Caprice Vineyards

 

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Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, people have found it much easier to purchase wine and other alcoholic beverages than buying food and toilet paper from supermarkets. It’s because all over the United States, alcohol sales have been considered by governors to be one of the essential businesses. They are more lenient in their restrictions regarding alcohol consumption and even allow home deliveries, and this has led small businesses to be in danger of losing a lot of money. But is selling alcohol loosely really essential?

The federal government has reported that more than 50% of Americans who are 18 years old and above have been drinking alcohol for the past month, and a whopping 25% binged, drinking more than four drinks in a day. Almost 6% have developed moderate and severe alcohol abuse. As for the latter, alcohol has surely become essential for them because of their dependency.

Drinking Up Through The Pandemic

As for March 14, wine sales have increased up to 28%, beer by 14%, and spirits 27% compared to the weeks before this. Even online sales of alcohol have increased by 42%.

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Some of these alcohol sales increases are undeniably due to hoarding, especially since a lot of restaurants and pubs are closed. However, based on past research and studies, in times like these, where stress and pressure are placed on people, alcohol has two major effects. They have fewer funds to buy more alcohol, and this will cause them to buy cheaper kinds of wines, beers, and spirits. All these will also lead them to drink more because of the stress and anxiety that they are feeling.

Consequently, this drinking will have short and long-term effects on people’s lives, particularly their health and safety. In the short term, drinking too much alcohol has a tremendous negative impact on one’s immune system. Domestic violence due to alcohol consumption inside the home will also likely increase, as off-premise selling of alcohol has been shown to increase violent crimes compared to reports done on people drinking in bars. The lesser violence in bars and restaurants has been owed to servers and other patrons present in these establishments. Sadly, cases of child abuse have already increased, according to reports in some hospitals in the United States.

Source: media.defense.gov

Binge Drinking

A study was done to identify the effects of the SARS last 2003 on employees of Beijing Hospital. It was found that there was a higher likelihood of dependency and alcohol abuse after three years related to working in high-risk areas, such as hospitals that were dedicated to treating individuals with respiratory conditions. The quarantine due to SARS also led to alcohol abuse. Binge drinking, on the other hand, was found in those who experienced the 9/11 World Trade Center terrorist attack and the Hurricane Katrina disaster. These reports further implicated that this COVID-19 outbreak has been causing more and more people to develop heavy drinking behaviors, thereby increasing cases of alcohol abuse in the future.

Strategies And Guidelines

Several researchers have discovered that stores selling different kinds of alcohol in a specific area and the way they serve and sell alcohol have an impact on public health. For this reason, The Task Force on Community Preventive Services came up with the idea that restricting the bulk sold and the hours and days that stores sell alcohol are effective strategies for decreasing the current alcohol problems.

Source: wsj.com

There are several unreliable reports of supermarkets or stores limiting the number of rolls of toilet paper that consumers can buy, but most people can purchase carts of alcoholic beverages. Authorities in various cities must be aware of the harmful effects of alcohol, especially during this crisis, and must use stringent guidelines to minimize or decrease these effects. Alcohol may have become an essential item for some, but having too much of it is very dangerous now or in the years to come.

 

The 2017 Wine Conference tackled various topics on the wine economy, from trade and production to wine identity and profiling customers. Wine drinkers typically enjoy wine in social drinking settings; however, alcohol is also infamous for its link to loss and grief.

Loss

While some may deal with loss in healthy ways, others don’t. A licensed professional at BetterHelp believes that people affected by life-changing events such as the death of a loved one may turn to drinking wine to cope with death. To them, death may feel like the end of their connection and relationship. This loss causes a sense of deep grief, especially when you lose someone profoundly important to you.

It can be even more devastating to lose someone with whom you shared a rocky relationship. After their death, tying up loose ends becomes impossible. Not only are you left with loss and grief but also regrets of how you could have made things better.

Alcohol And Its Connection To Loss and Grief

Wine is an alcoholic drink, and alcohol is a depressant. It slows down the brain and central nervous system, making it harder for an individual to process emotions. It alters your mood, behavior, and cognitive functioning. It ruins your overall health in a lot of ways. 

The alcohol in wine binds to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors. High levels of GABA produce relaxation and sedation. Alcohol also signals the brain to release dopamine, a neurotransmitter that influences feelings of pleasure and reward. It’s not a surprise that many people use wine to deal with grief and loss. These changes inside the body caused by alcohol cause people to seek more wine and other alcoholic beverages to increase positive feelings and forget the pain.

