A Cup of Joe for a Toast to Life: Healing and Recovery

Everybody knows about the proverbial apple a day, but how about the world's most popular beverage?

I'm referring to the beneficial properties of coffee with regard to reversing the effects of alcohol-related cirrhosis. There are reports aplenty about these findings. This detailed infographic speaks for itself.

Consider the following:

• One cup of coffee per day corresponds to a 22 percent decrease in developing cirrhosis.
• Two cups correspond to a 43 percent decrease.
• Three cups correspond to a 57 percent decrease.
• Four cups correspond to a 65 percent decrease.

Put a different way, the free coffee at Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) seems to be more than a ceremonial act. It looks, increasingly, like a healing gesture -- a literal one -- that helps men and women struggling with alcoholism and addiction.

Some years ago, Harvard Medical School enumerated a host of chronic conditions that might be helped by coffee consumption, including cancer, diabetes, gallstones, and high cholesterol.

According to Stuart Birnbaum, Founder of The Lakehouse Recovery Center:

"When there is a convenient—and healthy—way to protect the liver from alcohol-related cirrhosis, and when the science supports this conclusion, we want to share that material with the public. Alcoholism is too serious a disease for us to ignore or dismiss this problem. In short, a cup of coffee is the best toast to bid farewell to vodka, gin or champagne."

Of course, it will take more research to fully validate these seemingly miracle effects of our familiar beverage. Recall that Hippocrates himself advised us to "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."

It's time to wake up and smell the coffee!

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Need help with substance abuse or mental health issues? In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline.