One of the things that bothers me about this (though indirect), which I say every time these articles are posted (about alcohol and health) is that we are working with an incomplete data set. It is absolutely true that the physical effects of any alcohol use are bad for your health, the problem is that we have no way to know if the social/psychological effects of moderate drinking outweigh the negatives... there has never been a longitudinal study on the matter, which is very frustrating.
We know that people who meet with their friends once a week for dinner are happier and have better health outcomes. We know that being married increases your lifespan. What story does alcohol with its deep cultural influence and use in social settings play in health outcomes - we don't know. We just know that alcohol is a poison, a poison that humans as a species have adapted to be able to consume and process better than other animals.
Speaking without any evidence whatsoever to back it up, I could totally imagine bimodal health impacts from alcohol where one group increases their health outcomes through moderate drinking as a social lubricant decreasing stress, increasing community, increasing the likelihood of marriage, and another group increases stress, isolation, and negative health impacts through excessive drinking.
Either way it would go, I would like real, empirical, LONGITUDINAL data to direct me on how to view alcohol, as opposed to the current state of things.
We know that people who meet with their friends once a week for dinner are happier and have better health outcomes. We know that being married increases your lifespan. What story does alcohol with its deep cultural influence and use in social settings play in health outcomes - we don't know. We just know that alcohol is a poison, a poison that humans as a species have adapted to be able to consume and process better than other animals.
Speaking without any evidence whatsoever to back it up, I could totally imagine bimodal health impacts from alcohol where one group increases their health outcomes through moderate drinking as a social lubricant decreasing stress, increasing community, increasing the likelihood of marriage, and another group increases stress, isolation, and negative health impacts through excessive drinking.
Either way it would go, I would like real, empirical, LONGITUDINAL data to direct me on how to view alcohol, as opposed to the current state of things.