Alcohol

"Oh demon alcohol,
Sad memories I cannot recall,
Who thought I would say,
Damn it all and blow it all,
Oh demon alcohol,
Memories I cannot recall,
Who thought I would fall a slave to demon alcohol."
The above is a song by a great British group called The Kinks.

Today we consider alcohol. Since the theme of this site is being at the top of your game mentally and physically it only makes sense to look at a substance that is consumed in varying amounts by most everyone, adult at least.
After a number of years of drinking I eventually came to some conclusions--you may agree with the following, you may not. My intentions for listing them are good--
1. alcohol is an acquired taste.
2.alcohol impairs the mind, mood and senses and the habitual user seeks out achieving that impairment.
3.alcohol does nothing to nourish the body,in fact, it depletes the body of vitamins and minerals.
4. for the regular user it's habit forming,and in some cases, addicting.
5.the occasional user generally becomes the regular user.
Before you think that I am some sort of spoil sport or holdover abolitionist let me say this: to be at the top of your game--you have to be in control--are you controlling what and how much goes into your body--can you? They claim a drink or two a day is beneficial to your health but this claim is disputed by many. What I have noticed is that the vast majority of those who drink on a regular basis consume much more than that one drink or two a day quota. If you are one of these people, perhaps you need to ask yourself this question, am I addicted to alcohol? Am I in control or out of control? If you don't know, try this simple test--don't drink today or at all this weekend. See how it goes. As these 3 days progress, monitor how you feel physically,mentally and emotionally; do you find that you are more prone to being irritable, anxious and restless, do you feel bored or even depressed? Then again, can you even make it through 3 days without drinking? What you discover may be shocking. If you find that you are not a "casual" drinker, then changes need to be made.
Again, it's all about control and discipline. Have a drink if you choose but be aware.
Below are the effects alcohol has on your body--keep this in mind as you go through the weekend--

A few of the health effects of alcohol consumption:
Cancer:
Increases the risk of cancer in the liver, pancreas, rectum, breast, mouth, pharynx, larynx and esophagus.
Heart disease:
Raises blood pressure, blood lipids and the risk of stroke and heart disease in heavy drinkers.  Heart disease is generally lower in light to moderate drinkers.
Hyperglycemia: Raises blood glucose.
Hypoglycemia:
Lowers blood glucose, especially for people with diabetes.
Kidney disease:
Enlarges the kidneys, alters hormone functions, and increases the risk of kidney failure.
Liver disease:
 Causes fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis.
Malnutrition:Increases the risk of protein-energy malnutrition,; low intakes of protein, calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamine, vitamin B6 and riboflavin, and impaired absorption of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D and zinc.
Nervous disorders:
Causes neuropathy and dementia; impairs balance and memory.

Today is a long barefoot walk on the beach--say an hour--with swimming and stretching--what have you got planned?