We all know alcohol makes you drunk if you have enough of it, but do you know why? Or how? Let’s get into the science behind intoxication.

When we first change our relationship with alcohol, it can feel like a big shift in our lifestyle habits. Perhaps we’re used to going out to the bars or parties a lot with friends or taking clients out to fancy dinners and drinks for work. It can seem like our life is alcohol centric in a lot of different ways and if we’re being honest it probably is because that’s how our society is.

According to the CDC, binge drinking is a serious but preventable public health problem.

Many of us are all too familiar with having a few nights we’d wish we could do-over. Having a few too many or even “blacking-out” can lead to high risk behaviors, embarrassing moments and nasty hangovers. While nights like these may not be your normal drinking behavior, it can be hard to gauge the idea of moderation in a society where alcohol is glorified and literally everywhere.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, offering an opportunity to reflect on the role alcohol plays in our life and how it impacts our mental health. Alcohol problems and mental ill-health are closely linked. Research shows those of us who are heavy drinkers are more likely to develop mental health problems. It’s also true that individuals with severe mental ill-health are more likely to have substance abuse issues, like alcohol use disorder. This may be because we ‘self-medicate’, meaning we drink to deal with difficult feelings or symptoms.

Many of us would like to believe that our alcohol habit does not affect those around us, but many studies show that heavy drinking can negatively impact our partners and our children. As our drinking progresses, our loved ones will likely experience a range of negative emotions. Promises to stop drinking are repeatedly broken and consequences of alcohol use escalate over time.

You may have heard the term toxic positivity before but what does it really mean? Can positivity be toxic? The answer is yes. According to Tabitha Kirkland, a psychologist and associate teaching professor at the University of Washington’s Department of Psychology, “Toxic positivity is a way of responding to your own or someone else’s suffering that comes across as a lack of empathy. It dismisses emotions instead of affirming them and could come from a place of discomfort.”

The brain has a direct effect on the gut and vice versa. Stop and think of a time when you got excited about an event, that nervous yet exciting feeling (a.k.a the butterflies) mixed in your stomach. That feeling immediately reports from the gut to the brain, and that's how you ultimately know what you are feeling. These feelings are natural occurrences and can arise from the bacteria in the gut communicating directly to the emotional and intuitive parts of the brain via messengers called cytokines.

While we are already aware that consuming alcohol isn’t good for us, we sometimes attempt to make up for our consumption by taking supplements or remedies to detox our body. The truth of the matter is that the only way to avoid complete alcohol damage is to abstain from drinking, but many companies still advertise themselves as “cures” for hangovers or ways to offset the damage done to certain organs.

Having a drink at the end of a long day to decrease anxiety may seem like the answer, but studies have shown alcohol can actually exacerbate symptoms of anxiety.

Could alcohol be the cause of my excess body fat? The simple answer–yes. Many popular mixed drinks and ready-to-go beverages are loaded with processed sugars; margaritas, daiquiris and even beer!

You may or may not be familiar with the term ‘nightcap,’ a popular euphemism for an alcoholic beverage at the end of the night.

We’re living in an era where Alcohol Use Disorder, Binge Drinking and Gray Area Drinking are at an all time high and it can be hard to discern what a healthy relationship with alcohol looks like.

Have you ever participated in 'Dry January' before? If you haven't heard of it, it's a public health campaign where people all around the United States and Europe decide to abstain from alcohol for the month.

If you've been drinking alcohol on a regular basis for a long time, you might hear that it's dangerous or difficult to quit cold-turkey. A tapering process can help you to change your relationship with alcohol in a safe, sustainable way.

When considering cutting down or quitting drinking completely, it's normal to wonder what happens next. Though the specifics vary from person to person, we can talk about some recognized trends so that you know what to expect.‍

Benefits of Cutting Back! When you quit drinking, or even cut back on drinking, you'll experience real effects on your body and mind.

Now more than ever, the world is seeing more and more celebrities and influencers speak out about their decision to cut back or eliminate alcohol from their lifestyle. What was once thought of as a "trend" has become a permanent change for many.