This article was excerpted here a couple weeks ago from MSNBC but that link is now dead and the thread only garnered 13 responses anyway. So I thought I'd post the article here in its entirety so we can attempt to have a serious discussion about the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. I would also like to know what Freepers consider "moderate" drinking. Anything that is published says no more than 1 or 2 drinks a day, but I have had a doctor privately tell me that there is nothing wrong with "several" drinks a day so long as you spread them out and have them with food.

I can certainly vouch for this study and I feel pretty strongly about the subject, especially since there are so many hangups about alcohol in our society. Tell somebody you drink a couple of beers every night and their first impression is to think of you as a lush.

There is nothing endearing about a drunk and I resent the fact that moderate drinkers, who drink alcohol daily, are often lumped into that category. What I especially hate is when people try to shame the moderate drinker by saying things like "If you drink alone, you have a problem." That is a ridiculous assumption to make. Especially since when you are at a social gathering, you are far more likely to overdo it.

Now I'm not talking about alcoholics in this thread so please don't give me examples about the alcoholic you know who hides liquor bottles all over the house and drinks alone so he/she can get drunk without others knowing. I'm talking only about the moderate and responsible use of alcohol. Granted, there are alcoholics and people who are prone to be alcoholic who should never touch the stuff. This thread is not for them or about them.

Now about 15 years ago, I began drinking two or three beers a day. Sometimes more than that but never to the point where I am "drunk". I hate being drunk and since I am the type of person who is mentally active virtually every waking second (in addition to spending several hours a day here, I also find time to read 50-100 pages a day of books and newspapers). I hate watching television as I get bored easily and I never just sit around doing nothing at all. In fact, when I do watch TV, I have a book on my lap (which drives my wife crazy). Point I'm making is that if I'm drunk, I can't use my mind to do the things I like to do so I never get to that point.

My basic daily drinking routine is as follows. (Sometimes I'll have wine instead but usually beer). I'll usually have my first beer either at dinner or just before. Then during the evening hours, I'll generally have one or two more over the course of the night. I never "snack" after dinner, a mug of beer by my side does just fine. Not every single night but most nights when I am home.

Now let me tell you a little about my medical history. In the last 15 years I have only been sick twice (flu) and have only missed one day of work due to illness. Though my family has a history of heart disease and high blood pressure, a recent checkup shows no signs of either (I am 40 years old). Despite being a good 30 pounds overweight, my cholesterol is only 175, compared with 250+ readings with most of the rest of my family. I am happy, well-adjusted and relatively stress-free. Also, in my last blood test, everything was within normal range, even my liver. And I attribute this good health to the judicious and responsible consumption of beer and wine.

Now to be fair, I should mention other factors that may contribute to my good health. I generally avoid processed foods, eat lots of fish and olive oil and I don't smoke. I eat a tin of sardines (packed in olive oil) every day, either for breakfast or lunch. But on the other hand, I don't exercise much and I eat a lot of high-fat foods such as meats, nuts and cheese. I do avoid cakes, pies and ice cream however, and just about any "snack" food. Rule of thumb for me is if the food has a bunch of ingredients I can't pronounce, I try to avoid it.

Anyway, I was just wondering if other Freepers have the same lifestyle and if so, if they are also healthy and free of heart-disease, high-blood pressure and high cholesterol, etc. Now I gave out all this information about myself because I want to be honest about my lifestyle and encourage others who wish to participate in this thread to be honest as well. Just about any moderate drinker will say "never more than 1 or 2 drinks a day" but do they actually practice that? Or is it really 2 to 4 drinks a day? In order to determine whether or not moderate drinking is beneficial, we need to be honest with ourselves.

BTW, I don't want this thread turned into an argument over whether one should drink or not. If you are a non-drinker, fine, I respect that and I have no desire to change your mind. So I don't want to hear about calls for Prohibition and I don't want to hear about how your family was ruined by an alcoholic father, etc. It's not that I don't care (I have alcoholism in my family too) or that I don't think alcoholism is a problem in our society, but this thread is not about that. I desire a serious, adult discussion about the benefits of moderate drinking.

