When I quit drinking I lost an enormous amount of weight…no diet, no exercise (really…I'm lazy) just no alcohol and the pounds fell off my oversized frame.

I was always a beer drunk, and beer is one of the highest caloric ways to get drunk, but all alcohol can add a lot weight when consumed in excess and when consumed with regularity, and this excess weight exacerbates the health complications already created by heavy drinking, including greatly increasing the risks for type 2 diabetes.

No weight gain can be a warning sign!

A lot of alcoholics get fat--although some don’t--but when you see a skinny alcoholic, they are not necessarily healthier, they may either be just consuming all or mostly all liquid calories to maintain that weight, or they may have already damaged their digestive tract and no longer be capable of processing foods efficiently. Malnutrition and vitamin and nutrient deficits are a hallmark of the alcoholic condition, and can greatly worsen experienced symptoms of the disease…so either of these scenarios is far from ideal.

If you drink heavily, you should make sure to take high doses of multi vitamins and mineral supplements, particularly B complex vitamins.

There are about 3500 calories in a pound of fat, and there are about 150 calories in a regular beer. About 23 beers adds a pound of fat unless countered with exercise or limited food intake; and for a serious alcoholic, 23 beers just sounds like one good night out!

The calories in some common alcoholic drinks

• 1 standard bottle or can of beer (not strong beer) =150 calories
• 1 ounce of liquor (without mixer, which can add a lot of calories) += 65 calories
• 1 ounce of after dinner liqueurs = 188 calories
• 1 glass of red wine (125 ml) = 80 calories
• 1 glass of dry white wine (125 mls) = 75 calories
• 1 martini = 140 calories
• 1 cooler = 150 calories
• 1 margarita =168 calories

If you drink to excess, you should either stop or moderate your consumption, and your appearance and physical shape is likely the least of your worries; but one of the many great side effects of sobriety and abstinence is (for many) a sudden and dramatic weight loss. You'll look a lot better and you'll feel a lot better.

If you don’t have an alcohol abuse or dependency problem but are concerned about your weight, be very aware of the number of drinks you consume in a month, and think about how many hours on the treadmill a few margaritas requires!

I am an alcoholic and should never drink, many can responsibly, far too many cannot; if you have a drinking problem you will feel better for besting it, and one of the great additional perks is that you'll attract a lot more backward glances as you walk down the sidewalk!