Contributing Writer for Wake Up World
Enormous numbers of people are increasingly becoming binge drinkers — defined as consuming five or more drinks in two hours for men, or four or more for women — and researchers are trying to figure out why. To that end, Forbes reports that a new study shows that binge drinking actually alters your DNA, stunting genes in such a way that it makes it harder for you to not drink, in effect making you crave alcohol even more.
With more than 1 in 8 Americans now classified as alcoholic, this research sheds new light on what must be done to curb not just alcoholism, but binge drinking, even when the binge is only an occasional one. In essence, this condition has become a public health crisis that is too often glossed over, especially when you’re talking about that occasional binge.
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One reason for this may be that while alcohol has become easier to access, addiction treatment services have remained hard to reach. Plus, with so much emphasis on avoiding stigmatizing someone with an addiction of any kind, the focus has been more on tolerance than treatment.
It’s also likely that socioeconomic and mental health issues are playing a role, as people turn to alcohol and other drugs to essentially self-medicate all sorts of problems.
It’s no surprise that binge drinking damages your DNA, especially in light of other serious issues that alcohol causes with your central nervous system. For example, it slows down the communication between your brain cells. Your limbic system, which controls emotions, is also affected.
Additionally, binge drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning, which can shut down areas of your brain that control basic life-support functions like breathing, heart rate and temperature control. At its most serious, alcohol poisoning can lead to:
Loss of coordination
• Cold, clammy hands and bluish skin due to hypothermia
• Vomiting repeatedly and/or uncontrollably
• Irregular or slow breathing (less than eight breaths per minute or more than 10 seconds between breaths)
• Seizures
• Confusion, unconsciousness, stupor (conscious but unresponsive) and sometimes coma
Another problem is that many people aren’t aware of just how much alcohol is in the drinks they choose. For example, did you know that a standard drink which generally contains 0.6 ounces of pure alcohol could be any one of the following:
12 ounces of beer (5 percent alcohol)
• 8 ounces of malt liquor (7 percent alcohol)
• 5 ounces of wine (12 percent alcohol)
• 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits or liquor like gin, rum, vodka and whiskey (40 percent alcohol)
Overall, the effect of alcohol on your body depends on a number of factors, including your gender, weight and genetic makeup. The smaller you are, the more concentrated your blood alcohol level will be compared to a larger person drinking the same amount.
Women, who tend to have more body fat than men, will also tend to be more affected by alcohol, as alcohol is soluble in fat. This is why drinking guidelines are lower for women.
Genes also play a significant role in how your body processes alcohol, which subsequently determines how likely you are to suffer a hangover as well. Enzymes that break down alcohol are determined by genes. If you have slow-metabolizing enzymes, you’re more likely to get a hangover when you drink.
The bottom line is even moderate alcohol intake can harm you; when you add in a binge, it could affect your DNA in such a way that it will make it even harder to cut back.
Recommended articles by Dr. Joseph Mercola:
- The Endocannabinoid System and the Important Role It Plays in Human Health
- Could a Root Canal Be the Cause of Your Chronic Health Problem?
- Top 5 Signs of Vitamin D Deficiency – and What You Can Do About It
- Statin Use Linked to Dementia
- Ninety Percent of Sea Salt Contains Plastic
- The Monsanto Papers – Secret Tactics and Corrupted Science
- Cancer, DNA Damage, Cellphones and 5G — What You Need to Know
- How LED Lighting May Compromise Your Health
- Magic Mushrooms May Hold Key to Long-Term Relief from Anxiety and Depression
- Scientific Links Between Processed Foods and Depression
- How Sugar Harms Your Brain Health and Drives Alzheimer’s Epidemic
- Glyphosate is Clearly Carcinogenic – and Monsanto Hid The Evidence
- The Many Medicinal Benefits of Cannabis and Cannabidiol (CBD)
About the author:
Born and raised in the inner city of Chicago, IL, Dr. Joseph Mercola is an osteopathic physician trained in both traditional and natural medicine. Board-certified in family medicine, Dr. Mercola served as the chairman of the family medicine department at St. Alexius Medical Center for five years, and in 2012 was granted fellowship status by the American College of Nutrition (ACN).
While in practice in the late 80s, Dr. Mercola realized the drugs he was prescribing to chronically ill patients were not working. By the early 90s, he began exploring the world of natural medicine, and soon changed the way he practiced medicine.
In 1997 Dr. Mercola founded Mercola.com, which is now routinely among the top 10 health sites on the internet. His passion is to transform the traditional medical paradigm in the United States. “The existing medical establishment is responsible for killing and permanently injuring millions of Americans… You want practical health solutions without the hype, and that’s what I offer.”
Visit Mercola.com for more information, or read Dr. Mercola’s full bio and resumé here.
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