A little alcohol is good for you - or is it?
68I tend to look at alcohol with a biased eye. Oh, I'm no teetotaler; I'll order a beer with my pizza and I won't always turn down a glass of wine at dinner. I'm just not so sure that I'm doing myself any favors by drinking alcohol, even if it is very "moderate".
Yes, I'm aware of the research that says moderate consumption is good for you. I've read about resveratrol in red wine and all that. I remain a bit skeptical just the same.
Part of it is that I see far too many people stretching the meaning of "moderate". There is definitely some slop in how much that covers, but downing several beers or glasses of wine every day of the week is not included in the range. Yet that's exactly what I see some folks doing, because "drinking is healthy".
It's actually poison
You know that, but of course so is salt and even plain old water can kill you if you ingest too much. Telling people that they are poisoning themselves is not likely to convince anyone.
I was recently very interested to read about this research that found a small amount of alcohol extended the normal 15 day lifespan of a tiny worm to as much as 40 days. The reason for my interest was that I expect to hear about this from friends as that news percolates its way through the usual channels.
What will likely be left out is how little alcohol was involved. According to the researchers, it was the equivalent of "the alcohol in one beer diluted into a hundred gallons of water".
So, assuming a 12 ounce can of beer and further assuming that you might otherwise consume 64 ounces of liquid per day, that would mean you spreading that one beer out over 200 days. That's a bit lower than what some might consider "moderate".
However, that was the low concentration and the benefit was still observed at 20 times more alcohol with killing the poor worms. So let's make it easier: you can nurse that beer for ten days instead.
Sounds like a raucous pah-ty, doesn't it? Pour off a tenth of the can and drink up! Mmm, mmm, so refreshing!
But of course we are not worms. We have a more sophisticated intake system, for one thing: we don't swim in our alcohol to ingest it. There's a bit of a buffer there and often some food that absorbs a bit, so it's a pretty safe bet that you and I can safely drink quite a bit more than that.
Resveratrol
I seriously think I may scream if I hear about resveratrol in wine once more. If resveratrol has health benefits, the amount you'd get from a glass of red wine is likely far too little to matter. Further, whatever amount it does have came from the skin of grapes - why not eat the grapes instead?
Peanuts also contain resveratrol and although some folks do have peanut allergies, for most of us the only risk peanuts pose might be to our waistline.
That's not to say that light to moderate drinking may not have benefits. You can Google "alcohol benefits" and find all sorts of reasons to pour a glass with dinner tonight. However, you can also find studies that indicate just the opposite and you won't find anything that says getting blotto drunk or anything close to it is a good idea.
That's the thing I see far too often: people using supposed health benefits as an excuse for foolish behavior.
What is "moderate" drinking?
My doctor asked me how much alcohol I consume. I told her that nobody will ever get rich selling me booze, which made her laugh. I further explained that we have bottles of liquor in our cabinet that we might have bought decades ago and that if I buy a six pack of beer in June, I usually have to throw away some of it come September.
Obviously "moderate" is a bit more than that. The problem is that no one seems to know what it really is. A very detailed study available from the NIH points out the many reasons why this is so difficult to pin down and finally concludes that "moderate" is somewhere in the 4 to 14 drinks per week range. That's a heck of a range, isn't it? I know a lot of people who consider their drinking habits as "moderate" who would easily exceed that, and who would justify it with various excuses ("I'm a big person", "I always drink with food", "people's tolerance varies"). They may even be right.
Let's just leave it at this: less is probably better. It should also be obvious that if you mostly abstain but then go out and drink yourself into oblivion once a month, you aren't being "healthy" even if that technically still put you in the lower categories.
Listen to the old man
This section comes under the heading of "personal anecdote" and is therefore worthless in any scientific examination.
I'm almost 64 years old as I write this. I've seen a lot of people over the course of my years on this earth and I've had the opportunity to know some people for fairly long periods of time.
My completely unscientific opinion is that the people who drink regularly, whether it seems heavy or not, end up looking much older than those who do not. I insist that this is true even for those who do not smoke; drinking seems to cause premature aging.
