The Science of Drinking
How Alcohol Affects Your Body and Mind, 2nd Edition
Published on 16. April 2026
Book
Hardback
360 pages
979-8-7651-8982-5 (ISBN)
Description
Alcohol is a double-edged sword with many health benefits if consumed in moderation but detrimental if consumed in excess.
Therefore, it is important for the general public to understand how to consume alcohol sensibly, its health benefits, as well as the dangers of drinking in excess. The first edition of the book focused on guidelines for drinking based on published scientific evidence of health benefits of alcohol as well as adverse effects of consuming too much alcohol without providing any judgement on what a person should or should not do. Those guidelines were changed in 2015.
The 2nd edition of the book will provide new guidelines on how much to drink in a nice evening dinner without taking any risk of DWI and will include updated scientific information based on publications from 2011 until 2024. After reading this book a reader may enjoy their next drink with a fuller understanding of the rewards of consuming alcohol in moderation.
Therefore, it is important for the general public to understand how to consume alcohol sensibly, its health benefits, as well as the dangers of drinking in excess. The first edition of the book focused on guidelines for drinking based on published scientific evidence of health benefits of alcohol as well as adverse effects of consuming too much alcohol without providing any judgement on what a person should or should not do. Those guidelines were changed in 2015.
The 2nd edition of the book will provide new guidelines on how much to drink in a nice evening dinner without taking any risk of DWI and will include updated scientific information based on publications from 2011 until 2024. After reading this book a reader may enjoy their next drink with a fuller understanding of the rewards of consuming alcohol in moderation.
Reviews / Votes
My fatherly advice for my kids about drinking alcoholic beverages was simple: When you feel relaxed and mellow, stop drinking. That admonition becomes easier to follow when you know the information in The Science of Drinking: How Alcohol Affects Your Body and Mind. Thank goodness we have spirit in a bottle, and double the gratitude that we know when to stop drinking. -- Jeff Cox * author of From Vines to Wines * Written in easy-to-understand language for the lay person but yet providing references to the scientific literature for those wanting more in-depth information, this concise book is a must-have comprehensive resource for those wanting to know more about the world's oldest recreational beverage. -- David N. Bailey, M.D. * Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Pharmacy Emeritus, University of California San Diego *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Dimensions
Height: 232 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
660 gr
ISBN-13
979-8-7651-8982-5 (9798765189825)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2026
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€28.49
Available for download
E-Book
04/2026
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€28.49
Available for download
Person
Amitava Dasgupta received his PhD in chemistry from Stanford University and completed his fellowship in Clinical Chemistry from the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine at Seattle. He is board certified in both Toxicology and Clinical Chemistry by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry and a member of ADLM since 1987. He is also a fellow of the academy. Currently, he is a tenured Full Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Kansas Hospital. In 2009, he received the Irvine Sunshine Award from the International Association of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Toxicology (IATDMCT) for his outstanding contribution in toxicology research.
Content
Chapter 1. Alcohol: From History to Modernity and Why, Regardless of Drink Type, One Drink Contains Approximately 14 gm Alcohol
Chapter 2. Statistics of Alcohol Consumption by Americans: Teetotalers, Moderate Drinkers, and Alcohol Abusers
Chapter 3. Alcoholic Content in Everyday Items We Use, Including Over the Counter Medications
Chapter 4. How the Human Body Handles Alcohol: A Guide to Drinking Sensibly and Avoiding DWI
Chapter 5. How Alcohol Affects the Human Brain and Mood
Chapter 6. Alcohol and Adolescent Brain: Scientific Reason Why Legal Drinking Age is 21 Years
Chapter 7. Health Benefits of Drinking in Moderation: From Healthy Heart to Increased Longevity
Chapter 8. Can Drinking in Moderation Delay/Prevent Dementia of Old Age and Potentially Alzheimer's disease?
Chapter 9. What Should I Drink for Good Health: Beer, Wine, or Vodka?
Chapter 10. Drinking During High Stress and Pandemic
Chapter 11. Harmful Effects of Drinking in Excess
Chapter 12. Alcohol Liver Disease and Liver Cirrhosis: Potentially Deadly Disorders
Chapter 13. Are Children of Alcoholics at Higher Risk for Alcohol Use? What We Know from Genes
Chapter 14. Breath Alcohol vs Blood Alcohol: Why to Ask for Blood Alcohol if Breath Alcohol is Over 0.08%
Chapter 15. Biomarkers of Alcohol Abuse
Chapter 16. Alcohol-medicine Interactions: Why You Should Not Drink While Taking Certain Medications
Chapter 17. Mixing Alcohol with Opioid Pain Medications: A Deadly Mix
Chapter 18. Why Not to Drink at All When You Are Pregnant and then Breastfeeding
Chapter 19. Workplace Alcohol and Drug Testing
Chapter 20. Dangers of Moonshine Whiskey and Related Illegally Produced Liquors
Chapter 21. More Dangerous than Alcohol: Methanol and Ethylene Glycol
Chapter 22. Mixing Alcohol with Drugs of Abuse: A Potentially Fatal Combination
Chapter 2. Statistics of Alcohol Consumption by Americans: Teetotalers, Moderate Drinkers, and Alcohol Abusers
Chapter 3. Alcoholic Content in Everyday Items We Use, Including Over the Counter Medications
Chapter 4. How the Human Body Handles Alcohol: A Guide to Drinking Sensibly and Avoiding DWI
Chapter 5. How Alcohol Affects the Human Brain and Mood
Chapter 6. Alcohol and Adolescent Brain: Scientific Reason Why Legal Drinking Age is 21 Years
Chapter 7. Health Benefits of Drinking in Moderation: From Healthy Heart to Increased Longevity
Chapter 8. Can Drinking in Moderation Delay/Prevent Dementia of Old Age and Potentially Alzheimer's disease?
Chapter 9. What Should I Drink for Good Health: Beer, Wine, or Vodka?
Chapter 10. Drinking During High Stress and Pandemic
Chapter 11. Harmful Effects of Drinking in Excess
Chapter 12. Alcohol Liver Disease and Liver Cirrhosis: Potentially Deadly Disorders
Chapter 13. Are Children of Alcoholics at Higher Risk for Alcohol Use? What We Know from Genes
Chapter 14. Breath Alcohol vs Blood Alcohol: Why to Ask for Blood Alcohol if Breath Alcohol is Over 0.08%
Chapter 15. Biomarkers of Alcohol Abuse
Chapter 16. Alcohol-medicine Interactions: Why You Should Not Drink While Taking Certain Medications
Chapter 17. Mixing Alcohol with Opioid Pain Medications: A Deadly Mix
Chapter 18. Why Not to Drink at All When You Are Pregnant and then Breastfeeding
Chapter 19. Workplace Alcohol and Drug Testing
Chapter 20. Dangers of Moonshine Whiskey and Related Illegally Produced Liquors
Chapter 21. More Dangerous than Alcohol: Methanol and Ethylene Glycol
Chapter 22. Mixing Alcohol with Drugs of Abuse: A Potentially Fatal Combination