Coping With Loss And Grief

While having a drink or two is okay, entirely relying on wine and other alcoholic beverages to cope is not healthy. In fact, it can even lead to more problems in the long run. You cannot keep on suppressing your emotions with wine. The following are some advice you can follow to cope with loss and grief healthily:

• Acknowledge your feelings
• Don’t be afraid of your feelings and grieve
• Take care of yourself
• Talk to someone (with your friend or family, or by joining a support group).
• Be mindful of what you consume
• Don’t give yourself a deadline

Excessively drinking wine to cope is undoubtedly not something your loved one wants you to do. Feelings of grief and loss are normal, and you should embrace them until you can let go in your own time. If in case you need help, consult a specialist.

Creative minds can make unique charms out of wine corks and exciting home decorations from wine bottles. However, the one thing that is of real importance is the aromatic liquid that these two materials hold – the wine.

There is a misconception that wines are only for people born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Others who have not tried it worry that it would taste like grape juice. The truth is that all consumers can choose from a wide variety of wines in the liquor store. Their costs depend on how long they have been fermented and what processes they have gone through. In addition to that, some wines taste sweet, such as Moscato wine, but they are dissimilar from unfermented juices.

Accordingly, many individuals prefer wine over any beverage with alcohol content because it provides a lot of health benefits.

1. Makes The Heart Healthier

When you drink wine, your visits to your cardiovascular doctor will lessen. The reason for this is that wines, specifically the red ones, contain antioxidants that can increase the amount of good cholesterol and lower the bad cholesterol in the drinker’s body. It can effectively prevent a person from having a heart attack and other heart-related diseases.

2. Reduces The Possibility Of Getting Cataracts

Wine can help you retain the spark in your eyes as it has a chemical compound called resveratrol that can potentially inhibit the growth of new blood vessels in your eyes. Such growth is the beginning of the formation of cataracts, and you will do well without them. It has not been discovered yet the right amount of wine that you should drink in one day to make this happen, but the great thing is that it is possible.

3. Improves Memory

If you tend to quickly forget the essential details that you have learned not too long ago, you can remedy this problem by drinking wine. Resveratrol also can improve your memory and let you retain ideas longer. The individuals whose work requires them to remember a lot of things at once may find this fact satisfying.

4. Helps In Weight Loss

In case your slimming regimes are not working that well, and you feel like you are only wasting your time in the gym, know that a glass of wine a day can increase your chances of burning those fats more efficiently. It has already been established that resveratrol is beneficial to keep your brain, bones, and heart-healthy. Thus, this is the same compound that will help you lose weight.

5. Strengthens Immune System

The ultimate cause of all your health issues is your weak immune system. Due to several external factors, its strength lowers as you age. However, you can reverse this trend by drinking wine.

Final Thoughts

Think of all these health benefits the next time someone offers you a glass of beer, whiskey, or vodka. Those beverages cannot keep you away from serious illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, and stroke, but wine can.

Viruses used to have a hard time latching on to human beings. The latter has a healthy immune system because the ingredients they put in their meals are freshly harvested. They do not get ill even when they migrate on feet to various locations. However, that is a thing of the past. Seasons have changed, and people have witnessed more modernizations come to life. In complete disagreement with these improvements that are supposed to ease our lives, what should have been our impenetrable natural resistance has turned into an easy target for sickness-causing agents. It has become routine for some people to catch a cold after getting rained on for a full minute. Others struggle with gastrointestinal disorders when they have consumed something that is not acceptable to their system. Likewise, some folks suffer from incurable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and AIDS.

Such illnesses have given rise to the demand for effective medications. However, not every pill, capsule, or tablet can provide complete relief to the individual. As a result, they have turned their backs on greasy foods and started eating and drinking healthy once again.

The Beverage For Health

A popular beverage among the health-conscious crowd is the smoothie, which is a drink created with different combinations and quantities of fruits and vegetables. The ingredients can be mixed using powerful kitchen appliances that will let you pulse your way through the fresh produce that you put in them. They are more satisfying to consume when ice is incorporated during the blending process.

A Smoothie A Day Keeps Doctors Away

Even when you feel like celebrating with wine or whiskey each day because you are always healthy, you should stop yourself from doing so. Your body practically needs less than 50 milliliters of alcohol. If you consume a 750-milliliter bottle of liquor, that is way more than what your system requires. Later on, this can pose a significant threat to your well-being.

