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Conscious Drinking — Should You Try It?
Whether or not we drink regularly or abstain from alcohol completely, each of us has a ‘relationship’ with alcohol. For some of us, the relationship is fairly healthy and for others of us, it’s not so. Conscious or mindful drinking is one way in which we can become more aware of our drinking habits and not let this drug get the better of us. While this approach to booze will work for some, it will be less effective for others. So what does conscious drinking mean and why it can be better for our health than cruising along, unaware of where our relationship with alcohol is headed.
Is there a healthy level of alcohol consumption?
Despite being a legal drug, alcohol can ruin lives as surely as any other narcotic. The few benefits of drinking — reduced risk of heart disease, ischemic stroke and diabetes — disappear as soon as someone tips from ‘moderate’ to heavy drinking.
That said, ‘healthy limits’ for drinking have been bandied about by various drink aware campaigns for years. It’s generally regarded that moderate drinking isn’t (that) harmful. (Although it has also been proven that drinking increases the risk of some cancers). Moderate drinking, by UK standards, means sticking to a maximum of 14 units a week. That’s roughly 6 pints of average strength beer or 7 175ml glasses of wine.