There is scientific research that shows that heavy drinkers do age more quickly, but I'm saying that I have observed this in many "moderate" drinkers. You can dismiss that as valueless or laugh it off with some witty comment that implies that they at least have more fun, but it was that observation that caused me to lower my own alcohol consumption even more than I might have otherwise.
You can feel free to ignore my advice or even state that you have observed exactly the opposite. I'll bet dollars to donuts (which really doesn't make sense any more, considering the price of a donut) that somebody will assert that, in fact. It won't change my mind, but I'm sure it will help assuage any guilt "moderate" drinkers might otherwise feel.
Where do you fall?
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I like a beer with my pizza and (rarely) wine with Italian dishes.. other than that, yes, I agree.
Alcohol is a very expensive addiction as is most addictions, healthful or otherwise. I choose to leave it alone. There are other things a person can use that is more healthful and less expensive in my opinion.
This is a great hub, and I am really glad that I voted in the poll and found out that out of the three votes there, all three are abstainers. Of course, I'm assuming that people aren't lying.
I'm also of the opinion that consuming alcohol is almost never a good idea, so I completely agree with you. Aside from this, I just wanted to say that hardly anyone will believe that you will be 64 soon, so that should really be a good argument to back up the point you are trying to make.
I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille :)
I believe alcohol in moderation may be good for people because I have listened many times to really old people they talk to and many of them not only have a drink in the evening but many also have a few cigarettes! (Like 4 a day) So I guess all things in moderation and I nor my husband drink anything at all so it is not based on anything personal. An old friend of my mothers was told by her doctor to have a glass of wine each evening (most wines are only about 4% alcohol aren't they?) The night before she was going to do that she died in her sleep. Many I am sure would jump to say that is why. The reason why is they put a no good battery in her pacemaker. If she had wine that day, who knows?
Yes, the expense boggles my mind. I see what some folks spend on alcohol - it's incredible!
@Jackie: my grandmother had a small glass of wine every day also and lived into her nineties.
So far we're all abstainers. Good. I used to drink heavily, and was addicted to it. I know people who have died through it, seriously, and lost jobs, homes, etc.
I honestly dislike alcohol and people who drink it to excess.
Most of all though, of course, I dislike the hypocrisy of a government that taxes alcohol sales and determines that fermented hops are OK whereas a plant with funny shaped leaves is not. I feel a hub coming on...
Hmm.. careful with that one Mark - isn't there some HP policy about that (more hypocrisy, of course)?
Ayup: See http://hubpages.com/faq/#drugs
Well, I'm a heavy drinker by the standards set here.
I seriously dislike the way professional medicine is forever finding something "wrong" with everyone. I've had four Docs tell me I'm "bi polar," but I rejected all of that stuff, and take no medications any longer.
...but I have a seriously hard time setting still for long, unless I'm sipping beer....as I nearly always am when reading or writing/commenting something on this website.
Marijuana also works for me - but it sort of prevents me from having so many seemingly lucid thoughts.
At least I don't kid myself about "health benefits."
On the upside, having read a lot of Hemingway...me being a heavy drinker is definitely OUT by some other folk's standards. :-/
So far as the drug thing goes - I think Mark would be fine talking about "hypocrisy," you just can't say, "I think everyone should smoke pot" - as that would get you into trouble.
I've wrote one about meth, and a bit about it's history - no problems there. Obviously, I'm not stating "try meth! It's wonderful!" LOL.
Thanks for the warnings guys! I wouldn't be promoting anything - my view is they are all bad. I sound like a right party pooper, people are free to do as they please with their lives. My personal view is, I'm better off without. Addictive personality, not safe to be trusted with temptation.
Ah well, that's all there was to it. Plus twenty pages on how hypocritical... well you get the idea.
Incidentally. The idea of sipping beers and playing guitar with Wesman is one of the more appealing thoughts I have had recently.
Women that drink are at a higher risk of breast cancer too. It's only a few drinks they can have per week without raising the risk. Good hub.
