Hello, health enthusiasts, and welcome to Rev Up Health, your go-to podcast for all things wellness. I'm Dr. Mark Hechler, and I'm Tandi Hechler. Together we're here to fuel your health journey with the best of functional medicine and holistic well-being. Each episode, we'll dive deep into topics that matter to your health, bringing you the latest insights, research, and inspiring stories. Whether you're on a quest for vibrant health or just looking for daily health tips, we've got you covered. So let's embark on this journey together and transform the way you live. So, Tandi, what's on our wellness radar for today?
Hello. Today on the podcast we're going to talk about the fact that it is July, and some people are participating in Dry July — so no alcohol for the month of July. Our podcast today is more of our opinions about alcohol. Do we need it? What does it do to us? Those types of ideas. And what we do, what we don't do, what we know we should do but yet still do — we still drink alcohol. So we need to bring these topics up and let everybody start to think about their own activities, their own habits, and their own diet.
Knowing Better vs. Doing Better
It is one of those things where you know what you should do, and then you know what you do, and you kind of weigh those things out. A big thing to consider here is being intentional — intentionality around your health. Some people say everything in moderation, but I heard a conversation with Dr. Casey Means recently and she basically said there are some things that are not good in moderation: ultra-processed foods, probably alcohol, some other things, sugar — not good in moderation.
Someone asked her a question about the phrase she most hates, and it was, "the worst advice ever given." She said the worst advice is "everything in moderation." After she said it and explained it, I'm like, "Oh, she's got a good point there." There is no level of alcohol that is good for your body, and there's no way you can convince me otherwise. But it's certainly something people say — "Well, I have a glass of wine, or a cocktail, or a beer." There are a lot of things that are really not good about alcohol.
I hate to talk about the beer drinkers around here, but drinking beer is probably one of the worst things you could possibly do for your body in so many different ways. I think it's almost better to eat a loaf of bread than to drink beer. Or a nice chocolate cake — which sounds good — in moderation.
One of our favorite cocktails is an orange bourbon crush, which not only has the alcohol in the bourbon, but is also fruit juice and simple syrup. It's the worst — sugar. Not only that, but the ice is so amazing. Oh, goodness — who doesn't like Sonic ice? Because that's kind of what this restaurant uses, this mega ice, so it makes it so much better. If you just put it in a glass at home, it's not near as good — the ice does something, I'm telling you.
Being Intentional in Dry July
So, in honor of Dry July, we're going to really start thinking about this and being a little more intentional about when we partake. One of the things we know — not even of all the illnesses alcohol can cause — is that it also affects your sleep. When you're drinking alcohol before bed, or close to bedtime, your sleep is going to suffer, and we know sleep is so important. So this is where that intentionality comes in: if you're going to make the decision to do it, make sure it isn't at a time that's going to impact your sleep.
Now, does that mean it's okay to drink beer for breakfast, or to take bourbon shots in the morning before lunch? No — but obviously the majority of the time, adults will drink alcohol in the evening, for dinner. And what does that affect? Everything. It affects acid reflux, and neurologically it can affect that too, along with a lot of other things. In the evening, it's kind of the worst thing, and reflux is something people don't think about, because that's going to affect your sleep too, even if you didn't realize it.
The Statistics
I'd like to let people know some of the statistics I ran down. The global burden of alcohol contributes to about three million deaths annually worldwide, accounting for a little over 5% of all deaths. That's crazy to think about. Alcohol-related liver disease accounts for approximately 40 to 50% of liver cirrhosis deaths, which is quite interesting to see. For cancers, it's responsible for about 4% of all cancer deaths in the United States alone. I heard Dr. Attia talking about this the other day, and he was talking about how it's linked to seven different types of cancer, so you're not even just focused on liver cancer.
Diabetes is a big one — alcohol consumption increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 43%. Cardiovascular disease is affected too — heavy drinking is going to increase your risk for cardiovascular disease by up to 40%. So it's not just something that affects your sleep or your reflux; it affects you neurologically, it affects your heart, and it affects your internal organs.
