The truth about alcohol and what just one drink REALLY does to your body: DR BRAD McKAY
If you'd asked me back in medical school about alcohol, I would have told you that a patient only had a drinking problem if they drank more than their doctor.
It was a running joke among us, but it also spoke volumes about how normalised alcohol is in our society - especially here in Australia. And it still is today.
Over the years, I've watched the official Australian alcohol guidelines shift from 'a few drinks a day is fine' to 'actually, there's no safe level of alcohol'.
As a general practitioner in Sydney, and as someone who's seen firsthand the damage alcohol can do, I've had to rethink everything I once believed and was taught about what's 'moderate' or 'safe'.
Alcohol is undeniably everywhere, it's part of our culture, but it can significantly harm your health or cause irreversible damage even if you're a 'moderate' drinker.
Even a single drink can harm your body. People don't realise how awful alcohol is for our bodies - and no amount should be deemed 'safe'.
If you drink less alcohol, you'll have better sleep, healthier skin, clearer thinking, stronger immunity, better mood, higher energy levels and more cash.
Sydney general practitioner Dr Brad McKay (pictured) says alcohol is more damaging than people think
No amount of alcohol is truly safe
Across the board, alcohol is more damaging than people think it is.
It can create problems anywhere in the body because it causes inflammation that leads to a string of issues from heart disease to strokes and cancers.
There's both short-term and long-term harm with every drop you have. If you want to avoid this, you shouldn't be drinking alcohol at all.
The short-term harm includes an increased risk of injuries and accidents, impaired co-ordination, poor judgement, feeling drowsy and fatigued, slurred speech, increased risk of injuries or accidents, and mood effects including feeling more depressed or anxious.
The long-term harm is far more frightening as alcohol increases your risk of many cancers (including colon and breast cancer) as well as chronic liver damage (such as fatty liver, cirrhosis, and liver failure), heart disease, stroke, mental health problems, and weight gain.
In Australia, one standard drink contains 10g of pure alcohol and the number of drinks in one serving depends on the volume and type of drink.
For example, one glass of wine (150mL) usually contains 1.6 standard drinks, one small glass of beer (285mL) normally contains 1.1 standard drinks and one nip (30mL) of spirits usually contains one standard drink.
Any more than four standard drinks in one sitting or ten standard drinks per week means you're drinking more than the Australian guidelines recommend.
In fact, the guidelines no longer recommend a safe lower limit for drinking, because there is none. They now state ‘the less you drink, the lower your risk of harm’, because any amount of alcohol causes harm to your body.
Your own individual risk also depends on your family history, lifestyle, diet, age and overall health.
In Australia, one standard drink contains 10g of pure alcohol and the number of drinks in one serving depends on the volume and type of drink. For example, one glass of wine (150mL) usually contains 1.6 standard drinks
Can alcohol cause cancer?
The short answer is yes - alcohol can cause cancer, even in small amounts.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) lists alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen - which puts it in the same category as other cancer-causing substances like asbestos, tobacco and UV radiation.
Alcohol consumption is linked to cancers of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, larynx (voice box), liver, colon, rectum, breast, and pancreas.
The risk of developing mouth and throat cancer is even higher if you drink and smoke at the same time. Alcohol inflames the tissue it touches, making it even more vulnerable to the cancer-causing substances found in tobacco smoke. It's literally a killer combination.
'Alcohol is undeniably everywhere, it's part of our culture, but it can significantly harm your health or cause irreversible damage even if you're a 'moderate' drinker,' Dr Brad McKay said (stock image)
Is liver damage reversible?
Mild to moderate liver damage can improve if drinking stops, but severe damage - especially cirrhosis and significant scarring - is largely irreversible.
While the liver is quite resilient and can recover to a certain degree, it will never fully return to its previous state if you drink regularly and heavily. Once you go past a certain point, it's hard to go back.
Are there any benefits of drinking alcohol?
You might have heard that one glass of red wine every day is good for your heart health, but this idea has been debunked.
The concept that alcohol can be good for you originated from studies comparing overall health with people’s drinking habits. It appeared that non-drinkers had worse health compared to those who drank small amounts of alcohol.
However, the observational studies that suggested mild drinkers were healthier than non-drinkers didn't account for the fact that many people in the 'non-drinker' group had already damaged their health from alcohol and had to stop.
When you take those people out of the equation, it turns out that those who don't drink at all actually have better health outcomes than even the most moderate drinkers.
So, despite what we might want to believe, there really aren't any health benefits to drinking alcohol.
How many alcohol-free days should you be having?
Given how harmful alcohol can be to your body, the ideal scenario is to have seven alcohol-free days each week.
But this might not be at the forefront of the average Australian's mind - especially in the lead-up to Christmas.
The guidelines suggest having at least two alcohol-free days per week, but it's better to have more than this.
The main reasons for taking alcohol-free days are to give your liver a chance to recover, to prevent your body from building up a tolerance and to avoid developing a psychological dependence on alcohol.
Even just a couple of days off each week can make a difference to your health, both physically and mentally.
Brad McKay is a medical practitioner, author, TV host, and media commentator. Since his role as the host of Embarrassing Bodies Down Under and the release of his book Fake Medicine: Exposing the wellness crazes, cons, and quacks costing us our health, he's emerged as one of the leading voices in Australian healthcare
Always consult your doctor for personal advice and if you need help call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015
