Turn teetotaller in 2011

Eisha Sarkar
Posted on Hello Wellness on  Jan 18 2011 10:25AM

Think you will have no social life if you don't drink? You don’t have to actually explain or give reasons for not drinking. Be proud of resisting the pressure to drink because not everyone is as strong.  Here are three reasons why you should turn teetotaller in 2011:

Abstinence makes you brainy
That alcohol damages brain structure and function is well-known. A study conducted by University of North Carolina in 2004 found that complete abstinence from chronic alcohol consumption can, in a few months' time, help the neurons in the brain grow back and recover their metabolic activities and function.

Save your liver
Complete abstinence from alcohol can help stabilise liver functions in the case of three alcohol-induced liver conditions - fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis - that are characterised by jaundice, inflammation, fever and abdominal pain. Fatty liver and alcoholic hepatitis are also reversible with abstinence.

Beat the Big C
The cancer rate in alcoholics is ten times higher than that in the general population. While ethanol itself is not carcinogenic, in the body it gets broken down into the highly toxic acetaldehyde which interferes with DNA repair. No alcohol will reduce considerably the number of carcinogens the body has to deal with regularly.

There are healthier ways to relax than downing pegs of whiskey - a hot bath, yoga, exercise, meditation and soothing music. And you don’t have to miss out on those cool parties just because you are a teetotaller. Opt for mocktails and fruit juice instead of cocktails and drinks. Suggest to your friends that you’ll drive them home and they’ll be glad to invite you over.  Mend your ways today for a healthier tomorrow.