As an adult, you can legally consume alcohol at any time and place that you desire. If you want to have a glass of wine with dinner when you are out, or if you want to drink several beers with your friends over an afternoon BBQ, you can. That is one of the benefits of adulthood. However, when you look at some of the drawbacks of drinking too much alcohol, you may wish to reconsider how much, and how often you consume these beverages.

Beyond the Beer Gut

  •   Faster Aging .

Your body views alcohol as a poison. In an effort to wash this poison out of your body as quickly as possible, your body will access all available fluids. This dries your skin out from the inside, making the outside look more like old leather than skin. You will wrinkle faster and you will lose the elasticity, leaving your skin brittle and dull.

  •  Weight Gain.

Alcohol is high in calories and high in sugar content. Because of this large amount of sugar in your system, your body will begin to store the excess as fat to pull it out of your blood stream. This is how your body combats excessive sugars. This excess amount of sugar can also eventually lead to diabetes.

  •  Bad Decisions.

Regardless of what anyone believes when they are drinking, no one makes sound or good decisions when they have consumed alcohol. Any alcohol in your system can impair your judgment. Many bad financial decisions have been made over “a few” drinks, leading to disaster. It is very important to leave drinking out of finances.

  •  Risk Taking.

Part of your impaired judgment may allow you to take higher risks when you have been drinking. Those famous last words of “hey – watch this” can leave you injured or worse. Most of these incidents can be directly connected to alcohol consumption. Additionally, many risks are take relationship wise when alcohol is involved. This can lead to divorce/break-ups, surprise pregnancies, and long-term commitments that you were not prepared for when you become sober.

  •  DUI.

One of the largest problems with alcohol consumption is the potential for being arrested for DUI. According to Steven Kellis , a Philadelphia attorney,  A DUI conviction can impact every aspect of your life. You can lose your driving privileges, serve time in jail, pay large fines, and even be required to enter alcohol rehab if convicted. It can impact your job, your family, and your future.

While there is much to be said about enjoying a drink with friends, there is also much to be said about the consequences of drinking too much and too often. There can be many drawbacks to consuming too much alcohol, especially if you are going to get behind the wheel of a car. It is important that adults understand that they must be responsible when they drink alcohol, which includes setting limitations for themselves.

Researcher Melanie Fleury has seen the financial and emotional toll that a DUI takes on a family. With penalties ranging from a fine to actual jail time, it is a crime that can have a devastating affect. An experienced lawyer, Steven Kellisof the Law Offices of Steve E. Kellis helps clients to determine if they have a defense that can lessen punishment so they can go back to a normal life.

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