Alcohol does kill your brain cells

[Reyaj]

Interesting thread... cheers

 

[Scaramouche]

Dear Grinder,
Saw a Danish Movie last week "Another Round"which light heartedly examines the suggestion that many people function very well while partially inebriated much of the time...Churchill gets a mention in his Seventies as well as being very active on the political scene,he was still laying bricks,producing very competent paintings and writing significant works,during his busy day he would indulge in several glasses of Whisky two pints of Champagne and top this off with a few liqueurs he made it to ninety.

 

[Machine10033]

Drinking alters your brain, metabolism, hormones and personality over time. It slowly sneaks up on you and chips away at you. When I was in college I rarely drank. Maybe once or twice a month. I got into my career and started going out on the weekends. Next thing I knew I am drinking Thursday through Sunday.... then during a stressful period started having several glasses on wine a night... nearly every night.

You soon feel like there are two people living inside you. I wake up kicking myself for giving in the night before and realize how counter productive drinking is for living my best life. I go through the day.. working hard.. eating well...working out... then the other me comes out. He wants that bottle of wine to relax and reward the hard working.. driven me.

There are some very high performing alcoholics... but those are outliers... and you need to ask yourself how much higher could they have gone without alcohol!

 

[Grinderman]

I need to stop

To commit to abstinence:

for HARM REDUCTION (think seatbelts for cars / Condoms prevent STD's and unwanted maggots / HARM REDUCTION diminish possible negative consequences of alcohol) ........this will lead you to changing /improving habits or to abstinence (by your own volition)

HAMS: Harm Reduction for Alcohol

HAMS Harm Reduction is a support and informational group for safer drinking, reduced drinking, or quitting alcohol altogether.

hams.cc

Moderation tool : ALCODROID application (monitor blood alcohol level, safest is to keep it below 30%, talking 1.5 hours per drink between drinking time/absorption/decreasing

Anybody, in any given moment can make and move from either of these three choices: Continue with current habits, HARM REDUCTION reducing and controlling current habits, abstinence.

Better is always better.

What is your desired goal?

 

[Grinderman]

When I was in college I rarely drank.

Once or twice a month (ie every fortnight) is not what I would call "rarely drinking". that's every second week...

It slowly sneaks up on you and chips away at you.

Only if you let it.

then during a stressful period started having several glasses on wine a night.

Yeah this is not how one deals with stress. This is called abusing alcohol to deal with your stress. that's not with alcohol is for. You abused it and it abused you back. What do you expect.

I go through the day.. working hard.. eating well...working out... then the other me comes out. He wants that bottle of wine to relax and reward the hard working.. driven me.

this is excess. This is not moderation. this is not what alcohol is meant to be. One full bottle of wine to reward yourself after a hard days work.....alone. this is down on you abusing the product. You were never thought how to drink. this is being a gluten. you cannot blame alcohol for that.

 

[Kotaix]

If you're not an alcoholic, don't speak for alcoholics. You don't understand. AA is a bit culty, and is as much an addiction as alcohol is, but it's not destructive to the lives of the drinker and everyone around him like actual alcohol is. If it helps people then let it be.

Honestly I never get why people drink or smoke.

The best thing is to listen their excuses.
"It tastes good" - No, it doesn't

Yes it does. Trying it once when you were 13 doesn't count, tastes evolve. Wine is delicious and ****tails are amazingly complex.

I've also heard women say in a bar that they drink because they like how it makes them feel. I don't get it because I don't like being drunk.

As for the original post... More than one drink per week is an addiction??? That's a load of crap. Do you get drunk off of a thimble or something?

Getting drunk more than once a week, now there's your potential for addiction.

Also, you lose brain cells by being alive, by lifting a ton of weight at the gym. By ageing, you name it.

 

[Grinderman]

If it helps people then let it be.

It doesn't help people that's the point. It has an estimated 5% success rate. Do your research and you will see that it does more harm than good.

but it's not destructive to the lives of the drinker and everyone around him like actual alcohol is.

You're implying (like most in the "diseasing of america culture" believe) that there are only two choices on the table: 1. Continue destructive stumblebum alcoholic behavior 2. Go to AA. ......and you conclude that AA is the lesser of the two evils.

There are more than two choices on the table, for example one can choose abstinence (no meetings, no holding hands) or one can choose to make positive changes aka use HARM REDUCTION TACTICS.

