Does Energy Drinks Cause Excessive Drinking?

Students at Middlebury College in Vermont should save their energy, because the college just banned energy drinks. They recently decided to ban energy drinks, because they believe that it causes excessive drinking and risky sex. Scientists have also found a connection between drinking energy drinks with the consumption of alcohol.

Dan Detora, executive director of dining hall services agrees with the ban. He stated to NBC News, "I see it as the equivalent of banning cigarettes" (Autonomous Nonprofit Organization, 2016). Detora also stated how the drinks have been linked to cardiovascular events, seizures, and liver damage (James, 2016). Middlebury College’s dining have also released informative flyers that discuss how energy drinks can lead to other alcoholic drinks, and drunk driving. In other words, the college views energy drinks as a gateway drug. Energy drinks can also cause periods of sleepiness, which can cause stress and unhealthy study habits.

Many people at Middlebury might agree with this ban, but many students don't. Arnav Adhikari, a 22-year-old senior from India who works at the cafe said, “he used to sell "loads" of the drinks, and the college is overreaching its role" (James, 2016). He also added, "They still sell lots of fried food", which is bad for people's health (James, 2016). Many students also believe that the college should worry about other important issues instead of interfering with other people's lives.

Energy drinks may lead to excessive drinking, but that argument can be used for any drink. Sales of energy drinks will be banned at the college by March 7, so college student’s better stock up. How do you feel about the situation? Is it right what the college is doing, or should Middlebury College be worrying about other important issues?

   

References

Autonomous Nonprofit Organization. (2016, February 26). Spoilsports: US college bans energy drinks over ‘high risk’ sex and excessive drinking. Retrieved from RT: Students at Middlebury College in Vermont should save their energy, because the college just banned energy drinks. They recently decided to ban energy drinks, because they believe that it causes excessive drinking and risky sex. Scientists have also found

James, S. (2016, February 26). NBCNEWS. Retrieved from Middlebury College Bans Energy Drinks, Linking Use to Alcohol, 'High-Risk' Sex: http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/college-game-plan/middlebury-college-bans-energy-drinks-linking-use-alcohol-sex-n526576

Drink More Coffee

 Drink More Coffee!

Hangovers are the worst. Hangovers can feel so bad that it can make people consider never drinking again. Not to be pessimistic, but that usually doesn't last that long. There are also many remedies to cure hangovers like special drinks, medicines, or techniques. Whether it's true, or false people will still try them to feel like their normal self again. Does anyone, however, wonder about different ways to decrease liver damage caused by excessive drinking? The next time someone downs a couple of shots they should also consider drinking some coffee.

Coffee can be found almost everywhere. It's sold in restaurants, fast food places, and it can even be found in vending machines. In other words, it's very assessable. Researchers have found that drinking two or more of cups of coffee daily can dramatically lessen the chance of liver damage caused by excessive drinking (Hafner, 2016). There have been many studies of a total of 434,000 people that saw that drinking coffee helped them reduced cirrhosis (Hafner, 2016).

Cirrhosis is a disease that is caused by heavy drinking. Cirrhosis can cause hepatitis and immune diseases. It can also cause excessive fat in the liver that can cause obesity and diabetes. Cirrhosis is a fatal disease that researchers have not found a cure for yet. According to Dr. Oliver of Southampton University, more than one million people die annually from cirrhosis (Hafner, 2016). During the research as stated before, they saw how increasing the contributor’s cups of coffee decreased the chance of cirrhosis out of seven of the eight studies. Two cups of coffee dropped the risk of cirrhosis by 44% while drinking four cups lowered the risk by 65%. One study also found that drinking filtered coffee is better at reducing the risk of cirrhosis than boiled coffee.

Every health benefit caused by coffee is still unclear. It's also unclear how coffee is connected with liver damage. Studies show that coffee can prevent the same disease caused by heavy drinking, but it’s not strong enough to cancel out drinking, or any other lifestyle choice that can lead to the cirrhosis. Nutritionist Samantha Heller of New York University’s Langone Medical Center stated “a few cups of coffee a day cannot undo the systematic damage of excessive boozing” (Hafner, 2016). Remember to drink responsibly.

References

Hafner, J. (2016, February 22). Drinking more coffee may lessen liver damage caused by booze. Retrieved from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/02/22/coffee-liver-damage-alcohol/80766718/

How Many Drinks?

 How Many Drinks?

Drinking can be a very common activity among many people. Alcohol might not taste the greatest, but it sure can make a night to remember (or barely). However, sometimes people can overdo it, and drink way more than what's recommend. This can cause serious damage to the body, and even death. Dr. George Koob, director of the national institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism stated, "Zero-point-three percent to 0.4 percent, and you're in the danger zone. People have actually died at those blood levels" (Pearl, 2014). How much alcohol can a person drink before it kills them?

This can be very challenging to figure out since many people have different tolerances towards alcohol. A person's sex, weight, what he/she has been drinking, and for how long can be important variables for finding how much alcohol it takes to kill someone. A person's tolerance can also be a key variable that can affect the amount of alcohol needed. For example, the amount of alcohol that a heavy drinker might drink might leave someone in a coma, but it can also be a suicide attempt for others (Pearl, 2014).

John Bonham is famous for being the drummer of Led Zeppelin, and the way he died. He had a very good tolerance towards drinking alcohol. During 1980, he consumed 16 drinks for his breakfast, but that was just a pregame for someone used to drinking that amount (Pearl, 2014). Later that day Bonham died after consuming a total of 40 drinks, only to lie down and choke on his vomit. Mick Wall, a rock historian, believes, "The cues, the color of the bar, the smells, and all those things become linked to the development of tolerance. A lot of people don't realize that, but it's actually psych 101" (Pearl, 2014).

Drinking causes dopamine and other chemicals to be realized into the brain, which can feel really good. That stops after a while, and can cause a person to feel not that great. Just like an addict, many people believe if they keep on drinking it'll begin to feel nice again. So how much can a person drink before you reach the point of no return without being asked to blow into a breathalyzer? Dr. Koob thinks, "If you can remember a timeline to follow back and see how much you drank to get to the black out, that's a good way to [know] you've reached the limit" (Pearl, 2014). Someone should make sure the drinks are standard while they count them, which a standard drink contains 14 grams of pure alcohol. If this seems too dangerous, Dr. Koob gave a simple rule of thumb that can possibly kill an average size American, "Fifteen standard drinks in two hours" (Pearl, 2014). There are also many apps that can help a person figure out the answer. Just remember to drink responsibly.

References

Pearl, M. (2014, December 11). How Much Can You Drink Before It Will Kill You? Retrieved from Vice: http://www.vice.com/read/how-much-can-you-drink-before-it-will-kill-you-991