Everyone knows that cancer and lung diseases pose the biggest threat on smokers’ health. Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths among smoking individuals. Studies have shown though that it is also a risk factor for other types of cancer: cancer of the throat, cancer of the mouth, and cancer of the esophagus to name a few. On the other hand, lung diseases specifically pneumonia, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis have all been proven to be caused by smoking. They are known as chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) which can bring chronic illnesses and disability. The hard truth about these diseases is that as one contracts them and does not go for immediate treatment, they eventually worsen and may cause death.

Smokers are also prone to heart diseases, strokes and other blood vessel diseases. By smoking continuously, their chances of acquiring these fatal illnesses is up by 50% more compared to those who do not smoke at all. Smoking also affects the blood vessels that carry blood to the legs and arms which results to peripheral vascular diseases and blood vessels in the brain which is why strokes happen. For men who are chain smokers, they are likely to develop erectile dysfunction later on in their life.

A very important matter of concern for women smokers is that when they are pregnant, miscarriage can easily happen or lower birth-weight babies that can develop physical and mental abnormalities can be born due to their bad habit. If worse comes to worst, these babies could easily die. Women who also take birth control pills and smoke at the same time have higher risks of heart attacks and stroke.

If these facts don’t get you to quit smoking, then maybe results of studies made on years of life lost due to smoking will be reason enough to make you quit. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an adult male smoker loses an average of 13.2 years of life and that of an adult female smoker loses an average of 14.5 life years due to smoking! Just think of how much smoking can steal from you!

Metabolism – Alcohol:

The rate at which the alcohol is processed remains the same irrespective of the height, weight, color and gender. The metabolism takes place hourly at the rate of .015 of Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC). The BAC level continues to move in the upward trend after the consumption of alcohol. While it is possible to control the BAC level, one cannot speed up the metabolic rate at which the alcohol is processed. Few drinks like vodka and gin generally do not cause a hangover, but it would be best to avoid alcohol. Endogenous ethanol production takes place in our body 24*7. The volume of this alcohol generation is based on the food consumed. Unfortunately the law does not distinguish between alcohol produced and consumed.

Tips to control your BAC level:

• Any drink whether mixed or straight contains certain amount of pure alcohol, which tests positive with a breathalyzer.
• Eating high protein food reduces the rate of absorption of alcohol in the body.
• Think before venturing into drinking games
• Go for a non – alcohol beverage in order to socialize among a drinking crowd.
• Even while drinking alcohol, spacing it out with a non-alcoholic beverage keeps your BAC level
• down.
• It is suggested to restrict your alcohol consumption to 1 drink every hour.
• It is preferable to stay active while drinking in order to be aware of its impact.
• Say a ‘no’ to unfamiliar drinks for their alcohol levels could be deceiving.
• Take your physician’s advice while consuming alcohol during medication.

There are more than 23 million people who have been diagnosed with diabetes in the United States alone. Diabetes is a serious condition in which the sufferer’s can either not to produce or simply can’t use insulin properly in their body. This malady can result seriously negative consequences in some cases if mixed with alcohol. To understand how diabetes and alcohol can make such a harmful combination we have to examine just what happens when you take a drink.

First of all, alcohol is quickly if not immediately absorbed into your bloodstream through the lining of your stomach. Because it is a poison, your body begins to work immediately to remove this toxin. The toxicity filter of your body, as you may know, is your liver. The liver recognizes the threat that alcohol presents to your system and it stops doing whatever else was doing the work on filtering this alcohol from your bloodstream. One of the main functions of the liver is to change stored carbohydrates into glucose and send them back out into the bloodstream. Because the liver shuts down this process temporarily, diabetics who drink alcohol can be faced with having dangerously low levels of blood sugar. Add to that the combination of blood sugar lowering medications and results could be disastrous, even fatal.

In order to combat the negative effects that drinking alcohol can cause, one should never drink on an empty stomach. Eating something first helps not only to absorb some of the alcohol in the stomach, it also helps to keep your blood sugar levels elevated so when the liver does stop converting carbohydrates into glucose you were not nearly as affected. Diabetics should also limit the overall amount of alcohol they consume and try to drink slowly so their body has time to adjust to the effects of the toxic alcohol.

If you are diabetic and choose to drink alcohol, please keep these important life-saving tips in mind:

1. never drink on an empty stomach
2. limit the amount of alcohol you drink to one or at most two drinks
3. be sure to keep your test kit with you so that you can be aware of your blood sugar level at all times