So what is the Real and Ugly Truth about Alcohol?

What’s the big deal anyways, I mean yeah everyone drinks. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. I created this blog to uncover some of the reasons people drink, the effects it has on your body and brain, and some content that i think people should just know. Drinking has become this thing in America that “every occasion is a party”. It’s a mind set we all got in our heads for any day off from work or 3-day weekend to just live it up! With the current pandemic going around the globe, more and more people have turned to alcohol to “deal” with their problems.The long term effects alcohol has on our bodies should be enough to maybe make someone second guess over drinking or the potential weight gain that could happen. American’s love the sweet and fruity drinks because you can’t taste the alcohol, yet it messes you up quicker. Young people, especially college kids, are the party animals! They drink and party whether it be every night or every weekend not realizing what alcohol is doing to their insides. Your liver is what gets hit when alcohol goes into your system, yet people will joke “my poor liver” yet continue to drink like they do. Years later they will realize that “poor liver” joke wasn’t so funny when they have nothing left of it or cancer happens. What you do while your young and able effects you for the rest of your life. 

All I’m saying is, maybe tone it down some? Save your brain, your liver, and your stomach from so much alcohol that it will one day kill you. Take everything in moderation and you will be just fine! Thank you for listening to me and I hope you all learned something from this blog! I know I had a blast creating it along with learning all that I did. 

Much love, 

Santiago Paniagua!

You know you can say you’ve participated in a couple of these... 

COVID-19 = END GAME

Since everyone on the planet is taking about this disease, I figured I would too. We all have been living in this weird world with not being able to see your friends, no going out to bars or restaurants, and working from home. Things have changed very rapidly and drastically for a lot of people. One day everything is fine enjoying your daily routine and the next minute... no one can leave their house! People loosing their jobs and having to file for unemployment or having to work from home with a house full of people. 

In times of crisis, people’s worlds collapsing around them, being stuck in a house with your crazy family, or having your eyes glued to the TV is a time where people are going to struggle. Anxiety rates have gone through the roof for people who struggle with this on a daily basis. People who normally go out all the time are now trapped inside and have no where to go. Being stuck with your family all day, everyday will drive any sane person insane in itself! 

I’m sure you are asking yourself, yes I know all of this already, what does this have to do with alcohol? I’M GLAD YOU ASKED! With everyone being cooped up in their homes not allowed to leave unless it’s for a necessity like food or to go to the doctors... People have gotten BORED! It’s like everyone is reliving the same day over and over again on this never ending loop. People can’t go on dates with their significant others or people aren’t able to go out with their friends have created these online “happy hours”. Using their computers or phones to video chat and drink to pretend like everything is normal and fine in the world. 

Here is the problem with everyone being bored or feeling isolated like we all do: people have been turning to alcohol. Being bored, having their sleeping messed up so they turn to alcohol just to sleep, drinking while they are working from their living rooms. At a time like this, people need to actually not be drinking and here is why. It lowers your immune system, intensifies your anxiety, and could potentially cause a rise in alcoholics in the coming months. I know the circumstances suck and no one is happy about being stuck home, but we all need to be conscious that for some, all the drinking could have some serious blow backs once this is all over and done with. 

Here is a list of the top 7 Alcoholic Beverages that go from low calorie to very high in calories:

       1 -Beer - Anywhere from 100-300 Calories based on the brand of beer; also taking into account if it’s a light beer or a dark one. 

       2- Mulled Wine - 400 Calories and tons of carbs!

       3- White Russian - 500 Calories due to all that cream put into them. 

       4 - Margarita - 550 Calories thanks to the Sour Mix.

       5 - Daiquiri - 600 Calories and SUGAR, SUGAR, AND MORE SUGAR!

       6 - Piña Colada - 640 Calories because of the coconut cream.

       7 - Long Island Iced Tea - 78 Calories … Sour Mix and Coca-Cola along with all the alcohol mixed in brings this drink to the top most calorie induced drink! 

Looks like someone had a ruff night of drinking!

WAIT... You mean to tell me that drinking will make me... GAIN WEIGHT!?

YES! The sad and scary truth revealed! Now this isn’t something that happens over night, but over the course of a couple months of heavy drinking. The subject of “if I continue to drink this way will it make me gain weight” is not as black and white as you would think.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular reasons why drinking can lead to weight gain in both men and women:

What at your eating habits? 

How many beers are you going to have?

Long Island Iced Teas, shots of Tequila, or Beer? Pick your poison!

Can someone explain how my genetics plays into this? (Yes, go ahead and thank mom and dad!).

Number 1: Notice when you are either at a social gathering or somewhere there is an excessive amounts of food, are you that person staying close by to see what you can snack on? If you said yes, you might want to try and steer clear of the food tables. People don’t even realize that the constant snacking of junk food mixing with their alcohol is not good! When people get into that “tipsy or intoxicated” mindset, they sometimes have no control over their actions. Subconsciously they are drinking and snacking for HOURS and who is going to stop them? All the snacking and drinking adds up after a while and eventually could lead to being very bloated the next morning and one day, the bloating will just be a constant for you. 

Number 2: We all know people who love a nice cold beer every now and then right? Have you ever taken a look at them closely? Notice they have a small “beer gut”? Beer causes your stomach to get blown out like a balloon due to all the beer you drink. Now having one here and there will not cause this to happen to you, but if you can knock back a 6 pack a night... good luck to your stomach! The carbonation is the secret killer in these drinks. Having too many drinks with all the carbonation in them is what causes your stomach to be bloated. 

