More proof that no amount of alcohol is safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They mention that a drink or two a day isn't risk free. But that doesn't seem like light drinking to me. Is there really evidence showing increased risk with truly light drinking - say a drink a month or a drink a year vs being a complete teetotaler?

I agree 1-2 drinks/day isn't light drinking.

I've had maybe 11 drinks in the past year. 8 of those were wine from a vacation to Italy. I'm not going to worry about that.

Drinking regularly is obviously bad for you in so many ways, but a vacation indulgence is highly unlikely to cause adverse long term effects.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They mention that a drink or two a day isn't risk free. But that doesn't seem like light drinking to me. Is there really evidence showing increased risk with truly light drinking - say a drink a month or a drink a year vs being a complete teetotaler?

I agree 1-2 drinks/day isn't light drinking.

I've had maybe 11 drinks in the past year. 8 of those were wine from a vacation to Italy. I'm not going to worry about that.

Drinking regularly is obviously bad for you in so many ways, but a vacation indulgence is highly unlikely to cause adverse long term effects.

+1 It seems like these studies asked about how many drinks people usually have in a week. Not how many drinks you had last year.

Look around you. People who drink alcohol in moderation aren't all dropping dead or developing dementia at super young ages.

[Anonymous]

I know no one with dementia but I know a lot of regular drinkers. Does anyone? Just curious. But, frequent drinking is not healthy.

In human history, wine was watered down. Like pot, the wine of today is not the wine of yesteryear. Maybe we should return to the practice of watering wine.

[Anonymous]

No amount of driving is safe; driving even a mile puts you at risk of death and injury.

No amount of swimming in the ocean is safe; you are at risk of drowning.

No amount of eating candy is safe; it increases your risk of a heart attack.

The health risks from a few drinks a week, or even a drink a day, are highly uncertain, and even if there are are risks they are extremely small.

If you don't want to drink at all, don't. Definitely don't drink heavily. But if you enjoy a drink now and then, enjoy it!

For the details: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/01/moderate-drinking-warning-labels-cancer/681322/

[Anonymous]

So I am doomed because I used to vacation 6 weeks a year and drink 3 drinks a day on vacation. Oh well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So I am doomed because I used to vacation 6 weeks a year and drink 3 drinks a day on vacation. Oh well.

My god woman get your affairs in order, your end is imminent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh brother. Humans have been drinking alcohol since the beginning of human history. Life causes dementia and cancer, not alcohol.

We even can see drunk animals in the wild that have eaten fermented fruit. There are videos of drunk bears - it’s natural

[Anonymous]

New study: Life'll kill ya.

[Anonymous]

It is ok to have drinks sometimes, take breaks when you need them, etc. Life is not about always being productive and healthy. Being geared up and always focused on tasks and doing the right thing for your health is just how the protestant work ethic-based upbringing many of us experienced as kids expresses itself in middle age. TBH, I think that living like that does more damage to your health than being able to just have a drink with a friend and connect after a long day of work.

We are all going to die and there will be no prizes for the most sanctimonious...

[Anonymous]

Meh. I don't want to live past 80 anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I rarely drink but I just don’t get this. Italians Spaniards and the French all drink socially on a very regular basis. If this were true, they would have much higher rates of dementia. But they don’t seem to. Is it possible that people in the U.S. that drink regularly also tend to eat a diet that increases risk of dementia?

Bingo!!

IMO, that is very likely the case. Go to Italy, France and Spain---do you see 40% of the population as overweight/obese? Nope! They eat much healthier, they exercise simply "doing daily life" as they walk much more, and they don't overeat.

I figure, I eat healthy, walk 10-15K daily sometime more, get 7-8+ hours of sleep 6out of 7 days, never smoked, never done "drugs". I've never been overweight (most was for the 1-2 years post having a kid where I held onto 15-20 lbs, which disappeared once I stopped breastfeeding each kid). My only real vices are dark chocolate and wine. Sure, it might cut a few years off my life, but I prefer to enjoy my life as well. I also figure, if you do 95% of life very healthy, then you can cheat a bit with a few "risks" that give you great pleasure.

But if you are going to have 2-3 drinks daily AND get only 1K steps, sleep for 4-5 hours, smoke, smoke weed, do some recreational drugs, and be 40+lbs overweight, well then you might see more detrimental effects on your life.

[Anonymous]

Work and stress are bad for you too....Rich Americans have diets that aren't all that terrible and they work out, but they work too much. Sleep and being with friends is important. Having a drink with a friend is probably better for your health than being a spun up workaholic/work out nut...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there more dementia in countries with citizens who are known to drink more (the UK for example)?

There is some overlap but it’s not a direct correlation. The highest rates of dementia per the WHO are:

Finland: 10.6%
Sweden: 10.4%
United Kingdom: 9.0%
France: 8.9%
Germany: 8.8%

The highest rates of alcoholism is:
Lebanon
The Uk
Peru
Finland
Togo

Dementia is a rich country problem. You need long lived populations + extensive proactive healthcare for diagnoses and reliable data. I wouldn't pay much attention to this.

Alcohol in excess is problematic. A moderate intake is not.

- drinks on average once a month and has no real interest in alcohol.

[Anonymous]

DCUM: Alcohol is fine, but Diet Coke will kill you. Never change.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCUM: Alcohol is fine, but Diet Coke will kill you. Never change.....

I think what people are saying is that neither will literally kill you. Both increase your risk level of certain diseases that may be fatal or contribute to your demise, but everyone dies at some point.