The healing power of alcohol misleads and kills people
The majority of people know that one should have something to eat immediately after drinking
It is generally believed that strong alcohol drinks have a warming effect on a human being. A shot of something strong is considered the best remedy for a person, who spent too much time outdoors in freezing weather. This affirmation is not really true. Only 50 grams of vodka or cognac will make a human being feel rather warm: alcohol expands blood vessels and stabilizes blood circulation for internal organs. Another dose of alcohol intensifies blood circulation in skin: the skin reddens and obtains a pleasant feeling of warmth. This feeling is very delusive: the body starts cooling faster because of the intensive production of warmth. 
A lot of people think that alcohol incites appetite. However, only small amounts of strong alcohol drinks can evoke a slight feeling of hunger – about 20-25 grams of vodka. Vodka affects and activates the satiation center. The process takes not less than 15-20 minutes – that is why it is absolutely wrong to have a drink right before meals. In addition, alcohol irritates the mucous membrane of the hungry stomach.
When people get tired, they often try to make themselves feel better with the help of an alcohol beverage. Only 30 grams of vodka, cognac, or 40 ml of wine and martini will be enough. Such small doses help relieve stress and produce the feeling of relaxation. Unfortunately, the majority of people do not stop and continue drinking: it ruins their day, intensifies fatigue and creates peculiar depression. Another variant is possible too, though: some people experience alcoholic euphoria, which inevitably ends with depression too.
A lot of people think that alcohol is a very good energy-maker: people think that their work becomes much more efficient if they have a little bit of alcohol before. This is an absolutely subjective feeling. Australian scientists found out that slightly drunk people can have better apprehension and movement reactions indeed. However, even small doses of alcohol worsen the concentration of attention and reasoning.
Many of those, who suffer from high blood pressure, are certain that alcohol is a good way to relieve the yearning. A small dose of a strong alcohol drink can weaken the vascular tone indeed. However, it may also cause palpitation. Arterial blood pressure depends directly on the amount of blood that is pushed down the vessels. The larger the amount, the higher the pressure. That is why alcohol cannot be considered a medication for hypertension. Many alcohol drinks contain biologically active additives, which may have their own affect on the arterial blood pressure.
One should bear in mind the fact that any alcohol has a toxic influence on the human organism. It is acetic aldehyde, a product of ethyl alcohol, that causes a variety of disturbances in the body. Bad quality alcohol produces a much stronger negative impact on the human body.
A lot of Russian people use vodka (with honey, apples, etc) as a medication against cold. They think that such a combination removes fever and relieves pain in the throat. No one knows, where the superstition originally started, although it is still believed that it is an ancient Russian recipe. It is not ruled out that ancient Russians used alcohol as a remedy against cold. However, modern medicine does not recognize this method of treatment. Vodka does not improve immunity. Alcohol is bad to a sore throat. One should not believe in the healing power of vodka. However, a small quantity of warm red wine can be very helpful at this point.
Beer, a very popular modern beverage, is considered to be a soft alcohol drink, which does not bring any harm to human health. This is an absolutely wrong belief. The content of alcohol in beer is not high indeed. However, it does not at all mean that it is a totally harmless drink. Like any other alcohol drink, beer develops addiction. The issue of beer alcoholism becomes more and more actual in modern medicine. To crown it all, beer has a very bad influence on heart and liver. Beer should in no way be treated as lemonade. It is not recommended to drink liters of beer on a daily basis.
Needless to say that many women always count the calories that they eat. However, they forget to count the calories that they drink. Alcohol possesses a very high energetic capacity, especially vodka. The drink does not have a nutritious capacity – it is alcohol that brings calories in. The situation with wine is different, though. Carbohydrates provide the food value of wine – they decompose and burn very easily.
The majority of people know that one should have something to eat immediately after drinking. Cold snacks or non-alcohol drinks do not neutralize alcohol. Hot and rich meals subdue the effect of ethanol and decrease the manifestation of alcoholic intoxication.
Read the original in Russian: (Translated by: Dmitry Sudakov)