We have compiled eight facts about alcohol that may surprise you.
Fact #1: Alcohol harms health – including the heart Information on $CMS_IF( ! tt_headline.isEmpty)$$CMS_VALUE(tt_headline.toText(false).convert2)$$CMS_END_IF$
The misconception that a glass of red wine a day is good for the heart is widespread. In the meantime, however, the influence of alcohol on health has been well studied. One thing is clear: Those who drink the occasional glass of red wine for pleasure need not worry about health. But you are not doing her any good.
Summary analyses of studies involving many millions of people show: People who drink some alcohol are actually slightly less likely to have a heart attack . However, the opposite is true for all other cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure or cardiac arrhythmias: even moderate alcohol consumption increases the risk of these diseases.
The decisive factor is that alcohol promotes many other diseases, including various cancers. Accidents also become more frequent due to alcohol. The overall conclusion is that the more alcohol, the more harmful.
Fact #2: Alcohol problems exist in all walks of life Information on $CMS_IF( ! tt_headline.isEmpty)$$CMS_VALUE(tt_headline.toText(false).convert2)$$CMS_END_IF$
It is a prejudice that especially people with little money and education drink too much alcohol. In fact, the opposite is true for women: studies by the Robert Koch Institute show that female academics are almost twice as likely to drink risky amounts of alcohol as women with a secondary school diploma. A similar relationship is seen in men, but the differences between different educational groups are smaller for them.
Incidentally, the same applies to the age distribution: the drinking behavior of adults differs only slightly – regardless of whether they are 20, 40 or 60 years old.
Alcohol dependence also occurs in all population strata and educational groups.
Fact #3: Beer and wine are just as harmful as liquor Information on $CMS_IF( ! tt_headline.isEmpty)$$CMS_VALUE(tt_headline.toText(false).convert2)$$CMS_END_IF$
Some people assume that drinks with a lower alcohol content are less harmful. This is also reflected in the linguistic usage, when spirits are called "hard alcohol. Experts agree, however, that the decisive factor is Total amount of the alcohol consumed – and not in what form one ingests it.
In other words, it doesn’t matter whether you drink 300 ml of beer, 125 ml of wine or 40 ml of whiskey – all three drinks contain the same amount of pure alcohol.
Fact #4: Binge drinking is also common among adults Information on $CMS_IF( ! tt_headline.isEmpty)$$CMS_VALUE(tt_headline.toText(false).convert2)$$CMS_END_IF$
Heavy drinking is sometimes seen as a problem mainly for young people. However, research by the Robert Koch Institute shows that binge drinking occurs in all age groups.
Binge drinking is when someone drinks six or more alcoholic beverages on one occasion, such as a party or pub night. This corresponds to at least 60 grams of pure alcohol. For example, this is how much is contained in three large bottles of beer (1.5 liters in total) or three large glasses of wine (0.6 liters in total).
In surveys, 25% of women and more than 40% of men in Germany reported drinking this much alcohol at least once a month.
Fact #5: Alcohol disturbs sleep Information on $CMS_IF( ! tt_headline.isEmpty)$$CMS_VALUE(tt_headline.toText(false).convert2)$$CMS_END_IF$
Because alcohol can make you tired, there is a common belief that alcohol helps with sleep problems. This is not the case – on the contrary, those who drink larger amounts of alcohol before going to bed often fall asleep more quickly, but deprive their bodies of a good night’s sleep. Instead of finding rest in sleep, the organism is busy breaking down alcohol. This shortens the deep sleep phases , one sleeps restlessly and wakes up frequently. Moreover, alcohol can promote snoring – which is disturbing for your partner.
It is important: If you can only fall asleep with alcohol, this indicates an alcohol problem. This is a good reason to reconsider your own drinking habits.
Fact #6: You can have a drinking problem without being drunk Information about $CMS_IF( ! tt_headline.isEmpty)$$CMS_VALUE(tt_headline.toText(false).convert2)$$CMS_END_IF$
Not everyone with an alcohol problem gets drunk. Some drink moderate amounts every day, but cannot manage to go a day without alcohol. You need a certain amount of alcohol in your blood to avoid withdrawal symptoms. This is also known as mirror or level drinking.
An alcohol problem can manifest itself in very different ways. The decisive factor is, among other things, whether someone has lost control over their own drinking behavior or uses alcohol, for example, to suppress problems or to function in everyday life.
Fact #7: Alcohol is often drunk for reasons other than pleasure Information on $CMS_IF( ! tt_headline.isEmpty)$$CMS_VALUE(tt_headline.toText(false).convert2)$$CMS_END_IF$
Alcohol is indeed a stimulant whose taste and stimulating effect many people like. Often, however, quite different reasons tempt people to drink, for example,
- because others do it And you don’t want to attract attention – for example, when toasting to something at a party. For men, in addition to social pressure, self-image can also play a role – for example, the worry of being considered unmanly if one does not drink. In addition, it is not always easy to refuse: Alcohol is so prevalent in society that it can wear you down to keep saying no or having to explain why you don’t drink.
- to forget problemsQuite a few people drink alcohol to forget private or professional problems for a while. Some try to calm themselves down with it in order to continue functioning in everyday life. Of course, this does not make the problems go away – and alcohol can become an additional problem. Last but not least, alcohol intensifies not only positive but also negative feelings.
Fact #8: Alcohol is dangerous for infants Information on $CMS_IF( ! tt_headline.isEmpty)$$CMS_VALUE(tt_headline.toText(false).convert2)$$CMS_END_IF$
Most people know that alcohol during pregnancy is harmful to the unborn child. But parents of infants and breastfeeding women are also advised to avoid alcohol for a variety of reasons. The most important is that the baby can absorb the alcohol through the mother’s milk. Because infants can hardly break down alcohol, it is especially dangerous for them.
We also know from studies that consuming larger amounts of alcohol (more than two alcoholic drinks a day) increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome – for example, if you fall asleep on the sofa together with your child.
If parents don’t want to give up alcohol altogether, it makes sense for them to follow a few rules: