There have always been myths and facts surrounding alcohol. Some of these are reasonable while other myths are just plain stupid. Some of these myths have been explained in the various sections below. Health Myths Some of the most bizarre myths surrounding alcohol and its consumption are present in the area that deals with the health of the drinker. For starters, it is often claimed that drinking will destroy brain cells. This is not always true. It is true that drinking large quantities of alcohol on a regular basis will hurt your brain's function; however, consuming a single drink or even two drinks is not going to kill your brain cells. Many believe that a drink will improve a person's brain function but this can be a little hard to believe as alcohol is a depressant. Depressants slow down the brain and body's ability to react to stimulants (like words) and then determine the accurate response. Another myth that surrounds alcohol is that it will cause a beer belly. While it is true that a beer belly is not only attributable to the consumption of alcohol, it is directly attributable to an excess of calories. Alcoholic beverages generally have a lot of calories. In most cases, a single beer is going to have at least 100 calories in it. In some of the porters and heavier beers, that single beer will have 200 or more calories in it. Most people don't have a single beer. They'll have 2 or 3 (or more). That means that for every beer drinking episode, a person is going to have 300 calories (as a minimum) in their system. For heavier beers, it's at least 600. To gain a pound, it takes 3500 extra calories in a person's diet. So while a beer belly isn't necessarily all due to beer, beer can play a major role. Another major myth is that people who do not consume alcohol are "alcohol-free". This is true in that they are drinking alcohol free. Unfortunately, there are many types of alcohol in the world. Alcohol comes in many sizes and shapes. A person wouldn't drink rubbing alcohol and expect the same result as when drinking a beer. The body produces alcohol on a daily basis. It just doesn't produce drinking alcohol. So really, a person that doesn't drink isn't alcohol-free, just drinking alcohol free. Lifestyle Myths It is widely assumed that people residing in the United States drink more than other countries. This is true, if we're comparing the drinking habits of the United States to those of such nations as Saudi Arabia. In a recent survey, the United States ranked 34th in a global study of the drinking habits of populations. So while the United States drinks more than the countries ranked 35th through 60th, the United States consumes less alcohol than a bunch of other countries. This has a lot to do with the United States having clean drinking water and a large population that believes drinking to be wrong. It is not nearly as large a part of our culture to drink as it is in Ireland. One of the most common myths surrounding drinking in the United States is that college students consume as much alcohol as possible on a daily basis. While this may be true for times such as Spring Break, it is not true on a daily basis. Are there people that do consume as much alcohol as possible as often as they can? Yes. Is it the majority of the population? No. While it is true that there are a lot of myths surrounding alcohol, many of these are just as their name says: myths.
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