BTW, I am a beer and wine drinker and I rarely ever drink the hard stuff. But if anybody wants to tout the benefits of a scotch or two, have at it.

Where's the

Hold muh beer alert?

I will tout the benefits of a scotch or two...you buying?

Sigh. You gotta drink the stuff, not just hold it. Silly -- you should drink more beer and lessen the chance that your dementia gets worse.... ;-)

ah a miderete ginker too..........hic...........whu schtole mah glassss? ...oh...dere eh is

Maybe I was overly optimistic in having a serious discussion. Oh well. Where's that bottle opener...

I typically have 2 or 3 beers a week. Does that make me a 'conservative' drinker?

If only I didn't have to do sit-ups all the time to battle its effects on my midsection, it'd be much better news.

The stuff has been aroung since the dawn of time (archaeologists found a bottle of Adam and Eve's special home brew, Garden of THE God Pale Ale) and someone just now thinks it might be good for you?

Tell somebody you drink a couple of beers every night and their first impression is to think of you as a lush.

That person is OFF the Christmas list!

Leave it to Sam Adams to talk brewskis! :-)

I typically have 2 or 3 beers a week. Does that make me a 'conservative' drinker?

Let's discuss it over a few beers.

I desire a serious, adult discussion about the benefits of moderate drinking.

What's the big deal with a beer or three when you feel like 'em? Beer, wine, or a good scotch can be a pleasure, just like a good meal can be. There's no morality question about it, no societal ill, no nothin'.

btttttttttt

RE post #9...The stuff has been aroung? Make that, The stuff has been around...

I swear, I haven't had one dringk disth mornink!

If beer is good, Guinness is great.

amen, my brother!

I consider myself in a category similar to yours re: beer consumption, and yes, I've heard similar BS about drinking daily or drinking alone makes one an alcoholic. Totally untrue.

Unfortunately, American society has a stubborn streak of Puritanism that has resulted in the passage of ridiculous laws with respect to alcohol. Adults age 18 through 21 minus 1 day continue to have to deal with a federally mandated prohibition, and punishments for violating said prohibition laws are becoming more and more draconian and extreme. While young people in that age group are treated as adults in every other respect, yet are denied the "rite of passage" that their predecessors took for granted, it's no wonder we have such irrational views about alcohol. It used to be that parents would share a beer or a glass of wine with their children at dinner, or occasionally looked the other way at a party or family gathering when the youngster would indulge. Now the parent has to fear being brought up on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor if the kid even takes a sip.

Oh, but those laws were passed on "our" watch, weren't they (Uniform Drinking Age Act - signed by Ronald Reagan in 1984). Hmmm ...

Sam - I don't drink as much as you, but I wish I could. I am a cluster headache sufferer, and sometimes, if I'm in the middle of a cluster period, the smallest amount of alcohol will trigger a terrible episode. I like to avoid those.

I brew my own beer and very much enjoy drinking it (I especially enjoy not paying any tax on it since it all starts out as food products), and I also enjoy giving it to friends. As you have outlined so well in your comments, American reactionaries have gone completely overboard on the alcohol thing. It all stems from blaming something other than oneself instead of taking responsibility. Drunk driving death? The problem isn't the guy who drank too much, it's the alcohol.

I truly believe there are multiple health benefits from drinking in moderation (and I define that as not being drunk, whatever that is for each individual). There are added nutritional benefits from drinking unfiltered beer becasue of the live yeast cultures - B vitamins.

In our house, we lead by example. Our son sees responsible use of alcohol demonstrated. We always ask him if he wants to try what we're drinking. The answer is invariably "no," but when it's used as intended - as food (i.e., part of a meal) or a refreshing beverage instead of solely for effect - I think that gives kids the healthiest attitude to model, and thus a far lower chance of having alcohol problems in the future.

I agree that beer in moderation is good for you. I can't drink the hard stuff, though. I am allergic to it and it cause me to break out in severe foolishness......

To paraphrase a friend of mine,

"When I was 18, people were pushing beer at me, and I got sick after two or three. Now I have to pay for my beer, and I don't feel right unless I've had four or five!"