Woman’s Day New Zealand – September 02, 2019

W

hileDryJulymightbe

behindus,it’simportant

toreflectonouralcohol

consumptionallyear

round.Kiwiculture

oftennormalisesheavydrinking,

buttheeffectsofalcoholabusecan

bedevastating.

Each yearinNewZealand, 1000 people

losetheirlivesduetoalcohol-related

accidents,traumaandorgandamage.Yes,

it mightbenicetoindulgeina glassof

wineora coldbeereverynowandthen,

butalcoholhasa wayofsneakinginto

ourdailylivesandformanypeople,it

becomesveryhardtobreakthehabit.

Whendrinkingbecomesa problem,

notonlydoesourhealthdeteriorate,but

relationshipscansuffer,childrenare

impactedandproductivitynosedives.

I believeweneedtochangethe

waywethink,actandspeakabout

alcohol– it’stimetostart thinking

and stop guzzling.

YOU LOSE

Booze &

Cutting backor

quitting saves lives

Questions

for Gemma

Writeto

wday [email protected]

Woman’sDay,PrivateBag92512,

Wellesley Street, Auckland.

PICTURES: GETTY IMAGES.

Drinkingalsoaffects

thehungerhormone,which

is whyyoutendtoovereat

whenyou’vebeendrinking– who

hasn’texperiencedthelate-night

burgercravingsafteranevening

out?Butit alsoaffectsyourchoices

thenextday,asalcoholcanmake

bloodsugarlevelsriseandfall,

makingyoufeelhungrier.So

ditchtheboozeandseehow

mucheasierit is tostick

to a healthy diet.

Alcoholnotonly
increasestheriskof
cancer,it alsointerferes
withtheabsorptionof
nutrientsandaffectsthe
hormonalsystem.Inmen,
alcoholconsumptioncanaffect
thesperm’sabilitytomove.
Soif you’relookingtohave
afamily,encourageyour
mantocutbackon
consumption.

Alcoholcanleadto

stressandanxiety,which

takesitstollonyourbody

andbrain.It alsodehydrates

yourbody,andtheexcess

sugarsdamageyourDNAand

collagenintheskin,leadingto

fasterageing.Soif youwant

tolookandfeelyounger,

give booze a miss.

A recentstudy

revealedthat

excessivedrinkingcan

resultinthedevelopment

ofdementia,aswellas

reducinglifeexpectancy

by four to six years.

Alcoholis a

depressant,soit hasa

bigimpactonhowyou

feel.Whiletheinitialeffect

mightbelifting,overtime,

themoreyoudrink,the

morelikelyyouareto

sufferfromdepression

and anxiety.

If you’retryingtolead

abooze-freelifestyle,

choosetosurroundyourself

withpeoplewhosupportand

encourageyou.Whenpeoplesay,

“Goon,onewon’thurt,”they’re

oftentryingtonormalisetheir

ownbehaviours.Bestrong

enoughtosocialisewith

peoplewhohelpyoulead

a healthy life.

If youfindit hardto

skipyour5pmwine,try

replacingit withsomething

moreexcitingthanwater.

Sodawaterwithlimeis always

good,oradda sprigofmint.

Thereis alsoa rangeofbooze-

freespiritsnow,whichmake

mocktailsjustasexciting

ascocktails.

SEEING&

EATING DOUBLE

DETOX

LOSS

OF LIFE

THE

BLUES

UNDERTHE

INFLUENCE

FAKE IT

IT’S AGEING

Researchhas

shownthatpeople

whogrewupina home

whereonerelativeabused

alcoholwerefourtimes

morelikelytobecomean

alcoholicthanthosewho

grewupina non-

alcoholic home.

OUR

FUTURE

Ifyou’dlikehelpto

quitalcohol,visit

livingsober.org.nz,

alcohol.org.nzorphone

theAlcoholDrug

Helpline on 0800 787 797.

Wellness

With Gemma McCaw

72 Woman’s Day