What are the effects of alcohol on society, pregnant women, and fetuses? Why should we quit drinking? When should we quit drinking?

It's never too late to quit drinking, and the best time to quit drinking is now.

Current social problems caused by drinking In recent years, as people's living habits and consumption levels continue to change, the use of tobacco and alcohol has become more and more common among men, women, young and old, and drinking has brought more and more troubles to society, families and individuals. According to statistics, the number of people who die from alcohol-related diseases in my country each year is as high as more than 700,000, ranking first in the world, with significantly more men than women. The harm of drinking is not only to increase the occurrence and development of related diseases, but also to increase the occurrence of accidents such as traffic accidents.

According to reports, the Zhongshan Public Security Traffic Police Detachment released a statistical analysis report on traffic accidents in 2020. The data showed that the four indexes of Zhongshan's general procedures for handling traffic accidents fell across the board last year. Among them, the number of alcohol-related traffic accidents decreased by 88 and the number of deaths decreased by 11, a year-on-year decrease of 35.63% and 35.48% respectively. According to data analysis, the data showed that last year, there were 1,451 road traffic accidents in the city that were subject to general procedures, 217 deaths, 1,223 injuries, and direct economic losses of 1.9002 million yuan. Compared with the same period last year, the number of accidents decreased by 76, the number of deaths decreased by 14, the number of injuries decreased by 37, and the direct economic losses decreased by 197,700 yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 4.98%, 6.06%, and 2.94% respectively; a decrease of 9.42%.

Therefore, both individuals and society need to pay special attention to quitting drinking.

However, before that, we still need to understand why we need to quit drinking, what are the harms of alcohol, and what is the appropriate age to quit drinking?

Wine and alcohol are its main ingredients, in addition to various organic substances, including higher alcohols, methanol, polyols, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, esters, acids, etc.

The chemical composition of wine is ethanol, which generally contains trace amounts of fusel alcohols and esters. The concentration of edible liquor is generally below 60 degrees (i.e. 60%) (a few have a concentration above 60 degrees). Liquor is purified to more than 75% by fractionation to become medical alcohol, and purified to more than 99.5% to become anhydrous ethanol. Wine is brewed from grains through fermentation.

Although methanol and ethanol (i.e. alcohol) are both fatty alcohols and differ in structure by only one carbon, their toxicity is very different. Methanol is a highly toxic organic compound. Drinking a small amount of it can cause blindness or even death. Methanol has a similar odor to alcohol when diluted with water, and its price is much lower than that of edible alcohol. Strictly speaking, products mixed with methanol are pure poison.
Alcoholic beverages (including various distilled and fermented alcoholic beverages) contain very small amounts of methanol, and white wine is no exception. The national standard stipulates that the methanol content in white wine made from cereals shall not exceed 0.04g/100ml (converted to 60% alcohol, the same below), and the methanol content in white wine made from dried potatoes and substitutes shall not exceed 0.12g/100ml. In fact, as long as the production is organized according to the normal brewing process, even ordinary white wine will not exceed this limit.
Fusel oil is generated by a series of biochemical reactions of amino acids and sugars contained in the raw materials of winemaking during the fermentation process. Its components have their own aroma and taste. Its total amount and the proportion of various alcohols directly affect the flavor of liquor, so it is necessary to have fusel oil in liquor. However, the content of fusel oil should not be too high. Too much fusel oil will cause headaches and dizziness. It is oxidized and decomposed slowly in the human body, and its toxicity is stronger than ethanol, and it tends to increase with the increase of carbon number. Therefore, the content of fusel oil in liquor should be strictly controlled within the range specified by the national standard - the content of fusel oil in 60° distilled liquor should not exceed 0.20g/100ml (calculated as isobutyl alcohol and isopentanol).
Lead is a highly toxic heavy metal. Direct ingestion of a small amount can cause poisoning, and 20 grams can kill a person. Lead accumulates in human bones and can move into the blood, causing acute attacks of chronic poisoning. Therefore, even trace amounts of lead cannot be ignored. The national standard stipulates that the lead content of 60° distilled liquor shall not exceed 1 mg/L (measured in Pv.b).

So why do we all advocate drinking in small amounts, or even quitting drinking? When friends and family get together, they have to drink a few glasses to be polite and enjoyable. Especially since Chinese people are a nation that values ​​courtesy and face, wine is an indispensable drink on the table. Throughout history, no matter whether it is a noble or an ordinary person, in a civilized society or in a backward area, the demand for wine does not seem to be much different.
Alcoholic liver disease is a common liver disease in Westerners. The death rate of liver cirrhosis caused by drinking is among the top five causes of death in European and American countries. In Taiwan, chronic liver disease liver cirrhosis caused by viral hepatitis accounts for the majority. In recent years, due to the economic take-off and the improvement of living standards in Taiwan, the consumption of alcohol has also grown rapidly.
In the drinking culture of Taiwanese people, foreigners savor wines like XO carefully, but we drink bottle after bottle, which makes Westerners feel inferior. With more social events, more opportunities to drink, and more alcoholic liver disease, it is also gradually increasing. If you already have chronic viral liver disease and drink a lot of alcohol, the liver disease will accelerate, so alcoholic liver disease is also a liver disease worthy of attention.

