The history of the preparation and use of beer dates back several millennia. It was made in ancient China and Sumer, Egypt and Greece. Mentions about him keep Novgorod birch bark letters. Beer was brewed from wheat and barley, rye and millet, rice and fruits. In medieval Europe, the monks significantly advanced brewing technology, introduced hops to the recipe.
In modern Russia, beer consumption, according to various estimates, ranges from 30 to 40 percent of the total amount of alcohol (in the volume of pure alcohol). In recent years, a positive tendency has been observed in our country to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed, including beer. Increasingly, people are looking for the answer to the question: "If I drink beer every day, how to quit?"
What is beer?
Beer is an alcoholic beverage in which ethyl alcohol is formed during the fermentation of wort (a specially prepared aqueous solution of plant materials or malt). Requirements for raw materials, physico-chemical indicators and beer production technologies are regulated by the system of national and interstate standards.
Standards in force in Russia indicate that ethanol should not be added when brewing beer. The volumetric alcohol content in beer ranges from 2 to 8 percent. The so-called "non-alcoholic beer" also contains alcohol, but its proportion does not exceed 0.5%. Thus, it is quite appropriate to ask the question: "How much beer can you drink without harm to health?"
What official medicine says
Drinking is an integral part of European culture. Different peoples have developed stable drinking traditions associated with all kinds of rituals and ceremonies, as well as with everyday gastronomic habits. On the other hand, medical research indicates the undoubted harm of alcohol to the human body. In order not to rush to extremes, the World Health Organization has proposed the so-called acceptable standards for the use of alcoholic beverages.
These norms used the concept of a standard dose of alcohol, which was 10 grams. On average, this corresponded to 250 ml of beer. Acceptable was the use of alcohol no more than twice a week in the amount of up to 2 doses per day. If, for example, a man consumed more than 40 grams of alcohol per day, then this was considered harmful. It would seem, the answer to the question: "Is it possible to drink beer?" - received. However, due to an increase in the incidence of alcoholism and alcohol-related illnesses, the WHO European Committee has formulated recommendations for reducing alcohol consumption. At the same time, the thesis was put forward that there can be no safe doses of alcohol in principle. What caused such a radical approach?
How excessive beer consumption affects the heart
Beer contains substances that cause a relaxing intoxicating effect. Therefore, regular consumption of beer leads not only to alcohol addiction, but also to its perception as a sedative. Someone might say, "So what? I drink beer every day!" The consequences of this attitude can be very disastrous. After a certain time without beer it becomes difficult to calm down and relax. The frequency of consumption and the amount of drink consumed are growing, alcohol excesses occur. The cardiovascular system falls under the blow.
Beer is quickly absorbed by the body, creating the effect of filling the blood vessels. After several years of regular beer consumption, varicose veins appear, arrhythmia develops, and the risk of coronary disease increases. The heart itself becomes flabby, its walls coarsen and thicken.
There is a term "beer heart" - this is an observed syndrome during an X-ray examination of an increase in heart size, which over time can lead to heart failure and, as a result, an increase in the likelihood of death from a stroke.
Other organs
Beer contains fermentation elements. Together with alcohol, they form an aggressive digestive tract irritant. There is a glut of carbon dioxide, the stomach is significantly stretched. There is a beer belly effect. The mucosa is reborn, digestion worsens. The activity of the pancreas is disrupted. There is a danger of chronic alcoholic gastritis.
The gradual accumulation of alcohol has a destructive effect on the liver. Experts note the danger of hepatitis, which can occur in a latent form.
Excessive consumption of beer on the kidneys has a no less dangerous effect. They begin to work in high load mode. The leaching of important trace elements from the body occurs. Disturbed water and acid-base balance. The kidneys themselves eventually decrease in size.
In women with excessive beer consumption for several years, there is an increased risk of developing breast cancer.
All this inevitably suggests: "Every day I drink beer ... How to quit?"
Features of the impact of beer on men
Many people like to drink beer in the evening after work. The benefits and harms for men of this habit, of course, depend on the regularity and amount of consumption of the drink. Medicine strongly recommends minimizing the intake of any alcohol, including beer.
In men who regularly drink more than 0.5 liters of beer per day, a decrease in the production of male hormones is observed over time. The raw materials used in the preparation of beer contain substances that are analogues of female sex hormones. Getting into the male body in excess, they cause changes in the endocrine system. The feminization of the male body begins. Outwardly, this manifests itself in an increase in fat reserves on the hips and sides, an increase in the mammary glands, and an expansion of the pelvis. There is a decrease in sexual function and sexual desire. And if you take into account the weight gain that is inevitable with frequent beer consumption, it becomes obvious that you need to find the answer to the question: "How to stop drinking beer in the evenings?"