To avoid this occurrence, you can replace every tall glass of alcoholic beverage with a tall tumbler of smoothies. The kinds of fruits or vegetables you choose to put in your healthy drink will determine what medicinal benefits you will obtain from it. If you blend oranges with carrots and berries, you can get Vitamin C, beta carotene, and lots of antioxidants that can strengthen your immune system even further. Since they will only be peeled and sliced, you can still take in the fiber that they contain and improve your digestion more efficiently than any drug can do.

Final Thoughts

The saying that “good things come to those who wait” is not applicable when you are dealing with your health. You cannot merely devour any food and pray that it will not have a hostile effect on your body. This is not how diseases work.

You should not rely on dietary alternatives that are advertised on TV either. Some say that they can protect you from viruses and bacteria; others claim that they have all-natural ingredients. Despite that, you can only ensure that when you make the foods and beverages yourself.

Drink your smoothie every day so that health issues will think twice before coming your way.

 

Source: menshealth.com

For most of us, we think that the shape and size of the glass of wine that we’re drinking from don’t make a difference when it comes to how much wine we consume. However, researchers, including studies backed by psychologists, prove that it does make a huge difference on the volume of wine we drink and how fast or slow we tend to finish our wine, beer, and even juices.

Below are some types, shapes, and sizes of glasses that are typically used at home, at the workplace, and in restaurants. Descriptions of how much beverage is consumed depending on the glass are also discussed.

Straight Vs. Curved

A study was done from the University of Bristol, UK. The first group of subjects was asked to use curvy glasses versus the second group, which were asked to drink from straight and un-curved glasses. Amazingly, those who drank beverages from the straight glasses finished theirs 60% slower compared to those who drank from the curved glasses.

Source: pixabay.com

The researchers explained the result as something that was influenced by the difficulty of the subjects in approximating the halfway point of the curvy glass. Thus, they continued to drink without knowing how far they’d gone. In straight-sided glasses, you are able to identify the halfway point, which makes you become cautious of the amount of wine or beer you will consume.

Tall and Thin, Short And Wide

For this study, juice was the constant variable. Using a short and wide glass versus a tall and thin one, the subjects consumed more juice using the former compared to the latter. This was particularly obvious with the children subjects, a whopping 74% more for the short, wide glass. The adults consumed relatively more, although with a lesser percentage of less than 20%.

Unlike the study using the curved and straight glasses, where it was influenced mostly by the difficulty in estimating the volume, this second study proved that individuals have a tendency to favor height than width. That is why when they poured their juice, they poured equally on the two glasses, using the brim as their reference. They ignored the width of the glass, and when they drank all the way from the short and wide glass, they consumed more.

Size Does Matter With Wine

Source: womenly.net

Unlike other beverages that are served full, wine is typically served halfway through the glass. The principle behind this is that a space is left for the drinker to smell the wine, which is vital in wine tasting. It also offers a greater opportunity for more elaborate experiments on the effects of glasses and other containers.

In Cambridge, England, a study was done to measure alcohol consumption in a bar. The constant variable was the amount of wine, which was about 6 ounces, and the changing variable was the size of the glasses used. The first glass used was of standard size, about 300 ml, or 10 ounces. When the glasses were changed to different sizes, such as from 300 ml to 375 ml or about 12 ounces, but with the same amount poured in both glasses, the bar drinkers consumed more than 14% more wine!

The study concluded with this: most individuals consume more wine because of the general belief that quantities are perceived to be lower when it is served in larger glasses. Additionally, others may have more trouble estimating the serving size when a large portion of the glass is empty, much like the short and wide glass study.

Creating A Smart Approach

Restaurants and bars are in an awkward situation about the beverages that they sell. Yes, every establishment aims to increase their sales, but the restaurant and bar owners must also be cautious not to push their customers to over-consume until they are intoxicated. Generally, most establishments use narrow or curved glasses for serving beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages. Perhaps they didn’t know about the interesting facts about glass size and shape, but eventually, they turned towards shapes that would encourage faster consumption.