Number 3: I know you have a favorite “go-to” drink when out at a bar or party. Have you ever stopped to think about all the calories that are in your favorite drink? For example, my go-to drink at a bar is a Long Island Iced Tea! Now I know this drink in particular is a killer because it contains about 5-7 different alcohols in them along with a splash of Coca-Cola. An originally made Long Island only has 780 calories...I’M SORRY CAN YOU REPEAT THAT? 780 Calories is absolutely CRAZY for an alcoholic drink. The more alcohols and sugars you have in a drink, of course the calories go up. Take into account a beer has about three times less compared to a fruity cocktail but that doesn’t mean they aren’t as potent to potential weight gain. Any fruity cocktail: Margarita’s, Daiquiri's and Long Island’s are FULL OF SUGAR. Sugars just like to sit in your stomach and don’t break down as easy. Carbs and sugars are two of the WORST things you can put in your body to cause some serious weight gain in person. 

Number 4: Everyone on this earth comes from a set of parents who determine what you are going to look like along with all the potential health issues you could have later on in life. High blood pressure, Diabetes, certain cancers, and even alcoholism are just some of the things that you could get passed down to you if it runs in your family. Now that doesn’t mean you will get anything at all (not likely sorry) but because we are all a mix of two people, some are more susceptible to weight gain then others are. If you have any pre-existing health conditions that make it easier for you to gain weight you might want to be careful with what you put in your body. 

Of course, there are tons of other factors involved in potential weight gain with alcohol, but I l think you get my point. DRINK WITH CAUTION PEOPLE!

The Frozen Margarita:

8 ounces Silver Tequila (of your choice)

The juice of 1 whole lime

4 ounces of Triple Sec 

Ice (to make it frozen)

Salt or Sugar for the rim (your preference)

Lime wedge for garnish

Fill your blender with Silver Tequila, lime juice, Triple Sec, Simple Syrup, and ice. 

BLEND BLEND BLEND! 

Grab 4 glasses and put salt or sugar around the rim, pour the frozen mix into each glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. 

DRINK UP! 

In this Frozen Margarita cocktail there are roughly 200 Calories per every one you drink. When you add different flavoring (Strawberry, Mango, Passion Fruit) it adds a couple more calories. These sweet and tangy drinks are an American favorite to order! What many people don’t realize is that the calories in these add up quite quickly considering on average one person has anywhere from 3-6 depending on how they are feeling that night. The amount of sugar intake that one gets from sucking down these drinks not only messes with your stomach, but also the levels in your body as well. One too many of these will not only have you puking your brains out, but you will get bloated as well. If one keeps to a consistent going out ordering these frozen treats over a period of time; weight gain is bound to happen. People don’t realize how many they have in one sitting and with alcohol being a depressant, it makes you just want to sleep! All those sugars turn into fat in your stomach and eventually one day you’ll wake up 20 pounds heavier asking yourself “how on earth did this happen?” YIKESSSS! 

“I try not to judge because I am quite screwed up myself.” - Lucille Ball 

Dr. Samuel Ball gives a MUST WATCH quick video on the affects alcohol has on your brain that YOU NEED TO SEE! 

Get familiar with how it affects your cognitive impairment, liver disease, and so many more parts of the body! The pleasures you feel from having that drink; mess with your brain more than you even know. 

To understand the long-term effects of alcohol on one’s body, we must first understand why people consume it in the first place...

What is it about alcohol that makes it so appealing to everyone? 

Are you at a party and everyone else is drinking?

Maybe from watching enough movies or TV shows that they make drinking look fun and cool? 

Maybe you have been peer pressured into drinking?

Are you stressed from either a financial situation or work issues?

Are you struggling with a relationship crumbling around you?

Do you have an impulsive personality?

Do you simply just want to “take the edge off” and forget time for a while?

The list above are just some of the reasons people decided to start drinking in the first place. Little do people know, that once they take their first sips of a fruity cocktail, they are hooked. First time drinkers get that “light and fuzzy feeling” in their head because they do not have the tolerance built up yet to handle it. For some people that is enough to keep them hooked for life!

When the going gets tough and as life gets harder or things start to fall apart, if someone is struggling mentally, turning to alcohol makes a person wind down a very dark path. If you are struggling mentally turning to alcohol makes the situation that much worse. Your mind plays tricks on you when you are heavily intoxicated; it makes you act differently then you normally would. Large consumption of alcohol are not only bad for your liver, kidney, but will eventually lead to cancer later on in your life. 

Did you know you are also harming your brain when you over consumer alcohol? 

Not only can too much alcohol kill you, your brain cells, and affect your memory (short-term and long-term). FUN FACT: “DID YOU KNOW ALCOHOL TAKES 5-7 YEARS AFTER YOU STOP CONSUMING IT FOR YOUR BODY TO RECOVER? Meaning that your body will recover and try and heal the damage you have done, however the amount of alcohol consumed over the years is kind of irreversible. 

Just some things to consider next time you have the thought of destroying your body... 

Have a hard and stressful day at the office? Kick back and relax! A glass of wine is sure to bring your mood up... Do you know how many people have the tendency to drink their problems away? More than 15 million people struggle with some sort of “alcohol use” and turning to alcohol to cope with their problems. 

Still want to have that glass of wine after work?