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Why We Drink Too Much

by Charles Knowles MD

  • Macmillan Publishers
  • 2026
  • ISBN: 978-1250392923
  • 304 pages
  • WorldCat
Why We Drink Too Much
About the Book

For the sober curious, those who may need help, and readers just interested in a popular science book on what happens when we sip a glass of wine, Why We Drink Too Much explains the science behind drinking and invites us to examine our relationship with alcohol. Pairing scientific expertise with his personal experiences, Dr. Charles Knowles offers us an accessible window into what really happens in our brains and bodies when we drink and why we do it. The pleasure people derive from alcohol varies greatly, both physically and mentally. Our response is influenced by the genes we were born with and the environment in which we grew up. For some of us, alcohol is greatly enhancing; for others, it is not much fun at all. ebook icon Audio book icon
Dr. Charles Knowles
About the Author

Dr. Charles Knowles, MA, PhD, FRCS, FASCRS, is Professor of Surgery at Queen Mary University of London and Chief Academic Officer at the Cleveland Clinic London. Qualifying as a doctor from the University of Cambridge, he continues to practice as a consultant colorectal surgeon. Knowles has authored more than three hundred peer-reviewed publications and contributed to several major international surgical textbooks. Why We Drink Too Much is his first popular science book with his own journey providing the impetus to explore a subject that almost cost him his life. He now champions the idea that problematic drinking is not a problem of weak will or low moral integrity and believes that the term alcoholic should no longer be seen as a dirty word that can be revealed only anonymously.

Photo credit: Ray Burmiston

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last updated: 12/16/25 15:45