Three Unhealthy Habits

Posted by Anthony Lee Feb 8, 2008

Doctors always advise against using alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. The medical community considers them to have virtually no health benefit. This is not anything new, but it wouldn't hurt to remind everyone of this.

People say that alcohol helps one relax. That may be true in moderation, but if you overdo it, expect to have impaired consciousness and judgment. If you drink for many years, your liver could become cirrhotic and your heart may become weaker from the direct effects of alcohol. Of course, you might argue that alcohol is good for the heart. Keep this in mind, however. Alcohol can raise the good HDL cholesterol, but only when it's not too little or not too much. There is a certain amount that produces this sole benefit. Otherwise, alcohol doesn't do anything else to outweigh the risks.

Tobacco is no better, either. It destroys lung tissue and leads to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and increases the risk of lung cancer. As for drugs, they harm the body in so many ways that I won't bother listing their effects. I'll give you this tidbit, though. Cocaine can cause a heart attack. The drug speeds up the heart but also clamps down on the blood vessels, so the heart can be deprived of blood. Yes, it can happen, even in younger people.

The bottom line is that these three groups of substances do no good for the body. You are doing yourself a favor if you avoid them. If you are using one of these but are working on quitting, that's also good. Everyone wants to live long happy lives, but the only way to do that is to take good care of yourself. That means not indulging in harmful lifestyle habits.