People drink alcohol for many reasons and the objective of SkinnyTinis is not to advocate, influence or pass judgment on individuals’ lifestyle or personal habits. However, there is value in understanding how our bodies process alcohol (ethanol) and the effect it has on our bodies. You can use "the Skinny" information to assert your smarty pants verbiage in a bar or simply use it to help make sound decisions when deciding what and how much to drink.

Records of alcohol consumption date back to several thousand years ago.  Likewise, the debate about its positive versus its negative effects have been battled almost as long. A review of research evidence has found a strong, consistent relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and increased life span.

Moderate consumption of alcohol has been shown to have multiple positive impacts on one’s physical self and social well-being. The key term here is moderate. Alcohol’s negative affects when consumed in excess are discussed later. You have likely heard the debate about alcohol’s ability to increase High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), which is considered “good” cholesterol. Higher HDL levels will increase protection against heart disease, which is the number one killer of people in the United States today. It has also been shown to impact a variety of factors that influence blood clotting, preventing the formation of small clots that can block arteries. As it turns out, the health benefits of alcohol actually extend beyond the heart. The “Nurses Health Study” also found that gallstones and Type 2 diabetes were less likely to appear in moderate drinkers than non-drinkers and heavy drinkers.⁵ So there you have it, a very quick summary of decades of research!

There are also less-scientific benefits of alcohol that are certainly worth mentioning.  Did you know that a cocktail before dinner can actually improve digestion?  Think about its soothing affects after a long stressful day.  Then there is the social aspect to alcohol consumption that can positively impact the general satisfaction of one’s life, the crucial concept of SkinnyTinis!  And while many of us don’t have scientific research to support our personal theories, there is an abundance of empirical data.  The team at SkinnyTinis are pretty confident that they are happier because we’ve been able to enjoy hilarious nights out with our girlfriends and have been able to laugh ourselves silly about it the next morning!

And now time to consider not-so-fun, serious side of excessive alcohol consumption.  While moderate consumption sounds wonderful, abuse can have a very negative impact on your body and your lifestyle and it would be a disservice not to mention them in our web site.  In addition to excessive weight gain, it can increase blood pressure, damage the heart muscle, and cause inflammation and scarring of the liver.  It has also been linked with mouth, throat, esophagus, colon and breast cancers. Those are just the physical damages.  It’s hard to equate the additional damages of alcohol abuse, such as its impact on one’s relationships with family members and friends. Remember, this is in excessive consumption and the premise of SkinnyTinis is "Moderation." 

Your next logical question may very well be, “What is moderation?” Well, the USDA and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend not exceeding two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. Then, if you’re anything like me, your next question is, “Can I save up all my moderate daily cocktails for one Friday night?” Unfortunately, several articles didn’t support that theory, and pointed out that moderation occurs in small doses over time, not in large doses all at once.  So then, how do we know what is excessive? I’m sure there is a technical definition, but given that SkinnyTinis isn’t really a technical company, we’ll sum it up to “anything that makes you consistently fat, unhappy and causes too many problems in your sober world.” Use those guidelines and calculate your own happy medium.