The short, wide glasses may also increase the consumption of almost all types of drinks. However, bar and restaurant owners must keep in mind that although soft drinks and beer are served almost to the brim despite the glass shape, serving spirits into these kinds of glass might cause over-pouring even by seasoned bartenders. Also, when bars serve beers by the pitcher, the short and wide glasses could increase beverage consumption, just as wide glasses do. This may be great for sales but could probably result in lesser customer satisfaction, owing to the quick emptying of the pitcher.

Source: jber.jb.mil

As individuals, we should also be careful of the effects of the size and shape of glasses too. If we want to drink beer tonight but are trying to lessen our alcohol consumption, then we should go for the tall and straight-sided glass. Stay away from the curved and wide ones, as they are most likely to cause us to underestimate our total alcohol consumption.

 

 

 

If there is one thing that you have to aspire to become in life, it is to be happy and to remain that way forever. No one likes to suffer from misery or apathy. Everyone wants to accomplish their goals and achieve their dreams. At the same time, everyone aims to be in a relationship and to experience long-lasting happiness. Unfortunately, any therapist would tell you that being happy or acquiring a state of joy is quite challenging. The truth is that there are factors that you must take into consideration if you want to have it in your life.

 

For today’s article, we are going to shift our focus on the various ways how you can be the best and happiest version of yourself. The best part of all is that our list below is composed using the inspiration and motivation we received from an excellent therapist. As such, there is a guarantee that if you follow these BetterHelp techniques by heart, then you can become happy for the rest of your life:

Avoid The Drama

“When trying to keep a positive attitude, you must avoid people who thrive on negativity.” Fran Walfish, PsyD said. As much as possible, do not associate yourself with people who have too much negativity in their lives. It will not contribute to your overall development. Whether you like it or not, the reality is that these people are only going to increase your stress levels until you give up. They are the ones who will make you feel that life is not fun. Hence, it is best if you will keep your distance as soon as possible. Aside from this, you must also learn how to save yourself from stressful situations.

Exercise Regularly

Being physically active has several benefits on your part. It will not only make you live a healthy and fit lifestyle. At the same time, it can also help to develop your mental health. In the long run, this practice can make you feel happy. Keep in mind that the more improved your mental health is, the easier it will be on your part to find things that spark joy. All you have to do is go to the gym regularly or perform home exercises whenever you have free time. “Regular exercise helps you relieve stress and may help prevent or reduce depression. Aerobic exercise and yoga have been found to be particularly beneficial for reducing stress and improving mood,” says ADAA member Stephanie Kriesberg, PsyD.

Follow A Balanced Diet

Another thing that you must look into if you want to be happy is your food intake. Remember that whatever you eat can affect your mood in so many ways. “A balanced diet that includes lots of fiber helps keep your gut system running efficiently by helping to support a more diverse gut microbiome.”  John M. Grohol, Psy.D. said. For example, if you eat desserts that have high sugar content, there is a high possibility that you will instantly cheer up. However, the long-lasting effect is that it will drain your energy and the glucose will stay longer in your system. As a result, you may become obese or overweight, especially if you cannot control your cravings for sugary foods. Thus, the smart or ideal thing to do is to follow a balanced diet. Choose food items that are high in vitamins and nutrients.

Try Something New

The number one secret to living a happy life is to find something new that can excite you. Do something that makes you feel more alive than ever. Stop being stuck in a work that you do not like or in a relationship that keeps on breaking your heart. Do not fear to start something new because you deserve it. Take note that you can transform your life with one simple choice or decision. As such, it is ideal if you will promise yourself to keep on exploring and taking on new adventures. It is not going to be easy, but it will be worth it.

Know What You Want

Another thing that you must always remember is the significance of knowing what your heart truly desires. Express your thoughts and feelings because it involves getting to know yourself even more. It is imperative on your part to understand what you want to accomplish in life and to determine the reasons why you aim for these things. Keep in mind that in so doing, you get a better chance at happiness. Since you are sure of your goals and objectives, then there is a lower chance that you will feel lost in life. Therefore, make it a top priority to be the best version of yourself.

If you think that you need professional help, do not have second thoughts on searching for the best therapist in the industry.

 

 

Let’s Get Started

A great way to choose wines for your most awaited event is to taste various wines that would match your menu. That’s what Jim Kirsch, head of a reputable catering company in New York City, states. Visiting wine bars and checking out wine store tastings would be the best move for starters. If the wedding is not for a few months, you could also order a new brand of wine every time you go out on a date or dinner with your partner or your family. And then, you can list your top and least favorites.

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