Millions of people enjoy drinking alcohol every single day. However, it’s a substance that can carry plenty of health issues for the drinker if abused. Whether you like a tipple or are completely tea-total, here are 16 interesting facts about alcohol worth keeping in mind.
1. Alcohol affects the brain
Alcohol is famous for making people ‘drunk’. That’s because it can have a huge effect on the brain and its various receptors.
2. Feeling HAPPY?
More than anything, alcohol is seen to relieve stress as well as create feelings of pleasure and happiness. This is thanks to the levels of dopamine it can help create in the brain.
3. Most adults enjoy a drink or two
A survey in 2015 found that around 86% of adults have reportedly drunk alcohol at least once in their life.
4. Alcohol goes straight in to your blood
It’s impossible to digest alcohol. While consumption can upset your stomach occasionally – depending on what and how much you drink – it will always absorb straight into your blood.
5. How strong is your favourite alcoholic drink? Check the percentage!
Alcohol is measured by percentage in popular drinks. It’s not uncommon for a beer to contain 5% alcohol, for example.
However, the most alcohol-rich drink on the planet is a beer that boasts a 67.5% capacity. That’s a lot to take in!
6. Alcohol is a killer!
Alcohol can be deadly if abused. For example, it’s thought that up to six people a day, in the USA, die as a result of poisoning.
This is despite the fact that the US has a relatively high drinking age threshold of 21. In the UK, it’s 18 in a pub, and 16 with a meal.
7. Man outshine women when it comes to alcohol
Of all people who drink alcohol, men are more likely to consume it than women.
8. Unfortunately, alcohol abuse is on the rise
Research seems to suggest that alcohol abuse increased hugely from 2001 to 2013.
9. Your brain ‘melts’ if you drink too much
If you forget anything after a long drinking session, it’s not the booze that is to blame. It’s the fact that your brain starts to lose the power to create new memories if you drink too much.
10. Alcohol can be good for your heart
Despite the negative aspects that alcohol can bring to your health, it could in fact help to lower the chance of you developing heart disease.
11. Still, you’re cancer safe if you STOP drinking
However, if you stop drinking, you will have 30% less chance of developing specific types of cancer.
12. Alcoholism from an early age
Studies show that alcohol dependency and alcoholism are more likely to occur in those who start drinking before the age of 15 years old.
13. Alcohol is banned in the so-called ‘dry countries’
Some countries, such as Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, ban alcohol completely. These are known by some people as ‘dry countries’.
14. Have you pulled off a ‘dry January’?
Many people choose to stop drinking in January in an attempt to reverse the effects of Christmas and New Year celebrations. This is often called ‘Dry January’ in the UK.
15. Beer was not considered alcohol in Russia until recently
Russia, believe it or not, did not even consider beer to be an alcoholic drink until 2013.
16. There’s no such thing as a ‘safer’ alcoholic drink
There are no types of alcoholic drinks that are considered ‘safer’ than any other. For example, it is no safer to drink wine than it is to drink beer. All alcoholic drinks have the same ingredients, to some degree.
FAQs about Alcohol
When did alcohol become legal in the USA?
From 1920 to 1933, nationwide prohibition laws dictated that the manufacturing, sale, and even transportation of alcohol was completely illegal in the USA.
What other purposes does alcohol serve?
Alcohol has been used throughout history for medicinal purposes, dating all the way back to Egyptians and Sumerians around 2100 BC.
What
Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage in the world. In fact, following water and tea, beer is the most consumed drink globally!
Do you know any fun facts about alcohol? Share them in the comments below!
Would you like to learn more facts about alcoholic drinks? Check out these fun facts about wine!
Further reading:
https://facts.uk/tag/alcohol/