The unresponsive limbs, sandpaper tongue, sluggish eyelids and a headache that feels like nothing less than a knitting needle bisecting the space between your ears. All joking aside, there can't be many beer drinkers who haven't, for want of a better word, overdone it the night before at least once in their lives. And while such stories are sometimes used as a badge of courage when there is rather too much testosterone in the room, the reality is that all these unpleasant symptoms are your body's way of telling you it is not clever to ingest too much alcohol.
The drinks industry has responded in recent years to complaints from doctors by asking its customers to "drink responsibly", in short to enjoy all the benefits of beer and none of the negative effects that kick in when commonsense leaves the room. It is advice that we would all do well to heed. No-one is saying beer shouldn't be enjoyed, but even the most enthusiastic imbiber really doesn't need six or seven large glasses to come to the conclusion that their particular brand of brew is really rather nice.
With these health concerns in mind, is their a case for switching to one of the non-alcoholic products offered by the industry because it will be better for our body? Well, for a start the fact that you will be drinking a product with a very little or no alcohol means that you will be reducing your chances of falling victim to addiction, with all the corresponding physical and emotional problems that go with it. In addition there won't be the loss of inhibitions that accompany alcohol intake, which can lead some individuals into situations that they would regret in the morning.
It is also less likely that you will drink as much, which means that you are less likely to gain as much weight from the large number of carbohydrates you will be absorbing.
Drinkers who steadily add inches to their waistline lay themselves open to a number of problems, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and can place a strain on their cardiovascular system that can have ultimately fatal consequences.Bearing in mind these potential problems, it is fair comment to say that choosing low- or no-alcohol beers is the healthier option.
However, while researchers debate the merits of individual products launched by the industry, ultimately the question comes down to moderation, i.e. using alcohol responsibly in line with the advice of the industry - which means that the odd glass of alcoholic beer is not going to have any quantifiable effect on your health, and is no worse for you than choosing the non-alcoholic alternative.
Non-alcoholic beer at one time was something of a joke, and not just because it didn't have the desired effect of making the world seem a better place. However, it is fair to say that there are a number of palatable brands that have risen to the challenge of giving drinkers an alternative to the living hell of the hangover. You're also likely to think twice before opting for that late-night kebab, which is a decision your body will be very happy with.