Even moderate drinking poses risk to healthy men, warns group

Men who take exercise and play regular sports are undoing many of the health benefits of an active lifestyle if they drink even slightly more than the low-risk guidelines suggest, it has been warned.

Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI), the advocate for reducing alcohol harm, is marking Men’s Health Week by encouraging men to “take up the challenge of the week that mission is possible and the action starts with you”.

An AAI spokesman noted that most of the messages men receive about alcohol emphasise a positive picture. However, he warned that “too often we don’t talk often about the negatives, but the risks are real. The more you drink, the greater your risk of alcohol-related harm.”

He said that Men’s Health Week offers all men who drink the opportunity to rethink their drinking and reflect on the harm they may be doing to themselves and others.

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“Alcohol affects endurance, muscle development and recovery, aside from the obvious problems of trying to train or function with a hangover,” the AAI said. “It affects how proteins are made and reduces muscle build-up and cancels the benefits of a workout.”

The AAI also said that alcohol “lowers inhibitions, makes us more impulsive and causes us to do things we may not do if we were sober. Men are far more likely than women to engage in risk-taking behaviour after drinking; alcohol is a factor in one in four deaths of young men aged 15-39 in Ireland. Alcohol also increases your risk of several types of cancers such as mouth, throat, bowel and liver cancer.”

Each year in Ireland an estimated 670 men are diagnosed with alcohol-attributable cancers

“Our message today is a simple one, after two let’s rethink the next one,” said AAI board member Dr Bobby Smyth.

He warned that there is no “safe” or “healthy” amount of alcohol “but the less you drink, the lower the risk to your health. Drinking more than the low-risk guidelines roughly doubles your risk of cirrhosis of the liver and also increases your risk of liver cancer. Many men see alcohol as a way to relax and de-stress. However, alcohol can make it harder to cope with day-to-day stresses. At first, alcohol can seem to lessen symptoms of low mood and anxiety, but continued drinking will cause these feelings to worsen.”