The Science of Drinking: How Alcohol Affects Your Body and Mind

by Amitava Dasgupta

Overview

Scientific research has clearly established that drinking in moderation has many health benefits, including maintaining a healthy heart. Yet, many people do not know that drinking red wine protects the heart more than white wine, while beer, margaritas, and hard liquor are less effective in providing such protection. And while alcoholism is a serious problem requiring medical and psychological treatment, for those who are not addicted, drinking alcohol is not necessarily a bad habit. The problem is to distinguish between drinking sensibly and drinking insensibly. Dasgupta clearly outlines what constitutes healthy drinking and its attendant health benefits, offers advice on how to drink responsibly, and provides insight into just how alcohol works on the brain and the body. After reading this book, readers will enjoy their next drink with a fuller and safer understanding of why they're enjoying it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442204096
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	04/16/2011
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Amitava Dasgupta, Ph.D, DABCC, FACB, is Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston. He is also the Director of Clinical Chemistry and Toxicology Laboratory of Memorial-Hermann Laboratory Services, the major clinical teaching hospital of the University of Texas. In addition, he is the Medical Director of Memorial-TIRR Hospital laboratory services. He has published over 175 scientific papers, two books on drugs of abuse, one book on herbal medicine, and has edited three professional reference books. He is on the Editorial Board of five major medical journals including American Journal of Clinical Pathology, Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, and others. He lectures both nationally and internationally on drug and alcohol testing and acts as an expert witness for the State of Texas for alcohol and drug related criminal prosecutions.

Table of Contents

1 Chapter 1. Alcohol Use and Abuse: Past and Present
2 Chapter 2. How does the body handle alcohol? A Guide to Drinking Sensibly and Avoiding DWI.
3 Chapter 3. How Alcohol Affects the Human Mind
4 Chapter 4. Can Alcohol Prevent Heart Disease and Other Illnesses?
5 Chapter 5. Genetic Makeup and Alcohol Addiction: Harmful Effects of Alcohol
6 Chapter 6. Markers of Alcohol Abuse in Blood
7 Chapter 7. Loopholes of Alcohol Testing: Breath Analyzer vs Blood Alcohol and DWI
8 Chapter 8. Pharmaceuticals, Drugs of Abuse and Alcohol: A Potential Deadly Mix
9 Chapter 9. Workplace Alcohol and Drug Testing: When not to drink at all
10 Chapter 10. Why not to drink at all when you are pregnant
11 Chapter 11. Dangers of Moonshine Whiskey and Related Liquors
12 Chapter 12. More Dangerous than Alcohol: Methanol and Antifreeze

Editorial Reviews

This book should be required reading for everyone who drinks alcohol, especially the young. It can literally save lives.

Jeff Cox

In this thoroughly documented tome, toxicologist Dasgupta covers everything you ever wanted to know about alcohol—and more. Alcoholics’ brains get lighter. About half of U.S. adults drink regularly, and one in five always abstain. Women should consume no more than one drink a day, and men no more than two. Alcohol increases the risk of heart disease and cancer. And some energy drinks contain low levels of alcohol. A helpful, scary chart shows the many common medications—from Prozac to Robitussin—that can interact poorly with alcohol....Overall, it’s a definitive guide that should be available to everyone, including those who want to understand the science behind a friend’s or relative’s substance abuse. And that’s a lot of people: Dasgupta notes that 30.4 percent of U.S. adults consume more than two drinks a day. Anyone who reads this book won’t want to be among them.

Booklist

In this thoroughly documented tome, toxicologist Dasgupta covers everything you ever wanted to know about alcohol—and more. Alcoholics’ brains get lighter. About half of U.S. adults drink regularly, and one in five always abstain. Women should consume no more than one drink a day, and men no more than two. Alcohol increases the risk of heart disease and cancer. And some energy drinks contain low levels of alcohol. A helpful, scary chart shows the many common medications—from Prozac to Robitussin—that can interact poorly with alcohol....Overall, it’s a definitive guide that should be available to everyone, including those who want to understand the science behind a friend’s or relative’s substance abuse. And that’s a lot of people: Dasgupta notes that 30.4 percent of U.S. adults consume more than two drinks a day. Anyone who reads this book won’t want to be among them.

Booklist

In this thoroughly documented tome, toxicologist Dasgupta covers everything you ever wanted to know about alcohol-and more. Alcoholics' brains get lighter. About half of U.S. adults drink regularly, and one in five always abstain. Women should consume no more than one drink a day, and men no more than two. Alcohol increases the risk of heart disease and cancer. And some energy drinks contain low levels of alcohol. A helpful, scary chart shows the many common medications-from Prozac to Robitussin-that can interact poorly with alcohol....Overall, it's a definitive guide that should be available to everyone, including those who want to understand the science behind a friend's or relative's substance abuse. And that's a lot of people: Dasgupta notes that 30.4 percent of U.S. adults consume more than two drinks a day. Anyone who reads this book won't want to be among them.

This book should be required reading for everyone who drinks alcohol, especially the young. It can literally save lives.

From the Publisher