Author: Joe Devine
There have always been myths and facts surrounding alcohol.
Some of these are reasonable while other myths are just
plain stupid. Some of these myths have been explained in
the various sections below.
Health Myths
Some of the most bizarre myths surrounding alcohol and its
consumption are present in the area that deals with the
health of the drinker. For starters, it is often claimed
that drinking will destroy brain cells. This is not always
true. It is true that drinking large quantities of alcohol
on a regular basis will hurt your brain's function;
however, consuming a single drink or even two drinks is not
going to kill your brain cells. Many believe that a drink
will improve a person's brain function but this can be a
little hard to believe as alcohol is a depressant.
Depressants slow down the brain and body's ability to react
to stimulants (like words) and then determine the accurate
response.
Another myth that surrounds alcohol is that it will cause a
beer belly. While it is true that a beer belly is not only
attributable to the consumption of alcohol, it is directly
attributable to an excess of calories. Alcoholic beverages
generally have a lot of calories. In most cases, a single
beer is going to have at least 100 calories in it. In some
of the porters and heavier beers, that single beer will
have 200 or more calories in it. Most people don't have a
single beer. They'll have 2 or 3 (or more). That means that
for every beer drinking episode, a person is going to have
300 calories (as a minimum) in their system. For heavier
beers, it's at least 600. To gain a pound, it takes 3500
extra calories in a person's diet. So while a beer belly
isn't necessarily all due to beer, beer can play a major
role.
Another major myth is that people who do not consume
alcohol are "alcohol-free". This is true in that they are
drinking alcohol free. Unfortunately, there are many types
of alcohol in the world. Alcohol comes in many sizes and
shapes. A person wouldn't drink rubbing alcohol and expect
the same result as when drinking a beer. The body produces
alcohol on a daily basis. It just doesn't produce drinking
alcohol. So really, a person that doesn't drink isn't
alcohol-free, just drinking alcohol free.
Lifestyle Myths
It is widely assumed that people residing in the United
States drink more than other countries. This is true, if
we're comparing the drinking habits of the United States to
those of such nations as Saudi Arabia. In a recent survey,
the United States ranked 34th in a global study of the
drinking habits of populations. So while the United States
drinks more than the countries ranked 35th through 60th,
the United States consumes less alcohol than a bunch of
other countries. This has a lot to do with the United
States having clean drinking water and a large population
that believes drinking to be wrong. It is not nearly as
large a part of our culture to drink as it is in Ireland.
One of the most common myths surrounding drinking in the
United States is that college students consume as much
alcohol as possible on a daily basis. While this may be
true for times such as Spring Break, it is not true on a
daily basis. Are there people that do consume as much
alcohol as possible as often as they can? Yes. Is it the
majority of the population? No.
While it is true that there are a lot of myths surrounding
alcohol, many of these are just as their name says: myths.
About the Author:
Joe Devine
For more information concerning the myths surrounding
alcohol consumption, visit http://www.dallas-dwi-lawyers
