Alcohol is a huge dopamine stimulant, which is in part why it feels so good, and why we might crave it when stressed. I am particularly amused by the effects alcohol has on our sex hormones. Drinking appears to be something that in our society is part of the “lad culture”. Yet alcohol has been shown to reduce levels of testosterone whilst increasing levels of oestrogen. So much so that if you drink enough, a man can become feminised, developing male breasts, losing muscle mass and facial hair, and seeing reductions in sperm count. Alcohol makes a man less of a man, not more. The irony!

Drink?: The New Science of Alcohol and Health - Harvard Book

But sometimes he still spouts a factoid that he doesn't substantiate with a citation. I'd like to see the documentation of these assertions, Professor Nutt! More expensive booze is probably not better for your body. It often contains congeners which are in effect different types of alcohol and they can (probably) worsen the hangover. Alcohol bad. Drink none is perfect. Drink less is good. Drink more is probably bad. Drink a lot is definitely really bad. That’s basically the book.I realize this has turned into more of a critique than a book review. You may just want to read the first three and last three of the following paragraphs if you want the short version of my review.

Drink?: The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health - Goodreads

The book also contains insight into the work that goes into shaping government policy around alcohol. The difficulty for politicians to balance their electability vs public health, and the powerful influence of the alcohol industry lobby on the UK parliament’s decision making around these policies (they are really the true pusherman). Provide a nonjudgmental willingness to assist the reader in minimizing harm if they decide to drink once informed. I didn't realize that in the old days, beer and wine had much less alcohol in them than they do today (3-4% vs 5-8% today for beer). In middle ages I think it was even less, which is why people could drink it so often. Two days in a row of drinking is extremely bad for you as your body doesn't have time to recover and you don't sleep well, it's a downward spiral. Avoid this if at all possible, and go light the second day if you decide to drink. For me, reading Drink?: The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health has been a wake up call. It's a book most drinkers should probably read.Read the introduction; it contains some of the 'truths' about alcohol. "Marketing has altered our perception," "...its's absurd that coming of age should still be about alcohol," and "Would you take a new drug if you were told it would increase your risk of cancer, dementia, heart disease, or that it would shorten your life?" The British perspective came through a few times. For instance, in the section, "Major Ways Alcohol Affects Your Length of Life," I had to look up Professor Nutt's reference to Damien Hirst's sharks and cows with regards to Nutt's mention of formaldehyde. However, I was pleased that Professor Nutt was inclusive and did include science references to Asia and Africa along with Europe, the UK, and the USA.

Drink? : The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health

You can die from alcohol poisoning, it is the leading cause of death in young people according to the WHO. Nutt's good on the health issues of alcohol, including more details on cancer than I had known before. I think that some further information on counterfactual opportunity cost, based on time/money spent related to alcohol, could have been a helpful addition to this book, albeit difficult to acquire overly didactic data on such factors. Now Drink? isn't only a book bashing the safety of alcohol. What I most enjoyed about the book was learning the interactions of the ethanol molecule on the brain. Did you know there is over 400 variations of the ethanol molecule that can lead to the difference in highs between drinks like wine, beer, and spirits? In my opinion this may be the reason there is so many wild stories around tequila in particular. Mixing factual and anecdotal evidence, Nutt discusses the UK response to alcohol, and the struggles he faced whilst attempting to advise the government on alcohol policy. From denying its classification as a drug to allowing alcohol companies to make up 50% of alcohol advisory boards, politicians’ response to drinking is surprising, especially given the burdens it places on our national services.Also, we only actually like the taste of alcohol and coffee because while being bitter, they're also addictive and pleasurable to the brain. So we find "taste" in otherwise bitter drinks. French people lead the world in psoriasis and other alcohol related diseases before reforming their alcohol related laws to reduce drinking. Most data are as reliable as the counter argument you hear on TV. Too much reliance on correlations and how alcohol contributes to all the diseases. Very little causation type sources stated. Occasional breaks from alcohol of 2-4 are very, very good for you as they establish the habit of not drinking, and tend to lower your drinking after you do drink again. It can take a few weeks to remove all effects of alcohol from your system and let your liver fully recover. As the most harmful drug in the UK, alcohol has a profound and wide-reaching impact on our health and on society at large. Drink? is the first book of its kind, written by a scientist and rooted in 40 years of medical research and hands-on experience treating patients. Professor David Nutt cuts through the noise to explain its long- and short-term effects, making complex science digestible and taking readers through the journey of alcohol inside the body