12 Mar 09 GENERAL CARE OF THE BODY: ALCOHOL
Although usually considered a stimulant, alcohol is actually a depressant. It appears to lessen fatigue and make you peppy because, in effect, it takes the brake off certain processes. For example, even a fairly small amount of alcohol lessens the cerebral inhibitions that we normally exert in order to behave properly and this makes us feel relieved and free.
Alcohol is useful in certain diseases and harmful in others. People who consider a drink of brandy as the initial step in all first aid treatment can do a lot of damage. It is definitely harmful, for instance, in cases of injury, heatstroke, and snakebite. People with some diseases may have a certain amount of alcohol prescribed for them; in other illnesses, it is forbidden. If you or anyone in your family is ill, be sure to discuss the matter of alcohol with your doctor.
Alcohol for the normal, healthy individual
There is no evidence to prove that moderate drinking will cause any disease, or injure the general health, or shorten the life of the healthy adult. What do I mean by moderate drinking? This is not easy to define exactly, since the amount that different people can tolerate varies considerably. Most doctors would describe the moderate drinker as one who takes one or two drinks a day—say, a couple of mixed drinks containing two ounces each of whisky, or two bottles of beer during the course of several hours. The moderate drinker takes his alcoholic beverages for relaxation, never as a constant necessity. He does not become intoxicated. Taken in this way, there is no physical harm in the use of liquor. It can be a source of great pleasure. Yet even under these circumstances, there may be some impairment of judgement or co-ordination. There are people who ought not to drive a car after drinking even one small glass of sherry.
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