ALCOHOL AND ITS RISKS TO YOUR OVERALL WELL-BEING

Alcohol reduces the volume of your brain. And you don't have to be an alcoholic for this to happen. Even just a few drinks a week can:
- Damaging neurons
- Increasing anxiety
- Compromising the gut

Here's what alcohol really does to your body (and how to defend yourself):

1. First of all, understand this: alcohol does not work like other drugs. It doesn't just "skim" the brain. It penetrates directly into the brain cells and starts destroying them from the inside.

Alcohol is both water-soluble and fat-soluble. It means that it can easily pass through every cell in the body:
→ Brain
→ Intestine
→ Liver
→ Hormones

Nothing is spared.

2. Once inside, the alcohol turns into acetaldehyde. The name may sound harmless, but it is not. Acetaldehyde is a toxic substance: it damages DNA and kills cells on contact. This is what makes you feel "tipsy." Basically: feeling tipsy = mild brain damage.
3. Are you familiar with dopamine, the "pleasure" molecule? When you drink alcohol this happens:

• First drink → dopamine spike (you feel good)
• Second drink → Dopamine crash (you feel anxious)

Continuing to drink is only chasing an effect that has already worn off.

4. "But I only drink on weekends." It is still a problem. A study of 35,000 "moderate drinkers" (1-2 drinks a night) showed a reduction in brain volume:

• Neurons in the cortex were literally dying.
• Thinking and memory skills were dropping.

👉 There is no such thing as "safe drinking."

5. If you drink regularly, listen: alcohol doesn't just make you impulsive while you're drinking. It reshapes the brain over time making it more impulsive all the time.

→ Less self-control
→ More desire
→ More alcohol

A vicious cycle, but enhanced.

6. This is why even "casual drinkers" may feel anxious, apathetic or depressed. Alcohol alters the stress system, even when sober.

Chronic drinking = chronically high cortisol.
That calm you feel after a drink? It's just borrowed peace, which you'll pay for with stress the next day.

7. But the damage doesn't stop at the brain. Here's what alcohol does to the gut:

• Kills beneficial bacteria
  - Causes "leaky gut" (intestinal permeability)
  - Send inflammation to the brain

And ironically-this inflammation. increases the desire to drink...a vicious circle.

8. Hangovers are not just dehydration. They are the result of:

→ Brain inflammation
→ Gut microbiota collapse
→ Cortisol peaks
→ Electrolyte imbalance
→ Dopamine collapse

And "the drink to recover from the hangover"? It only postpones the symptoms and makes them worse.

9. The worst part? You don't have to be an alcoholic to suffer long-term effects. Just 7 drinks a week can:

• Killing neurons
  - Deteriorating memory
  - Interrupting sleep
  - Lowering the mood
  - Increasing stress
  - Increasing the risk of cancer

10. What's next. If you are not ready to quit, at least protect your body:

✓ Eat before drinking (fat + protein + carbohydrates)
✓ Hydrated with electrolytes.
✓ Avoid sugary drinks.
✓ Add fermented foods to support the gut
✓ Give priority to sleep

Every step is helpful.

11. Do you want to feel calm, confident and focused? Alcohol is not the answer. There are better ways to feel good without stealing energy from tomorrow.

Your brain, your gut and your body will thank you.

👉 Alcohol is not just a "high": it is Brain damage, inflammation and stress masked. Even one drink a night changes your body in ways many people don't imagine.

You deserve to know the truth and build new habits, starting now.