How much alcohol do you drink, what kind of alcohol do you drink, how long do you drink, whether you drink every day or intermittently, to cause alcoholic liver disease or cirrhosis? According to research, the formation of liver disease has nothing to do with the type of alcohol you drink but with the amount of alcohol you drink. In the past, it was believed that drinking 160 grams of alcohol a day for five years could lead to cirrhosis.
Later, it was believed that 80 grams per day was a dangerous amount. More than half of Oriental people lack an enzyme that is necessary to break down alcohol, so they are easily drunk and blush easily. Of course, their alcohol tolerance is much less than that of Westerners. Therefore, some people believe that if you continue to drink 40 grams of alcohol per day for five to eight years, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis will follow. 40 grams of alcohol is equivalent to 100CC of brandy, 120CC of whiskey, 250CC of Shaoxing wine, and 1000CC of beer.
Women have smaller bodies and higher fat content, so when they drink the same amount of alcohol, their blood alcohol concentration is higher than that of men. At the same time, affected by hormones, the stomach emptying time is prolonged, the alcohol stays in the stomach longer, and the absorption of alcohol increases. Women are more likely to develop alcoholic hepatitis into cirrhosis even after they stop drinking. Therefore, women should think twice before drinking.
Not all long-term alcoholics develop chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis. According to research, 10% to 15% of this group of people have cirrhosis after their autopsies. There is still no reasonable explanation as to why some people are prone to it and others are not. This may be related to the body's susceptibility or resistance!
If a person who drinks a lot of alcohol for a long time experiences vomiting, right upper abdominal pain, or jaundice, fever, and other symptoms, and palpation reveals liver enlargement, acute alcoholic hepatitis should be suspected. If the abdomen is gradually enlarged, the lower limbs are edematous, and the face is gradually thin and yellow, you should pay attention to whether alcoholic cirrhosis has already occurred. However, there are also people who have no symptoms at all, but their liver tissue has already changed into chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis. Therefore, long-term drinkers should undergo regular liver function tests and doctor's diagnosis and treatment.

In addition, some scholars have analyzed women's drinking behavior and advised women, especially pregnant women, to quit drinking. Why?
Don't get pregnant by drinking, and don't drink when you're pregnant. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified alcohol as a "Class X teratogen," meaning that there is sufficient evidence to prove that alcohol is a chemical that causes human fetal malformations. Class X means the most sufficient evidence, and pregnant women must never touch it. Women must completely abstain from alcohol throughout pregnancy to ensure that the embryo is not harmed. Cocktails and medicinal liquor are of course also prohibited.
Many women cannot figure out when they are pregnant, so women who want to get pregnant should stop drinking before they get pregnant. The first three months of pregnancy is the period when the organs of the human body are formed, and the most feared is the invasion of teratogens. If teratogens are encountered at this time, the organ structure will be distorted, which is the root cause of organ defects or deformities after the baby is born.
Alcohol harms the fetus's organs throughout the body, causing abnormal structures or defects in the head, brain, eyes, ears, face, mouth, heart, kidneys, bones, fur, and striated muscles. The child is born with a small head, a stupid brain, nearsighted eyes, poor auricles, a short and upturned philtrum or a long one without a groove, cleft lip (harelip), small teeth, a small chin, hairy skin, underdeveloped nails, heart septum defects, poor joint mobility, scoliosis, or underdeveloped genitals.
Alcohol is a strong poison to brain tissue and is the most common cause of intellectual disability in children after birth, with impaired learning and language abilities.
Drinking in the last three months of pregnancy can seriously hinder the growth of the fetus. At this time, alcohol can cause tissue hypoxia, and the fetus will not grow long enough or heavy enough, and the length will be more adversely affected.
The harm caused by the above alcohol to the fetus is collectively called "fetal alcohol syndrome". In more serious cases, alcohol can cause miscarriage. The degree of harm depends on the daily alcohol intake. The more alcohol consumed, the more serious the harm. Drinking alcohol equivalent to more than 90 liters of alcohol every day during pregnancy usually results in the birth of defective offspring; drinking alcohol equivalent to more than 150 grams (190 liters) of alcohol every day, the child is particularly likely to have alcohol syndrome.
From this, we can see that large doses of alcohol have teratogenic effects, and the larger the dose, the greater the teratogenic effect. The probability of a child born to an alcoholic woman having alcohol syndrome is less than 10%; pregnant women who drink excessively have a 40% chance of giving birth to a deformed child.
The less a pregnant woman drinks, the less harm she will suffer. Not drinking is a guarantee of zero harm. Alcoholic hepatitis Alcoholic liver disease is a common liver disease in Westerners. The death rate due to alcohol-induced liver cirrhosis ranks among the top five causes of death in European and American countries. In contrast, in China, chronic liver disease liver cirrhosis caused by viral hepatitis accounts for the majority. In recent years, Taiwan's economic takeoff and improved living standards have led to a rapid growth in alcohol consumption.