Yes, I read about the breast cancer link recently.
Mark and Wes - play that funky music!
@Wesman: I woud guess that drinking every day is probably "healthier" than going on a weekly or monthly bender and if it is keeping you off stuff that could mess with you in other ways, who knows?
Definitely.
Incidentally there was one anti psychotic/mood stabilizing drug that I did like, and that was Seroquel.
I used to have a terrible time getting to bed at night as my mind would just race when I'd lay down and try to sleep...and Seroquel truly ended that problem for me.
So once on Reddit I was telling some person about how that stuff did wonderful things for me - but this guy went on to say that after taking Seroquel for years and years....he could no longer sleep for more than an hour or two at a time without it, and besides that - it had caused him to put on a terrible amount of weight.
I'd also gained 30 pounds when taking Seroquel...but as I'm typically very very thin anyway...I hadn't even thought about that as a negative thing, and probably didn't really think that Seroquel was entirely to blame for that.
Gosh, since using Melatonin....I'd never recommend Seroquel to anyone who had problems getting rest.
Yes, we have to be our own doctors. I have RSBD ( see http://pcunix.hubpages.com/hub/RBD-Nightmares ). I tried melatonin without any luck. I refuse to take the heavier drugs that supposedly will help, but I may have to eventually because it's getting worse as I get older. Maybe I should try a little wine or beer before bed..
Pcunix....I like this topic although I don't care for alcohol. It hasn't always been this way. When I was growing up (assuming that I HAVE) the legal drinking age was 18 (HORROR!) so, being as typical and normal as any red-blooded teen, back in the day, I drank with my friends. (Whooppee!) Married and had children young, so then drinks were for "special occasions" only. For the past decade and a half, in addition to taking a Rx that forbids mixing w/ alcohol....it dawned on me one day that wine = terrible heartburn....beer = incredible bloat and hard liquor = headache, barfing, hangover. Doesn't this all sound like a really GOOD time?! Haven't touched a single drop in 15 yrs and I don't miss it in the least. Sad...all those brain cells killed for something I never liked to begin with. Duh..Hello!
I am an abstainer now for more than ten years. I moderately drank my life-time supply in too few years. There have been more health benefits to myself and those around me from quitting than the promised benefits of a few.
Ayup. Too many unpleasant stories involve alcohol.
No matter what you have read or think you know about alcohol, achieving the status of "heavy drinking" requires a bit more than two beers/drinks per day. Ha-ha! That was the funniest thing I have read all day. Thanks for sharing... :D
@insane mundane: I'm sure most doctors would find your amusement quite amusing, too. In a different way, of course.
I guess I should have added "Ha-Ha" as a final category in the poll...
Actually, most doctors would say, unless you have a pre-existing condition that would not allow such, that drinking a couple beers a day is good for you. But by no means is 2 drinks a day considered "heavy drinking" by no standard of medical science or common sense. Heavy drinking involves much more per day and often involves more than one decade, to say the least.
Actually, you are talking through your hat. Get lost.
Sorry, folks, but I have no patience for ignorance.
As is plainly indicated above, 2 drinks a day falls at the high end of '"moderate" and informed opinion no longer thinks it is "good for you". It may not be harmful, but it's not "good".
Pcunix...Here, here, my good man....no need to aplogize for being adverse to ignorance. I see that as a very sensible quality in a man. But now I've gone and gotten myself into a math quandry...are you a Math genius? Help me...2 drinks per day X's 365 days per year = 730 drinks annually.......but 2 drinks per day x 7 days per wk=14 drinks per wk x 52 wks per yr = 728 drinks...What the heck (HIC!) happened to the other two drinks?? lmao. Hope you DO have patience for a smart ass.
@fpherj48: Just drink more during "leap year" and be done with it. As for the ignorance, you see how I deal with it..., as the conversation ends when I realize that I'm dealing with people that parallel with single-cell amoeba; cheers!
What do you say, folks? Should I delete this fols comments or leave them so other people can know him?
I think his comments were very rude, but it's probably better to leave them. I always like to get to know Hubbers better by reading their comments - whether they are written with well intentions or they are just plain mean.
Pcunix....why deny our fellow-hubbers the opportunity of a laugh or two? I'm beginning to suspect he has had his 2 drinks per day quota, 6 days in advance. Ya think?
On second thought....delete the fool. Got a feeling he's in this for the attention. Cut him off at the post!!
Yes, I think I will leave them.
actually, moderate drinking is well-defined. no more than two drinks for a man and one drink for a woman per day. half that if you're over 65 yrs old.
Great reading! I never could aquire the taste for it, so I stay away from it most of the time. I have a lot of family that drinks in what they call "moderation" but don't realize how unhealthy it is becoming. I have to agree with mljdgulley, it can be an expensive habit that I would rather spend elsewhere.
@cathlynn99: Ayup. Unfortunately, some people want to deny reality.
@tipoague: We used to spend quite a bit of our summers at a camp ground. Some of neighbors there thought it quite normal to spend several hundred dollars at the bar on a long weekend.
@cathlynn99: Yeah, moderate drinking standards for alcohol have been set in stone for decades, being 1 daily drink for women, and 2 drinks for men. I knew that when I was a kid, duh! Even though the publisher of this hub seems to not be able to comprehend my comments, I have never said that 2 drinks a day or whatever, isn't considered moderate.
I'm simply saying that 2.01 drinks is not considered "heavy drinking." You just don't go from moderate to "heavy." I'm not going to provided links to articles I have wrote on other websites about this subject and the related subjects that come with it (I have wrote about a lot of random subjects, trust me), especially since I do good to disagree on here and not get freakin' deleted!
Anyway, "heavy drinking" is in another class entirely. It is usually 6 or more a day for women, and at least 8 units of alcohol per day for men - but either way, it is quite a bit more than 2 drinks a day!
For one, we are all different, and we each have different enzyme levels and rates we metabolize certain things and so on, so what is moderate to some, may be heavy to another... As foolish as it was, since I learned these things long ago, I did go back and perform a couple web searches about the status of "heavy drinking," and it is just what I said, and it's also on a couple Wikipedia pages, so go figure...
Side Note to the random commentators: By the way, how am I rude? Can a person not disagree with anybody anymore?
@fpherj48: You're just mad I wasn't impressed with your silly math babble when you obviously didn't include that it is technically 365.25 days a year, hence forth my "leap year" comment to you. I mean, what was I suppose to do, be in awe with such a simplistic statement that wasn't even accurate to begin with? LOL!
As I noted above, of course these definitions are fluid and some people are more tolerant or bigger or know to eat more and so on.
You are now being more reasonable. Your first comment (the "Ha-Ha") made you sound like some jackass who drinks too much and doesn't want to believe it.
However, "heavy" is defined as more than 2 per day by the NIH and others. I certainly agree that that MIGHT not be heavy for YOU, but it IS how it is defined, like it or not.
I'd say what ticks me off is when someone plainly didn't bother to read carefully and then jumps down to make a comment. Note what I said above after referencing the NIH standards:
"That's a heck of a range, isn't it? I know a lot of people who consider their drinking habits as "moderate" who would easily exceed that, and who would justify it with various excuses ("I'm a big person", "I always drink with food", "people's tolerance varies"). They may even be right."
And BEFORE referencing them, I said: "Obviously "moderate" is a bit more than that. The problem is that no one seems to know what it really is. "
See my point? I'm careful to surround all that with the obvious disclaimers, but then you jump in with "we're all different, wikipedia says this, blah, blah, funniest thing I've heard today, ha-ha"
As to fpherj48, obviously he was joking. Do you (Insane Mundane) truly think the world is full of idiots and only you have a working brain? Sure sounds that way to me..
Here I was thinking fpherj48 was a female, and now you're telling me the world isn't full of ignorance. No, of course I'm not the only one with a functioning brain that possesses a reasonable amount of cognitive ability.
