The occasional drink isn’t likely to cause any long-term health damage. Sticking to one or two per day, depending on your size and weight, is likely safe.
But more than that, and you could be putting extra stress on your liver. Do it too regularly for too long and the risk for liver disease goes up.
These days, alcohol alternatives abound. There are plenty of non-alcoholic options that can give you the taste – and potentially the feeling – that you want without posing the same risk to your liver.
For example, research exists to suggest the effects of alcohol may be, at least in part, environmental. Some studies show that when people believe the effects of alcohol will happen to them, they will behave a particular way even when they are given non-alcoholic drinks.
Where and when non-alcoholic drinks are consumed can gave an effect too. People given non-alcoholic drinks (that they believed were alcohol) in social settings where others were drinking reported feeling similar to how they would feel with alcohol.
There is a huge selection of non-alcoholic beverages to choose from. The non-alcoholic beer market, for example, has grown by leaps and bounds in the past few years. Many options taste just like alcoholic beer and can easily fill in when you feel like a drink.
Aside from beer, non-alcoholic spirits and wine are also available. Check for them online at your local liquor or grocery store.
Of course, some may still want to drink alcohol, and that’s just fine. Just remember to watch consumption.
Some effective ways to limit how much you drink include going back and forth between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and pouring drinks into a clear glass so you can monitor how much and how quickly you’re sipping.