Is your drinking capacity getting better with practice? Is drinking good for your health? Medical experts: This is a real addiction + a real scam!

"The feelings are deep, just swallow it!"

"Drink a little wine, it's good for your health!"

"30% innate and 70% practice, the more you drink, the better your alcohol tolerance will be!"

Do these words sound familiar to you?

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Doctors from West China remind you: Be vigilant when you hear these words at the dinner table. If your drinking capacity is getting better and better, it is a sign of alcohol dependence.

If you always take chances and think that "it's okay to drink less", then you are likely to become alcohol dependent!

01

What is alcohol dependence?

Don’t ever think that alcohol dependence is far away from you. In fact, many people have this problem.

So what exactly is alcohol dependence?

Academic Master Version——

Alcohol dependence (AD) is a chronic, relapsing encephalopathy characterized by compulsive alcohol-seeking, intense cravings, loss of control over alcohol use, and negative emotions and physical discomfort when alcohol is unavailable.

In human terms,

If you drink alcohol frequently for a long time, once you don’t drink, or don’t drink a certain amount of alcohol, you will feel uncomfortable, irritable and angry, and you will urgently want to feel pleasure and satisfaction through alcohol.

Isn't it said that drinking in moderation is good for health? I can have a small drink every day, right?

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Let’s take a look at it——

Drink a little wine every day,

Better health?

no!

Whether drinking small amounts frequently or drinking large amounts over a long period of time, it increases the risk of damaging your health.

Because the damage caused by alcohol to the human body is cumulative, as long as alcohol is consumed, the human organs have to bear the pressure of breaking down alcohol. As the amount of alcohol consumed increases, over time, small damages will accumulate into big damages, and the chances of developing various diseases will also greatly increase.

Therefore, the safest amount of alcohol is 0, which means don’t drink!

02

Have a little wine before bed.

Helps with sleep?

no!

Drinking a little alcohol before bedtime does make people feel sleepy and fall asleep quickly, but as sleep deepens, alcohol will interfere with deep and stable sleep and disrupt the sleep cycle.

This is also the reason why people who drink before going to bed will feel more sleepy and tired when they wake up the next day.

03

Can you improve your drinking capacity through practice?

cannot!

What we call alcohol tolerance refers to the body's ability to metabolize alcohol and its alcohol tolerance.

The body's ability to metabolize alcohol depends primarily on the amount of two enzymes in the liver: alcohol dehydrogenase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase.

The amount of these two enzymes mainly depends on genetics, which relies on personal "talent" and cannot be changed by repeated drinking.

Therefore, metabolic capacity cannot be trained!

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Hey, I have a friend who drinks frequently, and his alcohol tolerance is getting better and better. What’s going on?

This is where alcohol tolerance comes in!

Although the ability to metabolize alcohol cannot be changed, alcohol tolerance can be improved through environmental influences, directed practice, and rewards.

For example, choosing the right occasion for drinking, doing some fixed things after drinking, setting up rewards or feedback after being drunk...all of these will help the brain gradually increase its tolerance to alcohol and reduce its sensitivity to alcohol.

It is important to note that once you develop the habit of getting drunk repeatedly to practice your drinking capacity, you will soon develop alcohol dependence!

Therefore, don't try to increase your alcohol tolerance by trying to improve your drinking capacity. If you find that your alcohol tolerance is getting better and better, it means that you have become alcohol dependent and you must pay attention to it.

04

How does alcohol dependence develop?

When we perform normal reward behaviors, such as successfully completing certain tasks or engaging in beneficial social interactions, our brain releases a chemical called dopamine, which produces a sense of pleasure in the brain by acting on the central nervous system.

When we drink a lot of alcohol, more dopamine is released, the nervous system reacts more sensitively, and the pleasure caused is stronger;

Once the drinking time becomes longer, the pleasure generated by the previous normal reward behavior will be reduced, the sensitivity of the nervous system will be reduced, and a sense of dissatisfaction will appear, resulting in the need to use more alcohol to satisfy oneself, forming alcohol dependence.