It also gives a lot of dysbiosis for folks, so some people may know that firsthand. And we're not even talking about people who may have allergic reactions or sensitivities to it — that's definitely something that happens as well. I've heard people say, "Oh, I can't drink this type of wine because I have a reaction, but I can drink white wine." If you're reacting, you're probably reacting regardless. It's going to affect depression and anxiety — it's going to aggravate that.
Alcohol Is Addictive
Worse than that, it's truly something that can become addictive. It's like sugar — sugar is addictive, and so can alcohol be. It's a flavor thing that people like, and it's hard to move into the mocktail arena, because when you start reaching for mocktails, you're trying to compare it to, "Well, this tastes just like bourbon, kind of," or "this tastes just like wine, kind of." But it's not the same thing, and some people just enjoy that flavor. I've also enjoyed the flavor, so it's something you just need to decide: is it better for me to forgo that, to save my mitochondria and keep from toxifying them, and keep from making my liver work extra hard? Your liver is always there, on your side, trying to detoxify you all the time — but when we continue to throw alcohol into it, it runs down its capacity.
Why Do We Like It?
So I'll ask you the question — I don't know that I can answer it, so don't ask it back — but what is it about an orange bourbon crush that you like so much? It is purely flavor. Not at all about how it makes you feel? No, not at all. When I first started drinking that, it wasn't anything, and a nice wine too — it's the flavor, the smooth, almost palatable texture that it gives you. I think that's more of a simple reward-system dependency or addiction feeling, but maybe there's more of a release of various hormones or endorphins that makes you feel good when you drink. That's a great question — is it a dopamine addiction? I don't know. It's very interesting to know the choices you should make and to rationalize why you don't.
It's important for people to know that you're not alone in that reasoning and that struggle. Just like it is with alcohol, it can go to any of the other things we do — the food that we eat that we know we shouldn't. So it's a real thing. Sometimes it's just habits and routines: this is the one thing we do when we go out, and it sounds like it's a reward. You think of it as a reward — "Oh, I had a rough week at work," or "a rough day, or a long day working over a long weekend, and I just need to relax with a glass of wine." I've been in that situation multiple times, where it's almost as if I'm saying, "Man, I've had a tough week, and this is what I'm going to do to reward myself" — instead of, "I'm going to go have a big slice of watermelon, or a big bowl of carrots and celery." "Wow, I can't wait to do that, it's been a rough week." You know?
So you do have to rewire your reward system, and maybe find things that taste similar but aren't the same as those things that aren't as good for you.
Alcohol and the 80/20 Rule
You've probably heard of my 80/20 rule, and alcohol would certainly be in the 20% — it's something you don't want to do very often. So that's one of the few things I can do, but it's still really difficult. And there are ways — some people call this biohacking a little bit — that you can do things differently, so maybe it isn't as negatively impactful. Not to say alcohol isn't going to negatively impact you regardless, but you probably could drink it in a way that it won't affect your sleep like it normally would. So it's an interesting thought.
The impact on our health is quite significant. Like we said, "in moderation" — what does that mean? Is that one glass a week, or one or two glasses of wine a week? What does it mean to you? It's something you have to think about in your own life. How many times do you want to sit down and have a beer with a pizza, or a beer with a burger? That's a pretty common thing. In my other days, I would have a beer occasionally. I don't have beer anymore — I've come to the conclusion that I'm not going to subject myself to that type of exposure. And I would rather get my carbs another way; I don't want to drink my carbs. That's this deal with your orange bourbon crush. I try to look at it — maybe they could put something different in that ice, maybe a fruit juice. Now I'd be okay with that. Maybe we need to go get smoothies.
