Why Go Dry In Jan?
USEFUL TIPS FROM OUR FOUNDER ON A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH BOOZE ….
As a lad, the thought of turning our potatoes into premium spirits, unsurprisingly never crossed my mind. Back then it was all about helping dad and grandad during lambing season, picking spuds and carrying straw bales at harvest time, and doing jumps and skids with my brother on our push bikes.
Fast forward 30 years, and I find myself producing some of the world’s finest vodka and gin, using cutting edge methods that maximise quality, minimise our environmental impact, nurtures and support local people and builds something for the future.
With all this in mind, when people go cold turkey in January, I thought I’d add some considered facts and thoughts around the subject to help us improve our relationships with alcohol.
So what is alcohol?
Ethanol is the primary ingredient of alcohol. It’s a clear, colourless liquid making up a proportion of your alcoholic beverage. Remember those chemistry experiments in school? The ethanol proportion is expressed as % ABV. The rest of your alcoholic tipple will include at least one of the following - flavourings (think juniper in gin or seaberries in our vodka, colourants (naturally occurring in fruit or artificial), sugar (makes certain drinks more palatable and accessible) and water (to dilute the pure ethanol to a safe % ABV for human consumption
How does alcohol effect us all?
Alcohol is both a stimulant and depressant. As a stimulant it can raise our heart rate, give us energy, and reduce our inhibitions. It can make us ‘feel good’ by releasing the chemicals dopamine and serotonin in our brains. As a depressant, it can slow our heart rates, reduce blood pressure and make us feel more relaxed.
Is alcohol bad for my body?
Like with most things, OVER CONSUMPTION has a negative effect on our bodies. A few issues relating to alcohol are that it contains calories, especially when you add a mixer (a 200ml tonic water may contain 3 teaspoons of sugar!) and the western world has an obesity epidemic.
Our kidneys release more water when we drink alcohol, leading to dehydration. It is important we replenish this water. And our livers must work harder during and after drinking - metabolizing 90% of alcohol. We should note, we can only digest one standard size drink per hour (whatever size we are) so let’s take it easy. What doesn’t make the headlines is that MODERATE CONSUMPTION of alcohol is unlikely to cause ongoing harm to the body in healthy individuals.
Is alcohol bad for my mind?
Our friend ethanol is a tiny molecule that makes its way to our brains. And here’s the science - it effects our neurotransmitters, slowing their activity. Remember the reduction is our co-ordination after one too many. In a stressful world, a glass of wine or G&T might seem a great way to relax and unwind. Whilst this is true (most people feel more relaxed after a drink), if not considered, over consumption of alcohol can worsen stress and anxiety and ultimately damage neurons in our brain. Being from a Cornish farming family, I need all the neurons I can get!
CRIKEY! Is there anything good at all in alcohol or should we produce quinoa, lentils and vegan supplements instead?
Well, alcohol consumption has been around for 10,000 years, so there’s some good to be had for us all, in body and soul.
What are alcohols benefits to our bodies?
A Harvard paper found that LIGHT TO MODERATE alcohol consumption led to a 25-40% reduction in heart diseases. It also claims the risk of type 2 diabetes is reduced by 30% in LIGHT TO MODERATE drinkers and a small drink before a meal has been proven to aid digestion.
And what positives might it bring to my mind?
Well that relaxing feeling after having a drink, and the social tonic we get when sharing a drink can improve our general health and wellbeing. After all, stress is harmful to our body and minds full stop. And how many amazing friendships, relationships, business ideas started with a pint down the local.
Speaking about your local ….
It would be short sited not to consider the millions of jobs the alcohol industry creates (how would Scotland fair without Scotch or Champagne without its dry sparkling wines?) In addition to the jobs and sense of personal value and opportunity for progress that comes with a job, there’s also the billions of pounds of tax revenue it contributes to governments around the world. Did you know, each 70cl bottle of gin we sell, £11.16 is duty revenue for the UK government. In 22/23, a whopping £12.6 billion was generated through duty taxation of alcohol sales. Not to mention the additional income those nights out bring to our country.
‘At 41 years young, like most, my relationship with alcohol has highs, lows, goods and bads. From binge drinking my way through Uni (often consuming 100 units a week), turning to alcohol to help ‘switch off’ and sleep whilst working in a high stress role in my early thirties, to my current position where i’m surrounded by enough spirit to swim in, I believe that MODERATE consumption of alcohol (do not regularly consume more that 14 units of alcohol a week) will likely provide the benefits associated with consuming our favourite tipple, without the negatives often cited in the attention grabbing press.’
**Please note I have no medical qualifications and this piece is based entirely on my life experiences, research, and what I’ve learnt in the distillery**
References – www.healthline.com / www.drinkaware.co.uk / www.harvard.edu / www.statista.co.uk / UK Gov / Steve’s personal body health data captured by Garmin.