Excuse me...could I borrow some toilet paper???

Exciting news! I went to class last week (that's not the exciting part) and actually learned something interesting! We were talking about body physiology and the nervous system and the prof told us about the effects of alcohol on body systems. (Not the same old stuff.)

• When your blood pressure goes up, for example, when you're being chased by a bear, your brain jump starts producing ADH (anti-diuretic hormone) which works to keep you hydrated (so you can run from the bear for a longer period of time).
  
  
• Alcohol also makes your blood pressure go up but the hypothalamus is inhibited from releasing ADH so your body continues to create urine instead of conserving it.
  

Also, ethanol causes your blood vessels to dilate, making your kidneys think you're dehydrated (even though you've been drinking lots of fluid), and they clamp down to reabsorb all the possible sodium they can. So, your body thinks you're overhydrated so it tries to get rid of water, which in turn makes you dehydrated (that's where the headache comes from).

In the end, if you drink large amounts of alcohol you'll be peeing a lot of dilute urine every 15-30 minutes.

Your liver needs love!

I am writing today as an advocate for the liver of your human body.

When we take care of ourselves, this does not just mean brushing our teeth, eating vegetables and exercising. All of our organs that don't see the light of day are faithfully working for us, day in and day out, and really don't get too much credit.

Your liver is one of the most essential organs in your body. Next to your brain and heart, the liver has priority of blood over every other organ in the body. It's not just a rumor that alcohol is damaging to the liver. When alcohol is ingested into the body, it is absorbed very quickly through the stomach and the small intestine. Since alcohol cannot be stored, it is sent to the liver to be metabolized. No matter how much alcohol is ingested, it can only be metabolized as fast as that little liver of yours can work. Not only is a waiting line of alcohol working that liver as fast as it will go, it's also producing toxins that cause cirrhosis in the liver tissue.

Keeping your liver happy may not top your list of things to do today, but it is something to consider when making sure you are taking care of yourself.

More information on liver health

fry pan

A banjo?

Friends sitting around, playing the banjo, frying potatoes, and watching TV may not sound like the typical Friday night, but I'm okay with that. Drinking is not an activity of my Friday nights. There just seems to be so many more interesting activities to do out in that big old world of ours.

Recently, I have been learning to play the banjo. Not the most typical of instruments, but that's what intrigued me. Who ever knew that you could move your fingers in such a weird pattern to produce actual music.

The world is out there waiting for you to discover peculiar little things that you just might enjoy.

Photo courtesy: http://www.musicshops.uk.com/banjos.html

under control

I’m hosting a birthday party for myself in a week and, last night, my boyfriend and I went to get the drinks. Yes, we’re both of age, as are our guests. We loaded up the cart after doing our math on how much 20 people can drink of any given beverage; coke, juice, sparkling wine. I glanced in the cart, double checked my numbers, and headed to the cashier. 90 bucks.

The cashier looked up at us, our glass bottles and 32 cans of soda, and gave us that look. That ‘assumed alcoholic’ look. She scanned, picturing me so drunk I could fall off a stationary chair. I actually felt the need to justify myself to the cashier, explaining we’re hosting a party and not planning a three day bender. It was the level of judgment in her eyes reflected back at me that left a bad taste in my mouth all day; that stereotypical ‘college drunk’ feeling. Is it so hard for my local customer service agent to believe that I might not choose to drink? That I can buy alcohol with no intention of being out of control?

I’d make a speech about being seen for the person I am, but chances are the people reading this understand.

What is that smell?...

A combination of day old alcohol and unwashed guy woke me up from my Monday morning haze after trudging to class at 9 am. Great, I picked the seat next to that guy.

5 minutes into class it was painfully apparent that he was still intoxicated from Sunday's festivities and had no plan to pay attention, or let anyone else for that matter. Which brings me to my next point: How much did this poor guy drink?

Typically, it takes an hour to metabolize a 12 oz beer. So, if he drank several drinks continuously throughout the day, lets say 6 pm to midnight, his body was fighting to stay ahead of the curve pretty early in the day. That kind of drinking can do some serious damage. I give him credit for getting up and coming to class, but really, what was the point? He didn't take notes, he didn't listen, and he annoyed everyone else in the class. I'm paying $80-some dollars per class here man, I want my money's worth.

A few more comments and outbursts of laughter and our professor had caught on as well. Rather than stopping class and making a scene, he made a few jabs and jokes aimed toward the guy and diffused the situation. It's always entertaining to see an old guy dish out a few zingers.

NightOwl