It has become apparent that I have a drinking problem. It's tough to admit, but I took a hard look at the facts and came to this conclusion: I don't drink enough.
My intake of dihydrogenoxide is way below the daily requirement. That's water, by the way, just in case you're one of the lucky people who received an e-mail urging the ban of dihydrogenoxide because, among other reasons, it has been found in tumors and is a major component of acid rain.
Similar e-mails warn that 75 percent of Americans are chronically dehydrated and can't tell the difference between thirst and hunger pangs. According to most of these messages, people should be drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily.
A little searching led me to some online calculators that were more specific and a little scary. One site, part of a marketing campaign for a green tea-based diet program, suggested that based on my weight and exercise level, I should be drinking 20 8-ounce glasses of water a day.
Gosh, that seems like a lot. How will I ever drink that much water? If only there were some sort of green tea-based diet supplement to help me get through all that!
There's a grain of truth in all this hysteria. Most of us could stand to drink more water, but stressing about how to choke down a few gallons a day is counterproductive. We get a lot of the water we need in the food we eat. But a few glasses a day will keep you from shriveling up like an earthworm on the sidewalk.
Nearly anything you drink (except booze) provides about the same amount of hydration as water. Water has no artificial flavors or colors and has zero calories, so you're still better off choosing it over diet chocolate soda. The eight 8-ounce glass rule is one of those myths that gets repeated as sound medical advice.
Some diets advise drinking lots of water for various pseudo-science reasons. If you drink more than your body can use, it will find its way out of you.
It boils down to this: It's possible, even likely in this climate, that you're not drinking enough water. If you're thirsty, drink. If not, you could drink anyway. If you think you're going to reap untold benefits by processing a few gallons a day, give it your best shot. It won't kill you and there are certainly worse ways to waste water.
F. Andrew Taylor is a Las Vegas freelance writer. His column appears twice monthly. Contact him at fandrewt@cox.net.
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