduced sexual performance. Serious, debilitating conditions can occur including liver diseases that can require a liver transplant, pancreatitis or inflammation of the pancreas that can cause nerve damage. The main takeaway to remember here is that moderate drinking is perfectly acceptable for your health. However, like most good things in life, overuse reverses it’s positive effects. Abusing alcohol to numb life’s stress or using it to alter your baseline personality is a slippery slope on the way to alcohol dependency.
