Your article is most timely thank you. I did drink a lot in my early years and later made home brew so it was a bottle a night. A cancer diagnosis at the age of 55 sobered me up at the advice of my Dr. We beat it without the assistance of MSM. My oncologist said it had spontaneously regressed. Any ways trying now to limit my intake. My father liked a beer a day and passed away at 97. Only on one med to manage a troubling prostate issue. Still walking to shops from home a month before he passed away
'Spontaneous regression' - the doctor's excuse for not asking you what you did to make your cancer disappear! It's remarkable how incurious most doctors are. Congratulations for beating cancer by taking responsibility for your own health. Many of my clients have told me that they're actually grateful for their cancer diagnoses, because they were the kick up the rear end that these people needed to clean up their act.
Yes, my husband and I recently stopped drinking for the month of February and that extended into March (with a few sneaky drinks made by me when out with friends). We also gave up coffee at the same time. Again, I have had a few now, after more than 2 months but my husband, none (and he loved coffee!). We definitely noticed changes esp sleep improving, bowel movements improving and no afternoon slump. My husband said he noticed he was less anxious. While we shared a bottle of red last Friday night, that is now going to become a rare event! Why did we change our habits? Intuition and also I listen too much to Jason Christoff, a self sabotage expert. He really propelled me to want to be the best I could and luckily my husband has come along for the ride. Unfortunately Jason does not believe coffee is in any way shape or form good for you. There is a reason why coffee shops and bottle shops are on every corner - they want us dumbed down and easily controllable. Both substances do this. Thanks for the article :-)
Thanks for sharing your transformative experience, and I hope it inspires other readers to give alcohol-free living a test-drive!
I've heard Jason Christoff on a podcast interview re coffee. One of these days, I will get around to doing a deep dive on his claims and how they do or don't jibe with the research.
I omitted to say that 3 weeks prior to the lump on the LHS of my neck appearing and being diagnosed as having Non Hodgkins lymphoma, I had been given a double vax by the travel doc to protect from something on my boat cruise up the Malaccan straights. Coincidence??
Whatever you do, please don’t write an article on coffee :) I rarely drink, love the stuff but it makes me pee. And I’d rather have a better nights sleep than having to pee more than once. I do like a big red, quite like the zero beers which are pretty good these days and might sip the occasional spirit. Otherwise, coffee is my poison of choice and some of the flavoured sugarless waters.
Relax, the news on coffee is actually pretty good... as long as you keep it down to no more than 2-3 cups per day if you're a slow caffeine metaboliser, which you can only identify through genetic testing.
As always Robyn, excellent analysis. I started drinking when I was 16 and drank heavily until 23. Being a sailor, drinking was irregular as time at sea would provide long periods of abstinence. Once in port it was drinking as much as possible in the short time we had. We would get what we called knee-walking drunk. So, how does that break down into drinks per day? I was abstinent for 30 years and now have an occasional drink. What does that mean? When I go in for an annual wellness check, they ask if I drink and how often. Occasionally doesn’t satisfy them; they want to know drinks per day, per week. I might go weeks or even months in between drinks. And when I do drink it’s not more than one. So, again, how does that provide any meaningful data? I’m not naive enough to believe that any amount of alcohol is good. I just know I feel good when having a drink.
You've identified one of the key difficulties with this research, which is how to classify people who drink sporadically. I'm in the same camp as you: I can't quantify the number of drinks per day, or per week, or even per month that I have, because I drink so irregularly. No questionnaire that I've ever seen has a category for people who quantify the number of drinks that they have per year!
When considering the health impact of previous heavy drinking, I suspect that the impact on the brain is the most long-lasting and difficult to reverse. The liver is fantastic at self-repair; the brain, not so much. On the other hand, so much is known now about how to maximise brain health through regular physical activity, mental stimulation, optimising sleep and rest, social interaction, daily downshifting, and a diet high in plant polyphenols (and possibly omega 3 fats) that even people who knocked out more than a few brain cells in their youth, have a fighting chance of preserving cognitive function well into old age.
Your article is most timely thank you. I did drink a lot in my early years and later made home brew so it was a bottle a night. A cancer diagnosis at the age of 55 sobered me up at the advice of my Dr. We beat it without the assistance of MSM. My oncologist said it had spontaneously regressed. Any ways trying now to limit my intake. My father liked a beer a day and passed away at 97. Only on one med to manage a troubling prostate issue. Still walking to shops from home a month before he passed away
'Spontaneous regression' - the doctor's excuse for not asking you what you did to make your cancer disappear! It's remarkable how incurious most doctors are. Congratulations for beating cancer by taking responsibility for your own health. Many of my clients have told me that they're actually grateful for their cancer diagnoses, because they were the kick up the rear end that these people needed to clean up their act.