AA is a bit culty, and is as much an addiction as alcohol is,

AA is not only a cult, it is a DANGEROUS CULT. For this reason there are MANY who are not only against dangerous theories of this pseudo religious cult (by the way everyone assumes that those against aa are "anti religion", this is simply not the case....in fact I believe aa is an insult to religions)......AA is anti family (just like addiction is)....AA tears the victim away from the family, when that's exactly where they need to be....building bridges with the family they have damaged. AA creates self fulfilling prophecies in the minds of it's victims (oh I am an alcoholic...well I guess that's what alcoholics do.....oh once I have one drink I can never stop.....if you believe their bull****e it becomes self fulfilling..........AA is full of sexual predators and other assorted criminals, sociopaths and oddballs. A gathering ground for the mentally ill and fanatics. Alcohol filled a hole in their souls and without alcohol there remained a vacuum. The bull****e of AA fills this vacuum. Notice the all speak the same double speak...

Anyway, do your research before you recommend people go to aa sending them to early graves

Twelve Steps to Danger: How Alcoholics Anonymous Can Be a Playground for Violence-Prone Members

Karla Brada Mendez thought that she was getting a second chance on life when she started going to AA meetings. But instead she met Eric Allen Earle, an AA old-timer with a violent past.

www.propublica.org

pay attention to "aa divorces", "aa horror stories", "aa suicides", "the bait and switch con game", "12 biggest lies of aa"

Orange Papers

 

[Grinderman]

Dear Grinder,
Saw a Danish Movie last week "Another Round"which light heartedly examines the suggestion that many people function very well while partially inebriated much of the time...Churchill gets a mention in his Seventies as well as being very active on the political scene,he was still laying bricks,producing very competent paintings and writing significant works,during his busy day he would indulge in several glasses of Whisky two pints of Champagne and top this off with a few liqueurs he made it to ninety.

Dear Scaramouche,

Good to hear from you. Hope all is well down under. You have nice wines and vineyards there. A nice red I tasted from oz was Buckshot (the shiraz). Spent a year in oz. I'll check out the movie. Many people do actually manage to find a balance in life. A little of what you like in moderation is no a harm as part of a healthy balanced lifestyle. Unfortunately what you have is people swinging to the extremes.

Churchill is always gets a mention in the list of famous whisky drinkers. Whisky is another amazing drink with a world of flavors and discoveries just like the world of wine. Tastings are what are interesting. In good company.

Britains oldest woman credits her long life to her nightly dram of whisky (again she has one nightly dram, no excess here)

112-year-old credits her long life to whisky

Grace Jones is Britain's oldest person.

www.deccanchronicle.com

 

[deadmasterx]

Some of the finest athletes in the world smoke. I’ve watched marathoners and triathletes roll one up before the start. Sprinters, distance runners. It opens their bronchial tubes. Native Americans used it as a cure for colds, flues and bronchial infections for thousands of years. There is real definitive science. Do I advocate it? No. It’s expensive and a bit nasty. Do I admonish those who smoke? No I don’t.

There is a big differene between nowadays cigarattes and old times (like the ancient native american ones) cigarettes. Same when it comes to food. Food nowadays is poisoned, just like many other things that could be healthy or acceptable and now are demonized. Yes, smoking is bad and unnecessary, especially today. The point, I believe, that it comes to any addiction, is the fact that you are losing control. It doesn't matter if it's alcohol, cigarettes, pvssy or porn, every addiction will eventually **** you up. It can take long, but it will. The same way that you could keep on healthy while using cigs, I have friends that can't even have sex with their wives properly anymore because of that. Either ways, it's not worth the risk. Whatever thing you let become an addiction, will own you.

Military men, especially natural born warrior types will most likely use nicotine in one form or another. I’ve been there. I love nicotine. So I have to be careful.
Men in high risk professions are more likely to smoke.

As a guy who served in a Spec Ops Batallion, I can say that it's not (or at least not even mostly) because of the aggressiveness. The guys in the army smokes all the time because of the stress. A douchebag high ranked officer, the duties, the missions, the subliminal message in your brain that tells you that you have no time to go back home if they don't want you to go... anyways. I think it's more like an anxiety escape than what you said, but I don't deny that it can help controlling the anger too.

 

[Lookatu]

Forget the brain, most people need to realize alcohol can damage the liver which has been identified to provide 500 vital functions. This and the fact that alcohol has been known to decrease testosterone. For younger guys, it may not matter in the moment but look at any guys that used to drink a lot and are in their 40's and 50's. It definitely has an effect.

Reducing or eliminating alcohol is an investment in how you age and how healthy you stay later in life. Remember that for all the young dudes.

Women think I'm early to late 30's all the time. I have my limited alcohol use to thank for that.