Anyway, I'll be sure to not say "ha-ha!" on your hubs, and keep it strictly "LOL!" or other less abrasive terms. But more back to the original subject: Thanks for clearing up our misunderstanding, seriously... :)
Oh, crap, can I at least smile on here? :/
Insane Mundane...(which I'm sure you are neither) Interesting that you spoke "down" to me whilst believing I was female. Let me help you out. My "silly math babble," was not silly nor babble. That was strictly my way of diffusing the tension you seemed to be bent on creating... by using a bit of my idea of diversion humor. Obviously, everyone else GOT THAT, but you. The reality is, I have no real interest in the answer to my little math question. I merely am not comfortable when hubbers begin to get "testy" and/or combative with an author. It's unnecessary as well as discourteous. HP is a community of fellow-authors, writing, reading, sharing and commenting with interest and mutual respect. If you enjoy doing battle or participating in heated debates, there are HUNDREDS of websites you can frequent. It's really just this simple. Glad to see you and our fine author have ironed out the wrinkles. Hope you don't have an issue with pacifists.....Peace!
Holy smokes, Tony, your hub on RSBD was alarming. I'd never heard of it, and am sorry you have to deal with it. As for alcohol, my dad had a serious addiction to it, so my siblings and I are careful not to let that happen to us. I myself I have one cocktail during each USC game, and it's mostly fruit juice. I've tried for years to remember to drink a glass of red wine with dinner because I thought it was good for me, but I usually forget; now I'm beginning to read that it really doesn't do any good anyway, so I'm quitting!
Thanks for the additional observation about alcohol making people look older; that's a serious added incentive to cut down!
Yes, indeed: you get an official smiley. I wish they'd let us use emoticons in comments, too.
No harm done, I think we are all on the same page now?
Oh, and fpherj48: I forgot to go check your gender. probably because I don't care :-)
@Leah Helensdottr: it's harder on my wife than it is on me. For me, it's just a dream - I'm protecting her more often than not. It's my tendency to scream as I attack that is a bit scary - well, that and kicking the hell out of an imaginary intruder who I have knocked to the floor with my first blows :)
the proven benefit of all alcohol, not just red wine, is that it raises HDL (good) cholesterol, thus protecting the heart and providing a mortality benefit. the mortality benefit is less in women, because of the increased risk of breast cancer in women who drink even a little. ALL the advice i've seen recommends not starting to drink alcohol if you don't already. instead look for the same benefits by exercise and eating healthily.
Ayup. I think that is the best advice.
Very interesting hub. The benefits of wine are mixed. I wouldn't be surprised to see a huge difference in opinion among the medical community in a few years about how all of a sudden red wine is bad for you.
The problem is that many doctors like their little drinkie-poo also. I would say the evidence is pretty strong now, but people (including doctors) resist believing it.
And of course there is no way that the alcoholic beverages lobbies are going to let the government say that without a big fight.
I've also observed that drinkers look older... even the so-called "moderate" ones (whatever that really means). I stopped drinking in 1995 because I had a problem. No way did I want to perpetuate the alcoholism that runs rampant in our family. Frankly, I loathe the smell of the stuff on people. I can smell it a mile away.
People will look for any excuse to drink their red wine, in my opinion. Good for you? Antioxidants? Pfffttt. Just eat well and you've got your bases covered. Plus, there's more and more evidence women who drink have an increased risk of breast cancer. But, it doesn't seem you hear a lot about THAT!
A culture of denial.
As a neighbor insists "You have to die someday".
So I should hasten that with unhealthy habits??
Drink brings out the worst in people and some of the comments written verify this. What is moderation for some is way over the top for others. People will see the guidelines and make them suit there selves. There is the problem.
That is true..
Yes this is true , some of the doctors recommend it. Because liquors also consists of vitamins and minerals. It is also proven that drinkers has little chance of getting sick (those who drink in right moderation) . I should mske a hub about this.
Alcohol is good for you because it contains vitamins???
Ohh, boy...
Yes, all the beers and wines here in the Philippines are proved to contain minerals that can help our body. I also believe that liquors outside our country is also helpful. Im into the brighter side of ideas..
