Alcohol
Alcohol is a depressant used in intoxicating people. It is found in beer, wine, and liquor. Alcohol is made when microorganisms metabolize the carbohydrates when there is no oxygen present. This process is called fermentation. Beer, wine, and liquor contain different amounts of alcohol and thus affect the drinker differently. Liquor has the highest percentage of alcohol, while beer has the lowest.
According to The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug dependence, studies have also shown that drinking alcohol moderately can be helpful to the coronary system. In general, for healthy people, one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men would be considered the maximum amount of alcohol consumption to be considered moderate use. This shows that drinking can be beneficial in moderation. Binge drinking and alcoholism, however, have proven to be harmful.
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Famous quotes containing the word alcohol:
“The sacrifice to Legba was completed; the Master of the Crossroads had taken the loas’ mysterious routes back to his native Guinea.
Meanwhile, the feast continued. The peasants were forgetting their misery: dance and alcohol numbed them, carrying away their shipwrecked conscience in the unreal and shady regions where the savage madness of the African gods lay waiting.”
—Jacques Roumain (1907–1945)
“Some parents feel that if they introduce their children to alcohol gradually in the home environment, the children will learn to use alcohol in moderation. I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. First of all, alcohol is not healthy for the growing child. Second, introducing alcohol to a child suggests that you condone drinking—even to the point where you want to teach your child how to drink.”
—Lawrence Balter (20th century)