We drink and drink alcohol – when we’re feeling good or really bad. There’s always a reason to give yourself a hard time. Too much firewater is poison for us, for the heart and liver as well as for the soul. So be responsible and drink in moderation. And if your throat still can’t get enough, burns too much and craves the next glass, then read these facts before you reach for the bottle and stay strong.
Alcoholism has only been considered a disease since 1968. According to the FOPH, 250,000 to 300,000 people in Switzerland are addicted to alcohol. In people who produce too few neurotransmitters for genetic reasons, addiction can develop more easily. About half of the risk of alcohol dependence is genetically determined. Drinking alone and secretly are the main signs that you are suffering from an alcohol addiction. You can get help here.
Pure alcohol contains a whopping 7.1 kilocalories per gram. This means that alcohol contains almost as many calories as fat. Here you can find a calorie table for alcoholic drinks.
Excessive drinking promotes more than 200 diseases, including liver cirrhosis and cancer, but also infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and pneumonia. It has been proven that alcohol can trigger tumors in the mouth, larynx and liver.
Men drink more than twice as much as women. Two thirds of alcohol addicts are also men. And: Married women and single men drink more alcohol than single women and married men.
A guilty conscience motivates. For example, occasional drinkers exercise 5.2 minutes more per week than abstainers. For moderate drinkers it is 10.1 minutes more and for heavy drinkers it is as much as 19.9 minutes. A study by the University of Lausanne has shown that even a small amount of alcohol consumption before sport can have a huge negative impact on performance.
People who consume alcohol in moderation tend to live healthier and longer lives than those who abstain from alcohol altogether. According to the Multiple Sclerosis Society, drinking in moderation can reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and gallstones.
Costs of alcohol consumption
In Switzerland, the annual social costs of alcohol abuse amount to around CHF 4.2 billion. Premature death, illness or early retirement account for 2.2 billion. A further 1.2 billion are the result of absences or reduced work performance. The direct costs in the healthcare system amount to CHF 613 million, and those of criminal prosecution CHF 251 million.
Even small amounts of alcohol have a very harmful effect, especially on children and adolescents. Compared to adults, children and adolescents also become addicted much more quickly. Since 1970, the age of initiation for regular alcohol consumption has fallen from 15 years to 12 years today.
Alcohol has been used as a food, medicine, stimulant and intoxicant since time immemorial. It is usually made from fruit and grain – fruit sugar or starch is fermented by yeast. The first alcoholic drinks were produced in the Stone Age, around 10,000 to 5,000 BC.
Switzerland’s alcohol consumption is in the top 20 worldwide with an average of 12.1 liters of pure alcohol per person (women 7.5 / men 16.5). Wine accounts for 49% of this, beer for 32% and spirits for 18%.
Alcohol disinhibits
The consumption of alcohol makes it easier to make contact with other people. At the same time, states of tension and anxiety are minimized. The ability to judge and cope with criticism decreases with the consumption of alcohol.
Every year, around 1,600 people between the ages of 15 and 74 die in Switzerland as a result of alcohol consumption. On average, Swiss people lose four years of their lives through the consumption of alcohol.
Most people drink in the east
The Belarusians are the world’s binge drinkers with an average consumption of 15.7 liters of pure alcohol per year per inhabitant over the age of 15. Moldova (16.8), Lithuania (15.4) and Russia (15.1) are just a few shots behind in the rankings. Pakistan, Kuwait, Libya and Mauritania are not really a market for Jack Daniels and Co. with a less than comforting 0.1 liters.
One person dies every 10 seconds as a result of excessive alcohol consumption or accidents and acts of violence caused by alcohol. In 2012, there were 3.3 million alcohol-related deaths worldwide, more than from AIDS, tuberculosis and violent crime combined. Every 25. death worldwide is caused by alcohol.
Read here about the top wine Donnafugata from Dolce & Gabbana.