 

[deadmasterx]

I was SF. I DISSAGREE. They smoked before they got through selection. I was one of them. You can look this stuff up. It’s right on the net. Too simple.

But nothing I say will register for you. So cool. Go about your happy way. How would you know anyway.

It’s not anger they are calming out. It’s aggressiveness, assertiveness. What kind of mind would jump to “anger” as an automaticity?

Does aggressiveness and assertiveness equal anger? How about toxic masculinity? Any other mind stupid numbing thing you want to mention? What experiences do you have? How could you possibly know anything beyond your social conditioning? So when you smoked what was that like for you? Easing? Agitating? You didn’t even read where I said marathoners that I saw, rolled their own with straight raw tobacco.

You are entitled to your ignorant opinion.

It seems you've been needing some cigs then, mate. Take this stress out before replying the comments, you'll see that no one is threatening your fragile opinion in here.

 

[Jariel]

Reducing or eliminating alcohol is an investment in how you age and how healthy you stay later in life. Remember that for all the young dudes.

Women think I'm early to late 30's all the time. I have my limited alcohol use to thank for that.

I agree with this. I'm mid 40s and I'm constantly mistaken for being 10 (or more) years younger. I've had 18 and 19 year olds hitting on me and are shocked to find out my age. I've always believed it's because I have gone most of my life without drinking.

 

[manfrombelow]

My principle is that I can only allow myself to get drunk if I'm home, and alone.

But if I'm on a date with a woman, I'll make sure either I'll be the sober one. Nothing worse than being drunk when your chick is sober.

 

[Serenity]

I can't argue that alcohol is good for the brain (in the quantities that makes you drunk). However, I do believe the science about it not killing brain cells to be true.

That said, I don't think there's much scientific doubt about how excessive alcohol consumption affects a person. While it may not kill brain cells I can see how the neural network would grow in a different way. It's well documented how alcohol can severely affect the development of a brain in the young. It's not that it kills cells, it's just that it affects the development of the neural network which leads to very negative and long lasting/permanent effects.

Assuming the brain has some plasticity throughout life it stands to reason that adults are not immune, but children are much more severely affected because it could affect their incomplete foundation negatively.

Based on this I think that in theory it's reversible, but very very far from easy. Generally speaking, the older a person becomes, the harder it is to rewire neurons, plasticity decreases. So the condition may appear practically permanent in almost everyone affected.

 

[christie]

I’ve only been “drunk” maybe twice in my life. I don’t like the feeling. For me, beer is garbage. It gives you a spare tire. I can always tell a beer drinker by their accumulating shape.

If I drink at all it’s a couple of fingers of tequila or makers mark. But it’s rare. I have both bottles in my freezer and they’ve been there for almost three years. About 2/3 gone.

Smoking is severely demonized. There are plenty of articles about the reverse ideas and studies on smoking that are by acclaimed doctors. Smoking + shyt diet = metabolic syndrome and sometimes cancer. The difference between smokers getting cancer and non smokers getting cancer is less than one percent. So if you think smoking alone elevates cancer, you’ve been drinking cool aid (pun intended). It’s false data. Look it up. My sister is an oncologist. I was a smoker for years and quit with Allan Carr’s book. All the way through the marines and special forces. I’ve ran the Honolulu marathon. I’m in top physical condition right now with low body fat. But I refuse to do distance running now. I’m much smarter now and I don’t have a job that requires it.

Some of the finest athletes in the world smoke. I’ve watched marathoners and triathletes roll one up before the start. Sprinters, distance runners. It opens their bronchial tubes. Native Americans used it as a cure for colds, flues and bronchial infections for thousands of years. There is real definitive science. Do I advocate it? No. It’s expensive and a bit nasty. Do I admonish those who smoke? No I don’t.

Here is another interesting fact. Men who have higher, natural levels of testosterone are infinitely more likely to smoke. It levels out their natural aggression and really does help them stay organized. Many of them have gone to smokeless tobacco. Military men, especially natural born warrior types will most likely use nicotine in one form or another. I’ve been there. I love nicotine. So I have to be careful.
Men in high risk professions are more likely to smoke. There are many secret smokers in high powered finance and these men are natural born warrior types. High testosterone. I know two who have used nicotine their whole lives and are in their 70’s (mentors) who have testosterone right now at around 800 to 900 ng/dl. They can still climb mountains and hunt dangerous game. They will be around after most non smokers and non nicotine users are dead or in walkers.

