Christmas and the drug called alcohol

Let's eat, drink and be merry! It's Christmas, and we have so much to be grateful for. I've made two batches of sorrel, and although I don't usually consume alcohol, I include the drug in my sorrel recipe at Christmas time, and the brew is mellow.

Christmas brings parties and gatherings with family and friends, with more opportunities to drink alcohol. As with everything that pleases us, moderation with alcohol is key.

Alcohol is a potentially dangerous drug. In small doses it's calming, but in moderate doses it may impair concentration and judgement, and slow down our brain and body.

As we continue to drink, speech becomes slurred, vision becomes blurred and we become unsteady and unbalanced. Reaction time becomes slow, and we cannot coordinate. All this explains how accidents, especially in driving, become more likely with drinking more alcohol. Large alcohol intake may make us violent and aggressive too.

Generally, I've found that with excessive alcohol consumption, people don't represent themselves well. Negative things they say and do are usually out of character and are embarrassing the morning after, if they remember.

On the other side of midnight, there's a hangover to contend with. People urinate more than usual when they consume excessive alcohol. Dehydration results, water is pulled from several organs, including the brain, and a so-called hangover ensues.

Small, moderate and high doses vary from one person to another - each person's limit and capacity depend on his or her age, weight, drinking experience and mental and emotional state.

Doses of alcohol

It is recommended that women drink no more than two to three units of alcohol per day, and men no more than three to four. One unit of alcohol is 10ml (two teaspoonfuls) of pure alcohol. This is equivalent to a 100ml glass of 12 per cent strength wine, or a 30ml measure of 40 per cent strength spirits, or half-pint (250ml) of regular-strength (three to four per cent) beer or lager, or 50ml of fortified wine like port or sherry (20 per cent strength), or one single shot of gin, vodka, brandy or whisky.

The average adult male can clear about one unit of alcohol from his system in one hour. The average woman who drinks the same will have a higher blood level of alcohol since her body is made of less water. If we consume more per hour, alcohol will simply build up in the system and take a longer time to clear.

Dr Dahlia McDaniel is a pharmacist with a doctorate in public health. She is the chief executive officer of two pharmacies and a medical practice in Kingston; email:yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.