05

Small test:

Determine whether you are alcohol dependent!

Want to know if you are at high risk for alcohol dependence?

Let's do a simple test. Here is the "Alcohol Use Disorder Screening Questionnaire (AUDIT)" developed by WHO (fill in according to the situation in the past year). Remember to add the score after finishing it:

Image source: WeChat official account of West China Hospital of Sichuan University

Of course, if you feel that you have symptoms of alcohol dependence, regardless of the test results, it is recommended that you go to a mental health center or addiction clinic in a regular hospital for treatment.

06

How to treat alcohol dependence?

Regarding the treatment of alcohol dependence, the current main approach is a combination of drug therapy and psychotherapy.

Common medications include: benzodiazepines, antidepressants, anti-epileptic drugs, and drugs that target alcohol metabolism;

Psychotherapy includes: psychological counseling mechanism, enhancing the patient's confidence in overcoming alcohol dependence, overcoming various negative emotions, etc.

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06

Do these 4 things well.

Prevent alcohol dependence!

Here are 4 practical tips to help prevent alcohol dependence:

1. Strictly control the number of social dinners and drinking parties. When others persuade you to drink, stay rational and don't act rashly.

2. Develop healthy living habits and do not use your love of drinking as an excuse to consume large amounts of alcohol with every meal.

3. In daily life, avoid using heavy drinking as a reward for work or study, and instead adopt more beneficial methods.

4. When you encounter stress in life, deal with it in a rational and healthy way. Avoid using alcohol to escape reality and numb your self-awareness.

Next time someone asks you to drink, throw this article to them.

References:

[1] Wu Fei, Ni Zhaojun, Gao Xuejiao, et al. Research progress on the mechanism and treatment of alcohol dependence[J]. Chinese Medical Journal, 2021, 56(11): 1165-1169. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1008-1070.2021.11.002.

[2] Zeng Tingting, Feng Zuxing, Yuan Jing, et al. Alcohol dependence degree and influencing factors in male alcohol-dependent patients[J]. Journal of Kunming Medical University, 2022, 43(1): 33-39. DOI: 10.12259/j.issn.2095-610X.S20220103.

[3] Zu Yu, Zhu Xiaofeng. Research progress on the molecular biological mechanism of alcohol dependence[J]. Health Friend, 2020(4):3-4.

[4] Yu Dongshan. Principles and hazards of alcohol dependence[J]. Sichuan Mental Health, 2009, 22(3):190-192. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1007-3256.2009.03.031.

[5] Shi Weilin, Chen Qian. Effect of alcohol dependence on the incidence of hypertension[J]. Health Research, 2017, 37(3): 244-247, 251. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-6449.2017.03.002.

[6] Wang Ying, Yao Xiaoguang, Hong Jing, et al. Effect of alcohol on the severity of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in hypertensive and obese people[J]. Chinese General Practice, 2020, 23(32): 4085-4090. DOI: 10.12114/j.issn.1007-9572.2020.00.516.

[7] Huang Xiaohui, Pan Xiaoping, Qin Wenge. Research progress on comprehensive treatment of alcohol dependence syndrome[J]. Clinical Medical Research and Practice, 2023, 8(2): 178-181. DOI: 10.19347/j.cnki.2096-1413.202302051.

[8] Wei Shoupeng, Liang Jianhui. Research progress on drugs for the treatment of alcohol dependence syndrome[J]. Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin, 2014(10):1333-1337. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1001-1978.2014.10.001.

Questionnaire: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is a standardized, multinationally validated screening tool developed by WHO to identify low-risk (high-risk) drinkers, harmful drinkers, and alcohol-dependent people. AUDIT is superior to other self-assessment screening tools for drinking. Its advantages are that it is brief, easy to use, flexible, and can provide valuable feedback to patients; it is consistent with the definitions of harmful use of alcohol and alcohol dependence in ICD-10; it focuses on recent drinking; it has been validated in multiple countries and is available in multiple languages.

Source: Huaxi Doctors

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