G'day Robyn, it takes me about five minutes to walk to the local pub and 25 mins to walk back from it, the difference is staggering.🍻
Staggering indeed 🤣.
Yes, my husband and I recently stopped drinking for the month of February and that extended into March (with a few sneaky drinks made by me when out with friends). We also gave up coffee at the same time. Again, I have had a few now, after more than 2 months but my husband, none (and he loved coffee!). We definitely noticed changes esp sleep improving, bowel movements improving and no afternoon slump. My husband said he noticed he was less anxious. While we shared a bottle of red last Friday night, that is now going to become a rare event! Why did we change our habits? Intuition and also I listen too much to Jason Christoff, a self sabotage expert. He really propelled me to want to be the best I could and luckily my husband has come along for the ride. Unfortunately Jason does not believe coffee is in any way shape or form good for you. There is a reason why coffee shops and bottle shops are on every corner - they want us dumbed down and easily controllable. Both substances do this. Thanks for the article :-)
Thanks for sharing your transformative experience, and I hope it inspires other readers to give alcohol-free living a test-drive!
I've heard Jason Christoff on a podcast interview re coffee. One of these days, I will get around to doing a deep dive on his claims and how they do or don't jibe with the research.
I agree with every thing you have said.
My oncologist had no interest in my recovery.
I omitted to say that 3 weeks prior to the lump on the LHS of my neck appearing and being diagnosed as having Non Hodgkins lymphoma, I had been given a double vax by the travel doc to protect from something on my boat cruise up the Malaccan straights. Coincidence??
Oh, geez. One hell of a coincidence. Have you seen this article on Dr Michel Goldman's lymphoma after COVID vax? https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2022/09/mrna-covid-vaccine-booster-lymphoma-cancer/671308/
Thank you Robyn. I cannot understand why such a learned gentleman did not see it coming. 2009 has obviously been forgotten by most folk sadly.
Whatever you do, please don’t write an article on coffee :) I rarely drink, love the stuff but it makes me pee. And I’d rather have a better nights sleep than having to pee more than once. I do like a big red, quite like the zero beers which are pretty good these days and might sip the occasional spirit. Otherwise, coffee is my poison of choice and some of the flavoured sugarless waters.
Relax, the news on coffee is actually pretty good... as long as you keep it down to no more than 2-3 cups per day if you're a slow caffeine metaboliser, which you can only identify through genetic testing.
As always Robyn, excellent analysis. I started drinking when I was 16 and drank heavily until 23. Being a sailor, drinking was irregular as time at sea would provide long periods of abstinence. Once in port it was drinking as much as possible in the short time we had. We would get what we called knee-walking drunk. So, how does that break down into drinks per day? I was abstinent for 30 years and now have an occasional drink. What does that mean? When I go in for an annual wellness check, they ask if I drink and how often. Occasionally doesn’t satisfy them; they want to know drinks per day, per week. I might go weeks or even months in between drinks. And when I do drink it’s not more than one. So, again, how does that provide any meaningful data? I’m not naive enough to believe that any amount of alcohol is good. I just know I feel good when having a drink.
You've identified one of the key difficulties with this research, which is how to classify people who drink sporadically. I'm in the same camp as you: I can't quantify the number of drinks per day, or per week, or even per month that I have, because I drink so irregularly. No questionnaire that I've ever seen has a category for people who quantify the number of drinks that they have per year!
When considering the health impact of previous heavy drinking, I suspect that the impact on the brain is the most long-lasting and difficult to reverse. The liver is fantastic at self-repair; the brain, not so much. On the other hand, so much is known now about how to maximise brain health through regular physical activity, mental stimulation, optimising sleep and rest, social interaction, daily downshifting, and a diet high in plant polyphenols (and possibly omega 3 fats) that even people who knocked out more than a few brain cells in their youth, have a fighting chance of preserving cognitive function well into old age.
I drink moderately every day (2 drinks of home brew) but stop 6 weeks for lent. Then not a drop. Any studies on behaviour like this? Thanks
None that I know of! What do you notice during Lent, in terms of your physical, mental and emotional health?