Vitamins can be ADDED to liquor. I can't imagine the intelligence level that would prompt such idiocy.
BRIAN..."Drink brings out the worst in people"....Oh, does it EVER! I wrote a HUB: "A Sober Look at Drunk." It's humorous in a very TRUE way......
Can we have the link, fpher?
Wines are made from cultured fruits, beers from cultured malts. I think it's not plain idiocy. Just to think where these liquors came from. If your ideas are genrally correct, why some governments didn't impose a total alcohol ban?? And to think that drinking liquors is dated back from the ancient civilizations. Just so you know, that liquors, especially beers and wines has good benefits. They are made from cultured malts and fruits. It is so rude of you that it is idiocy but I redpect your idea.
Okey-dokey. Keep believing, keep drinking :)
Yui, I missed that you thought my comment about the idiocy of adding vitamins to liquor was directed at you. It was not. I'll leave it at that.
In so many older people they ask what they attribute to long life they had a drink before bedtime and some even 3 or 4 cigarettes. I believe moderation in all things not becoming addicts and I believe a small amount of alcohol must be beneficial. Look at the chemicals (medicines) we pump into our bodies to stay alive, surely it is better than that. I do not drink or smoke. I use the chemicals, but working on natural remedies too.
Who knows how long they might have lived otherwise?
But I do agree: moderation in everything.
Alcohol such as from wine, gin, and beer is good if taken moderately. It is one of the disinfectants, which is use for healing wounds and ulcers, like esophageal ulcer. It also prevent osteoporosis.
Hi, I'm new to Hubpages. This is my first comment.
I haven't looked at the studies on alcohol consumption and health, but I do wonder how those studies define teetotalers. Most of the teetotalers that I know are alcoholics, who stopped drinking after already damaging their health. So if the teetotalers in the studies have a prior drinking history, then the researchers might be associating poor health with non-drinking, when exactly the opposite is true.
@soulsirene: That thinking is being questioned. It might be true, but we already know that it isn't true for breast cancer, for example.
@spectacled-bear: I'm quite sure that "did you ever drink" is a question on the surveys. Most scientists aren't that sloppy :)
@Pcunix, You may be right, but scientists are not always careful or ethical, especially where consumer goods are concerned. I was in school during the 60s and 70s, when cigarette companies regularly produced studies purporting to show that cigarette smoking had no harmful effects. In addition, even if the scientists studying alcohol did design studies like this correctly, who's to say that participants answered that question correctly? Apart from the stigma of alcoholism, there are very good reasons not to advertise your health history, for example, so that you are not denied health insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions. If the participants did not trust the confidentiality of the information, they may not have answered such a question correctly.
You are probably right that the studies were designed correctly, but there are other possibilities.
There are always other possibilities. I wouldn't hang on the slim chance of that as a reason to keep quaffing down the booze, though.
And, as to vitamins in beer, I'm not sure where the current research is. Wikipedia still insists that the alcohol negates the bioavailability but other places say differently. In any case, as vitamins are easily available from foods that do not contain alcohol, I'd say that using vitamin content as an excuse to drink certainly is foolish at the least.
Alcoholism destroys people's lives. Unfortunately, I have known for some people to literally drink themselves to death. It's a shame that people use alcohol to the point to where it makes them act stupid. That is what turned me off to drinking. I just don't like what I see. How is it that people can have other health issues and still drink alcohol? What they don't realize is that they are only making their health problems even worse. The benefits of not drinking alcohol far outweigh any claim that alcohol is good in small amounts. But to each his own. Wonderful hub!!!!
I certainly agree. However, many people seem to need drugs to escape reality. It is sad.
I just saw this today: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/90618
People who don't drink tend to look like Barny-5.
People who drink moderately and work out regularly, look very fit.
People who drink heavily and don’t work out look fat and old.
Assuming all are the same age, Barny-5 will die first, then the alcoholic, then the moderate drinker who works out.
Sophia Angelique Level 6 Commenter 3 months ago
Well, I don't really like the taste of alcohold so that pretty much takes care of that!