The phenomenon of beer alcoholism
There is an opinion that alcoholism is a disease associated with the use of hard liquors. "Is drinking beer every day is alcoholism? It's liquid bread!" - so, unfortunately, lovers of foamy think.
Many people consider beer a harmless relaxing drink. It is widely advertised, relatively affordable, and has a low cost. Its use does not require any occasion or create a special atmosphere of the feast. It is everyday life that creates the prerequisite for an uncritical attitude to the quantity and regularity of beer consumption, and contributes to the formation of mental and physiological dependence. The taste and soothing properties of beer do not create the proper motivation to combat the attraction to it, as, for example, in cases of excessive consumption of vodka. Instead of saying to yourself: “I drink beer every day! How to quit?”, A person imperceptibly loses his will and vigilance.
Meanwhile, regular beer consumption is accompanied by a gradual increase in the amount of ethyl alcohol that enters the body. Alcohol toxins gradually accumulate in the cells, and the depth of poisoning increases. As a result, after some time, beer alcoholism develops, which very often becomes chronic. Anyone who drank 3 liters of beer every day for a long time needs treatment from a narcologist.
Features of the fight against beer alcoholism
Beer alcoholism is categorized as a heavy type of alcoholism. The problem is compounded by the fact that the victims themselves rarely turn to a narcologist or psychiatrist for help. As a rule, they are patients of cardiologists who complain of kidneys, liver and stomach. But the root cause of all these disorders is precisely the excessive consumption of beer, which has grown into a stable dependence over time.
Such people must be persuaded to undergo treatment for addiction, because they do not consider themselves alcoholics. An important role in this belongs to relatives. If you began to notice that your husband began to drink more than one liter of beer daily, gets annoyed when it is absent, has a beer belly, cannot relax without a bottle of foam, it’s time to take decisive action. Of course, it is best to immediately contact a specialist. But sometimes, for various reasons, persuading a person to go to a narcologist is very difficult.
How to help a loved one
First of all, the problem needs to be voiced. For such a conversation, you need to carefully prepare. Study articles, choose the right moment. It is not necessary to focus on the complete ban on drinking beer - the benefits and harms for men of drinking beer should be explained in detail in the context of the inadmissibility of drinking too often.
It is necessary to find out why a person is attracted to beer. Try to plan together the next weekend or time after work. Change the environment, take time with something interesting. If health allows, you can try playing sports together. If the matter is in the company, you need to come up with a reason to meet less with beer lovers. If the situation has gone far, you need to create motivation to visit a doctor. It can be positive, associated, for example, with the tasks of self-improvement, improving health and family relationships. You can apply the negative motivation associated with possible losses if you continue this lifestyle.
How to help yourself
If at some point you felt that the usual bottle of beer no longer brings the former pleasure, if, waking up in the morning with a heavy head and a swollen face, you thought: “Every day I drink beer - how to quit?”, Then the time has come, not putting off , to begin a new life! The main thing is to create the necessary psychological attitude and make a strong-willed decision to follow a new lifestyle. After all, over time, you get bored, and beer is no exception. Of course, it is difficult to immediately abandon the usual drink. But you can try to introduce a certain ritual of beer consumption, for example, only on weekends and no more than a glass for a specially prepared dish.
It is important to consider means of self-control, all kinds of motivators. Perhaps you can find good reasons for yourself to completely abandon alcohol. For example, buying a car or wanting to devote more time to the family. You need to understand that your life should not be managed by a bottle of beer, but by yourself.
If you feel that you are not coping with the situation, consult a doctor. Do not be shy to ask for help in the fight against your addiction, until it has done irreparable harm to health and life.
What difficulties may arise
If you have been drinking beer regularly for a long time, be prepared to face some problems if you refuse it. You need to understand that drinking alcohol creates a physiological and psychological dependence. This is especially true for beer, since its use has a relaxing and slightly dulling effect.
Possible troubles can conditionally be divided into psychological problems and physiological disturbances in the work of organs. You will have to give up many habits, change the circle of communication, learn to cope with mood swings. At the same time, due to the cessation of alcohol intake, insomnia, trembling limbs, headaches and muscle pains may occur. All this will have to be overcome by volitional effort. In the event that the situation is serious and neglected, the abandonment of alcohol should occur under the supervision of a doctor and be accompanied by medical care.
Conclusion
For all the dangers that threaten the excessive consumption of alcohol, it must nevertheless be recognized - it is not the beer's fault that some people consume it too often and too much. Beer is a tasty and, in a sense, useful product, if you treat it with due understanding.
Studies have shown that beer contains many useful trace elements and vitamins. Some experts argue that with moderate and occasional consumption of beer, it can have a positive effect. Do not discount the gastronomic traditions of a particular locality. But the problem is that the answer to the question of whether it is possible to drink beer and how much it can be consumed is purely individual. And if you take this responsibly, you can always make the right, independent choice.