Do I advocate nicotine? I do not. But anyone who admonishes these high testosterone men for using are ignorant. Look it up. Don’t take my word for it. I know a doctor that is a secret smoker and plenty of nurses (also higher testosterone levels than average women) that do. This is a secret truth that is kept hush, hush. I met them through my sister.

Attaching nicotine, by itself to cancer, is a propaganda ploy. If you are going to smoke, fine by me, but it’s better to roll your own with straight tobacco. You will actually smoke less. You can easily stay at ten or less a day. I already know that athleticism and smoking (Nicotine) are considered diametrically opposed but they are not. You would be shocked at how many high testosterone football and rugby players smoke.

Combine smoking and a shytty diet and it’s a recipe for possible disaster for those by are genetically predisposed or have a lower baseline testosterone level. By lower I don’t mean low testosterone. By lower testosterone in relationship to other men with higher natural levels of testosterone. Don’t believe me? Look it up. Then if you are a smoker or nicotine go get yours checked and compare it to the national average (which is much lower now than 20 years ago) and find out for yourself. It keeps your mind calmer and sharper and you are less likely to stove someone’s head in for being a f@cktard.

Take a second to look through my eyes. There are plenty of men I would have ended a long time ago if we were living a thousand years ago. Even one of my own brother’s has said things to me that warranted his skull bashed in. But with or without nicotine I know right from wrong and have harmed no one without cause. In fact just the opposite. Aggression does not mean being a street thug. It just means that my mind sets are different from a man with a diet lowered testosterone level or a naturally lowered level from his upbringing.
Certain genome are turned on or off based on that.

To fully reverse your testosterone levels you will need new mindsets. Aggression is your friend. It is individuality with force behind it.

Excessive alcohol is a testosterone suppressive. Your choice. Beer is worst. It also effects your metabolic rate and to me, incredibly stupid. But that’s me looking at it from my viewpoint. It doesn’t make me right. It just indicates that I am in tune with who and what i am. Drug users have already lost the game so they are not worth mentioning.

I had a cigarette one stressful Friday a couple of weeks ago and it calmed me to go do something distasteful the next day and get an unpleasant task out of the way.

No craving now. It had been 14 months that I had quit cigarettes.

 

[christie]

Yeah. Been there. Had a nightmare a couple of months ago. Pretty rare to even remember my dreams. Bought a pack in the morning and smoke about half of them before tossing them. Zero stress.

the body knows what to do to heal

sucks about the nightmare

good regaining of control, good self management

 

[Scaramouche]

Dear Final Line,
I grew up in a household of big time Smokers most of my colleagues in later life smoked and yeah nicotine has many wonderful attributes for sure,but now as so many have run their race,most are gone while their non smoking mates live on....the clincher for me is a pair of my acquaintances,identical Twins,now 63 both have led very privileged lives kept very secure at home by kind and generous husbands one is a smoker,bit on the heavy side,soft and flabby with a face like a wrinkled old prune,presents as a woman in her seventies the other is slim fit,very active,healthy complexion looks about 45...Interesting though the smoker is a far happier Girl,always cheerful and jocular so perhaps,as I think a few of our posters are seeming to say,it is a trade off? So could it be a case of "Live fast,die young and leave a beautiful corpse" LOL

 

[Grinderman]

Forget the brain, most people need to realize alcohol can damage the liver which has been identified to provide 500 vital functions. This and the fact that alcohol has been known to decrease testosterone. For younger guys, it may not matter in the moment but look at any guys that used to drink a lot and are in their 40's and 50's. It definitely has an effect.

Reducing or eliminating alcohol is an investment in how you age and how healthy you stay later in life. Remember that for all the young dudes.

Women think I'm early to late 30's all the time. I have my limited alcohol use to thank for that.

I endorse this post.

(over indulgence in) alcohol can effect the liver and without proper liver function you die. It's not a pleasant death either. You are correct to say that over indulgence in early life you may get away with, but life will pass you the bill in your 40's and 50's and the bill can be quite cruel and unforgiving. Again, the pendulum always swings evenly in both directions.

Early in my WSET days, it was Janice Robinson who proposed the dietary supplement MILK THISTLE as the wine tasters (drinkers) aid in healthy liver function. As well as water, drink lots and lots of water to help your liver flush out toxins. the key to health and long life is to look after your insides.

milk thistle | JancisRobinson.com

www.jancisrobinson.com

 

[Lookatu]

Everyone always talks about keeping the heart healthy and such but they don't realize just breathing and living well are two different things. The heart just keeps you alive where as the liver determines the quality of life you can have.

Keep your liver healthy guys as a long term investment.

 

[deBrito]

Some nice songs that fits the topic. heheh...