Alcohol and Events
Another thing I was thinking about as we're talking: oftentimes you go to events, and alcohol is related to the events you go to. There have got to be some statistics on how much beer is drunk at a football game — oh, for sure, it's just incredible. Halftime is spent in the bathroom line, waiting for everybody who drank beer before and during the game. So those types of things are another reason it can be hard to give up — you get into these situations and events that you're used to going to and enjoy, and it's there, part of the experience. So it's a matter of changing what that looks like.
We've been going to the KC Current games, which are so much fun, and we love it because they actually sell sparkling water in the cans — which there isn't another sporting event I've been to that had sparkling water as an option. So we drink a lot of that, and it's not just water, it's got that enhanced flavor. I think that's something that rewards the brain, actually. So it's interesting how these types of things come up and you just have to navigate them.
Cutting Back Is a Great First Step
I think cutting back is definitely going to help. Making that the first step — cutting back on sugar, alcohol, or ultra-processed foods — obviously there are things we absolutely want out of our diet and our body, but just making the first step and deciding, "Okay, I'm going to cut back in this way." But you also have to think about the effects: what's this going to do? If I eat this cookie, if I drink this beer, if I drink this shot of bourbon, what's it going to do to the quality, the metabolism, the health of the mitochondria and my cells, whether it's in your brain or throughout your body?
So it's almost something you need to think about: the longer I keep drinking this, or the longer I keep eating this, maybe the earlier I'm going to die, or the earlier I'm going to have an onset of dementia — which is certainly a consideration. But you hate to spend your life being worried about disease, and I don't think that's it — I'm just throwing that out there.
Dr. Casey Means talks about how every time she goes to eat something, she asks what kind of energy is it going to make — is this going to fuel my body in a good way, or is this going to be bad for my body? I think that's something you can think about: how is this chocolate cake, or this orange bourbon crush, going to build new cells? Because that's what we're doing — everything we take into our body is the building blocks of the next iteration of ourselves. Our cells constantly turn over, so you're creating cells, getting rid of cells, and getting rid of the damaged cells. It's a process, but that's certainly something to consider.
A Virtual Mocktail Happy Hour
So in honor of Dry July — or Dry January, or Sober October, or whatever month may be coming up — we're going to do a virtual mocktail happy hour on Thursdays. Right now we're staying for the month of July, and maybe it will go over well and we'll do it longer. Maybe make it part of your regular routine, every month.
We hope this did a couple of things. It helped everyone know that you're not alone in your struggle to change from your standard habit and the things you've been doing, and giving up those treats and things you really love — you're not alone. Everyone struggles with these habits and things.
One thing I wanted to mention: for me, with marathon running, I know that alcohol is going to disrupt that. I know I'm not going to come to the start line, and I'm not going to get to the finish line, as optimally as I should have or would have if I had an orange bourbon crush or a glass of wine. So when do you decide not to, going up to these types of physical events? That's a good question — that might be something we can research and come back to. Maybe there are studies that have been done that show that clearly. It's something I haven't seen; I just know that it affects my quality of metabolic health, and obviously if my mitochondria are running on all cylinders, I'm going to be running very well too. So that's certainly something to consider.
The other thing is just to invite you to be mindful and intentional about the decisions you make. I hope you'll join us on Thursdays for a virtual happy hour — making it a thing. Reach out to us if you have questions, or if you want us to have a special podcast about something, shoot us a DM. Follow us at Revelation Health and Wellbeing. Have a healthy day.
Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Rev Up Health. We hope you're leaving with some valuable insights to supercharge your health journey. Don't forget to follow or subscribe to Rev Up Health wherever you listen to your podcasts, and if you enjoyed today's episode, please leave us a rating and review. Have a topic you want us to explore? Reach out to us on our social media channels — we love hearing from our wellness community. Until next time, keep thriving, and remember: your journey to health is a journey to a better you. Stay well, and we'll connect with you again soon. This is Tandi, and this is Dr. Mark, signing off from Rev Up Health. Take care.
The information provided in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. The content is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient and their healthcare provider. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any changes to your healthcare regimen, including diet, exercise, or treatment plans. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Revelation Health and Wellbeing.