Enjoying life with good friends, good food and good wine means for many of us a celebration. Our bodies benefit from small amounts of alcohol. It may even add years to your life! Alcohol helps the body process digestion, relaxes the central nervous system and may even lighten the spirits. Curiously, some claim it can even increase athletic performance in limited doses. Well we can always get too much of a good thing.

Alcohol effects every organ in the body immediately upon consumption. From the esophagus to the kidneys to the brain. This depression of our senses can often evoke a mellow, even thoughtfull demeanour. We relax, letting go of worry and judgement. Sometimes that judgement can be the choice of whether we've had enough to drink.

Yes men and women do metabolize alcohol differently but it's mostly a matter of size. The lighter your weight, the faster the effects. We also become more sensitive to alcohol as we age and it can definitely interact with a number of medications.

The feeling of being tipsy is the body trying to process the toxicity of alcohol. Our liver is struggling to break down and digest the alcoholic calorie. The more drunk we become means the liver and many other organs are loosing the battle. Slowly it paralyses the muscle tissue, our digestive tract, our breathing and our comprehension. Our whole circuitry slows and that little bit of a good thing turns into a very bad, dangerous thing quite quickly.

Time is the only thing on your side. Your body needs time to metabolize and discard the waste from the process, using water and valuable nutrients, leaving us dehydrated, feeling unwell and lethargic. Set a limit for yourself with alcohol before you indulge. For women 1-2 drinks per day and for men, 1-3 drinks per day. Enjoy it with a meal rather than without. It's a personal choice for many not to drink at all. Decide for yourself. Don't drink from the bottles that empty you.