This is a really interesting topic that can be difficult for some people to discuss.

I will start by saying I am someone who enjoys an alcoholic drink time to time. I am fully aware of the effects it has on my body but I also enjoy it and that’s ok!

Truthfully, alcohol is not good for us (or our hormones). The evidence is there loud and clear but there is certainly a cultural aspect which includes it as part of our lifestyle and brushes the truth of how it effects us under the carpet.

So, I am going to share some information about it, this is for you to read and digest, take from it what you will and hopefully it will support you in either cutting down or balancing the choices around drinking alcohol.

Health effects of alcohol

1. Weight Gain

   • Alcohol = calories. Depending on your drink it could be anywhere from 90 cals (Vodka and soda) up to 500+cals (think of the wild, fruity cocktails). They are all ‘empty’ calories that mess with your blood sugar – that means it can cause energy slumps, mood swings, and sugar/carb cravings.

   • It slows down your metabolism – keeping you in fat storing mode

   • Alcohol effects your choices - you remember that time you said you would just pop out for 1 or 2 with a friend and the night ended at 2am eating pizza…..

   • It reduces growth hormone and testosterone – your fat burning hormones

2. Mood and stress

   • After the first one or 2 drinks you’ll notice a confidence, feeling free, happy, lighter mood. Who wouldn’t enjoy this? The down side is that what goes up - must come down. Alcohol can lower serotonin levels, leaving you prone to low mood and depression

   • The thing many women use it for – to de-stress, is actually raising your stress hormone cortisol, making you more anxious and overwhelmed in the long run. Also high cortisol levels mean higher fat storage

   • It can lower testosterone, affecting your libido, motivation and sense of wellbeing

3. Sleep

   • It seems like sometimes it can help you sleep, unfortunately while you may feel heavy you aren’t dropping into deep rstorive sleep, your body is actually working over time to detox the alcohol from your system. You’ll likely notice you wake you up during the night and feel groggy the next day which is stressing the body, raising cortisol

4. Your Gut

   • Alcohol can damage the cells in the lining of your gut, increasing inflammation and the risk of leaky gut which can lead to auto-immune conditions. Quite often people will say that when they start drinking it makes them need to poo or they have a bit of an upset tummy, especially if drinking on an empty stomach.

   • Alcohol can also alter nutrient absorption as it can reduce enzyme production for digesting food

   • If you already have a gut infection, the effects can be worse, especially with candida which also produces acetalydehyde – that’s why you can feel hungover without having had a drink. But if you drink too, the effects can be a lot worse.

5. Your Liver

   • Your liver is already struggling – with all the toxins we have around, plus the hormones that we need to detoxify. Alcohol produces acetaldehyde which if not detoxified quickly can result in headaches, nausea, brain fog and fatigue – a typical ‘hangover'.

   • While your liver is trying to deal with the alcohol, it might have to sacrifice some other toxins (increasing your toxic load) or hormones (increasing your circulating oestrogen) – too much oestrogen can cause PMS, heavy periods, bloating, headaches, and an increased risk of breast/ovarian cancer.

So if you already have a hormone imbalance, gut issue, auto-immune issue, poor sleep or nutrient deficiency, alcohol is not going to be your friend.

Tips for safer consumption of alcohol

If you are feeling like ok, I get that it isn’t good for me but I don’t want to give up. How best do I balance around having booze? Here are my tips;

1. Hydration. Drink water before, during and after alcohol, and lots of it. Think 1 glass of water per 1 alcoholic drink

2. Always have food if you're drinking alcohol – never drink on an empty stomach. If you aren’t sitting down to eat make sure you eat fats before and/during (think nuts, olives, meats, olive oil dips etc)

3. Choose wine or spirits over cocktails with sugary mixers (and don’t do diet mixers) – red wine is best as you tend to drink less and it's got some antioxidants. I am not a red wine drinker, I tend to go for vodka, soda with lots of fresh lime.

4. Limit the number of days you alcohol per week. (ideally I would keep it to once per week or twice)

5. Take a longer break as often as possible  – eg dry January, sober October or create your own with friends/family.

6. Ask yourself if it’s just a habit, or you really WANT it.

7. Avoid drinking at night or up until you go to bed. Ideally aim for a couple of hours to eat and hydrate before going to sleep.

8. Eat lots of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, chard, rocket, watercress etc) – to help your liver detox your oestrogen. Additionally I always take Milk Thistle and vitamin B supplements the morning after alcohol.

9. After having alcohol I always take activated charcoal supplements. These bind to toxins to remove them from your body. Though keep in mind they are powerful and if you eat around the same time your body may not get the full nutrients as the charcoal can bind with food too (great if you have eaten some less ideal foods)