THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM 



473 



Is it a food or poison? The answer is 

 that it is both a food and a poison, de- 

 pending on the conditions under which it 

 is consumed. It can also be considered a 

 drug because it falls under the definition, 

 "any substance which, when introduced 

 into the body, modifies the activity of the 

 body organs otherwise than by increasing 

 the supply of available energy." 



Carefully controlled experiments with 

 rabbits show that alcohol (ethyl alcohol) 

 can be utilized as a source of energy in the 

 body. It is not stored, however, as is glucose 

 (glycogen), but must be burned com- 

 pletely to carbon dioxide and water. Over 

 90 per cent of ingested alcohol burns, de- 

 livering large quantities of energy to the 

 organism. As it burns, other foods are 

 saved and stored. Consequently, the use of 

 alcohol is often accompanied by a tendency 

 to add weight. 



It is extremely difficult to discover 

 whether the use of alcohol is definitely 

 poisonous when used in considerable quan- 

 tities over long periods of time. Personal 

 accounts add data to both aspects of the 

 problem, but they are so flavored with 

 emotion that it is virtually impossible to 

 appraise them accurately. Many diseases, 

 such as general paresis and various kidney 

 and heart ailments, which formerly were 

 thought to be brought on by drinking, we 

 now know with certainty cannot be traced 

 to the use of alcohol. Experiments with 

 both laboratory animals and man have 

 demonstrated rather conclusively that mod- 

 erate amounts of alcohol taken more or 

 less continuously over long periods of time 

 have no deleterious effects on any of the 

 organs of the body, nor on the ability to 

 reproduce, nor on longevity. Salt, sugar, 

 and many other substances that are essen- 

 tial foods, however, can produce harmful 

 effects, even death, when taken in high con- 

 centrations. 



Heavy drinking does seem to affect body 

 structures and functions, primarily because 

 of the secondary effects produced by the 



habits of the drinker. A heavy drinker 

 usually has very bad eating habits, be- 

 coming undernourished, particularly with 

 respect to vitamins. He treats himself badly, 

 with irregular hours of sleep, careless ex- 

 posure to undue heat, cold and infection, 

 especially venereal infections. Such mal- 

 treatment in even a non-drinker would be 

 seriously detrimental to health. With the 

 body in such a state of lowered resistance, 

 it is very apt to fall prey to infections of 

 various sorts which may terminate the life 

 of the individual. In this respect, certainly, 

 heavy drinking is very undesirable from the 

 point of view purely of health. Even more 

 important are the pronounced effects on 

 behavior. After prolonged heavy use of al- 

 cohol, an individual becomes morose and 

 disagreeable to a point where he is unfit to 

 live with. Under these conditions homes are 

 broken up and the drinker sinks from one 

 level to another until there is nothing left 

 but his alcoholic habit. Because the possi- 

 bility of becoming an "alcoholic" is always 

 imminent, a young person should give 

 careful consideration to that first drink. He 

 must weigh the short-lived euphoria that 

 he might derive from it against the possi- 

 bility of becoming an alcoholic. 



The reason why people become addicted 

 to alcohol is probably that some deep- 

 seated, nervous instability and emotional 

 conflict tied up with an unconscious feeling 

 of insecurity exists which may extend back 

 into their childhood. The solution to the 

 problem of these deep, emotional disturb- 

 ances is being intensely studied today. 

 Some progress is being made by the medi- 

 cal profession, but, strangely enough, equal 

 success in treating alcohol addicts has been 

 had by fellow sufferers who have bound 

 themselves together in an organization 

 known as "Alcoholics Anonymous." Their 

 goal is total abstinence, and this is attained 

 by sympathetic understanding from the 

 only ones who really understand them, 

 namely, fellow alcoholics. The organization 

 has grown rapidly since it was started a 



