It is your responsibility to ensure that you live a balanced lifestyle and understand your body’s alcohol tolerance. Alcohol does come with some serious health risks that can affect the body and mind; however, it is always important to know your limit to keep yourself and others safe.
Excessive drinking can affect your health, relationships, and career. Even now, it is becoming more common for workplaces to introduce drug and alcohol testing to ensure employees are fit to work, as well as to keep members of staff as safe as possible.
What Is The Recommended Level Of Alcohol Consumption?
It is important to note that there is no exact ‘safe’ way of drinking alcohol, as even a small amount contains toxins that can live in the kidneys and liver. However, there is a permissible limit that the NHS has confirmed to be followed in order to keep health risks to a low level.
For men and women, it is advised not to drink over 14 units per week on a regular basis. If you are drinking 14 units per week, it is advised that this be spread over the course of 3 or more days and not to be consumed in one sitting.
Dealing With Peer Pressure
Peer pressure does not only happen in your teen years and can in fact occur in adulthood. There are many reasons why people may decide to stop drinking alcohol, but sometimes saying ‘no’ just isn’t enough. It is important to stand your ground on this issue and create boundaries immediately with the people around you regarding your drinking status. Be assertive when you decline a drink and show that you are confident in your decision; people are less likely to push this way.
How Is Alcohol Testing Beneficial?
An alcohol test is a crucial indicator in determining the concentration of ethanol in the body. Alcohol tests can be obtained via urine, sweat, hair, and blood samples. The test will tell if the individual has consumed over the recommended level. For example, the permissible level of alcohol in the blood is 0.08%.
This is a safe, fast, and accurate way of knowing your alcohol consumption levels.
Drinking On An Empty Stomach
You will often hear people say that you have to eat before drinking alcohol. This is because drinking on an empty stomach makes it easier to become intoxicated and can be a health and safety risk. When you consume ethanol, it enters the blood via the stomach. When your stomach is empty, it will break down the alcohol and convert it into its residues. As a result, it will cause a surge in the concentration of alcohol in the body.
Conclusion
If you are choosing to drink alcohol, it is best to do it as safely as possible. Knowing the permissible limits, as well as how to check the concentration of alcohol present in your body is a great starting point for practicing responsible drinking. Help and advice are always available via the internet, GP, and rehabilitation centers on drinking and the risks of addiction.
