Do alcohol and weight gain go hand in hand? The answer to this question may not be as straightforward as you'd expect. While there is a clear link between alcohol consumption and weight gain, there may be certain steps you can take to avoid gaining weight while still enjoying an occasional glass of wine. Read on if you're wondering, "Does alcohol make you fat?"

How Alcohol Contributes to Weight Gain
You may be asking yourself how alcohol and weight are linked with each other. What causes the weight gain? Is it avoidable? The truth is that alcohol makes you gain weight because the body's need to dispose of a perceived threat to the system surpasses its need to metabolize other substances in the body.

Empty Calories, Extra Fat Storage
Instead of correctly processing the food you ate just before drinking, the calories from alcohol take precedence. While your body metabolizes the calories from alcohol, the other foods in your system turn into fat. This fat is then stored in unsightly places. While you may enjoy consuming three drinks or more, you probably hope to avoid any resulting love handles or beer belly.

Slows Metabolism
Alcohol and weight gain are also linked because regular alcohol consumption in excess, or more than two drinks a night, may slow your body's ability to metabolize in general. Your blood sugar plummets the next day, and you may be tempted to make up for it by consuming sugary treats and starchy carbohydrates.

What Do You Like to Drink?
The number of calories you consume depends on the type of alcoholic beverage you prefer to drink regularly. White wine and regular beer pack the least amount of calories as opposed to super sugary, liquor-based alcoholic drinks like Cosmopolitans or Rum and Cokes. The alcohol and weight gain connection may be avoided if you follow experts' recommendations and stick to the basic wine or beer to avoid packing on pounds.

Lowers Inhibition
When you're sober, a voice in your head may tell you to eat a gallon of ice cream, french fries, and the leftover pizza in the fridge, but another voice may remind and convince you not to. That second voice is often absent when you've had more than a few drinks. One bowl of ice cream turns into a whole pint, one slice of pizza turns into five, and this process continues. Your body is already not metabolizing the calories you had before you started drinking, so you can imagine what happens when your lowered inhibitions start ordering extra greasy foods to go.

How to Avoid Alcohol and Weight Gain
The trick to avoiding alcohol and weight gain is to not drink in excess. When you do drink, wisely choose a low-calorie option. While individuals who drink in excess are prone to weight gain, individuals who don't drink at all are also prone to additional weight gain when compared to moderate drinkers. Drinking the right drink in moderation may be the smartest way to control your weight without surrendering your drinking privileges.