There are three major hazards of drinking. What are the effects of alcohol on society, pregnant women, and fetuses? Why should we quit drinking? When should we quit drinking? Collection In addition to the above-mentioned disadvantages to family happiness and traffic safety, drinking is more harmful to your body. First of all, alcohol will affect the nerve center of the human body. Some people cannot successfully quit drinking because the nerve center has developed a dependence on alcohol. Alcohol can also affect people's emotions and spirits. Some people who drink too much will have symptoms of depression, self-harm, and even have thoughts of suicide.

What are the effects of alcohol on society, pregnant women, and fetuses? Why should we quit drinking? When should we quit drinking? Collection of the causes of pancreatitis reported in recent years are partly due to overeating and partly due to drinking. Alcohol can damage normal pancreatic cells and cause acute inflammation of the pancreas. After acute inflammation turns into a chronic phase, the secretory function of pancreatic cells will be damaged. The hormones that maintain the balance of blood sugar levels are mainly secreted by the pancreas. If pancreatic cells are damaged by alcohol, it directly affects the blood sugar concentration in the body.

What are the effects of alcohol on society, pregnant women, and fetuses? Why should we quit drinking? When should we quit drinking? Collection We all know that toxic substances in the human body are mainly removed through the transformation and decomposition of the liver, and alcohol is no exception. The liver dehydrogenates alcohol through alcohol dehydrogenase, and then further converts it into carbon dioxide and water through acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. Too much alcohol in the liver will exhaust the functions of these enzymes. Too much alcohol will cause liver cells to degenerate and necrotize, leading to alcoholic liver.

What are the effects of alcohol on society, pregnant women, and fetuses? Why should we quit drinking? When should we quit drinking?

What is the most appropriate age to quit drinking? There is no exact rule for the age to quit drinking. Of course, the sooner you quit drinking, the better. Especially for patients with cirrhosis, hepatitis B disease, alcohol dependence, and long-term pathological drunkenness, quitting drinking early can avoid threats to life safety and allow the body to recover as soon as possible.

However, in order to give everyone a general understanding, we will take alcoholic liver disease, which is most closely related to alcohol, as an example to analyze at what age it is better for the body to quit drinking.

Alcoholic liver disease, also known as alcoholic fatty liver disease, is the earliest and most common lesion among alcoholic liver diseases. Alcoholic liver disease is a liver damage disease caused by long-term heavy drinking (alcoholism). All patients have a long history of alcoholism (8-34 years), and the age of onset is relatively old, mostly in middle-aged people.

Therefore, it is more appropriate to quit drinking before the age of 40.

In addition, alcoholic liver disease not only affects the synthesis and absorption of proteins and vitamins (malnutrition), but malnutrition also becomes a secondary factor for further damage to liver cells. The mutual influence eventually leads to fatty infiltration, inflammation, necrosis and cirrhosis of liver cells. If left unchecked, the occurrence of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis is inevitable, and many complications may also occur. These complications are often risk factors for death from alcoholic liver disease. Therefore, it is recommended that friends who want to quit drinking should control their drinking, eat a reasonable diet, regulate their emotions, combine work and rest, detect and treat early, and supplement selenium to nourish and protect the liver in their daily lives.

However, there are also reports showing that the best age to quit drinking is before the age of 35. This is because the body's metabolic function is relatively high before the age of 35, and the ability to metabolize alcohol is relatively strong, which can resist some of the damage caused by alcohol.

How to quit drinking scientifically? By collecting information online and asking friends around me, I have sorted out some methods to quit drinking:

1. Understand the knowledge about alcohol, realize the harm of alcoholism, and make up your mind to quit drinking.

2. For long-term alcoholics, you can start by reducing the amount and frequency of drinking. If you drink twice a day, you can reduce it to once a day, and from drinking every day, change it to drinking every two or three days, and then reduce it to not drinking on weekdays, and then drink again after a few days; or set it as drinking during festivals and when relatives and friends get together, and not drink at other times.

3. Switch from strong liquor to fruit wine, beer or champagne.

4. Don’t keep the wine bottle in front of you. Lock the wine in the cabinet and take it out when you receive guests.

5. When you start to quit drinking, you need to be determined. Your family can implement economic measures, such as not storing or buying alcohol at home. If you persist for a period of time, you will see results.

6. Distract yourself. When you feel like drinking, eat, drink tea, chat with others, play chess, go out for a walk, or do some sports. After a few minutes, the urge to drink will pass.

7. Develop some hobbies, choose activities that are not too expensive or demanding, purely entertaining, without the pressure of competition but refreshing and invigorating. For example, singing, writing, tropical fish, woodworking, basketball, cooking, bird watching, amateur performances, wood carving, gardening, guitar, movies, dancing, stone carving, potted plants, collecting, etc. Many people find that they have no interest in drinking now.

8. Go to the hospital for a comprehensive physical and mental examination, and determine the specific plan based on your own conditions.

Finally, I hope everyone can quit drinking successfully and get healthy soon! If you think the article is good, please like, forward and bookmark it. Thank you. If you have any health-related questions, you can also follow Dr. Bobo and send him a private message for consultation. Thank you!