Why do you drink alcohol?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My non drinking mom died of cancer.

My non drinking aunt has Parkinson’s.

Life is too short.

Those genes are a good reason not to drink.

PP and my drinking, smoking grandmothers lived to nearly 90.

I know we’d all like to think we can control things, but we don’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is evidence that humans have been drinking alcohol for 13,000 years. Based on this history, the threat to life doesn't seem that dire.

There's some serious logical flaws here... setting aside whether alcohol causes cancer, because I dunno, I'm not a scientist... people 13,000 years ago were being eaten by leopards and dying at age 23 when all of their teeth fell out. Of course they didn't get cancer from drinking to much Cab. That doesn't mean that wine doesn't cause cancer. Doesn't mean it does, but don't say silly things like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I drink it because I like it. And I'm not too concerned about the cancer risk. It doesn't affect everyone the same. And given all of the carcinogens we are exposed to, there's a good chance that if you do get cancer, it'll be because of something else.

A) this is a wildly uninformed opinion. you have no idea about the relative cancer risk of alcohol and how it affects everyone--the research is just starting to come through, but there is a clear and undeniable link between drinking and cancer. ignore it if you want, but don't pretend you understand the relative risk, because no one does.

B) nothing affects everyone the same... tobacco and nicotine dont' affect everyone the same. there are people who smoke their whole lives and dont' get cancer. there are lots of people who smoke who die of things other than cancer. neither of those facts have any relevance on the argument that you should not smoke because it is a high cancer risk. most people who smoke in any quantity for any moderate to long period will develop lung cancer... some people will develop lung cancer after smoking only a short period. alcohol is pretty similar, but the current research (still early) suggests that the risk of cancer from drinking is at least as serious as the risk of cancer from tobacco.

C) if you do get cancer, there's not a good chance it will be because of something else. it depends on the cancer and the person. but the research does show alcohol is very strongly connected to cancer. more strongly than a lto of other things we're concerned may be carcinogens.

D) I assume you don't smoke, or mishandle asbestos, etc. because you understand that while not ALL people get cancer from doing those things, the risk is not a joke. elevate alcohol to that level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My non drinking mom died of cancer.

My non drinking aunt has Parkinson’s.

Life is too short.

Those genes are a good reason not to drink.

PP and my drinking, smoking grandmothers lived to nearly 90.

I know we’d all like to think we can control things, but we don’t.

there are SOME things you can control.

Good for your drinking, smoking grandmothers. They're definitely exceptions. Statistical exceptions are interesting and maybe something to be personally pleased about, but shouldn't be relied on to make any informed decision.

There are people who inhaled asbestos fibers who didn't develop mesothelioma (not many!) but we wouldn't look at those people and say "can't control everything, I'm going to go rip down some 1950s insulation without a mask!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With all the information about alcohol causing cancer, Parkinson’s, wrinkles, anxiety, why do you still drink it? What makes you risk your health? Does it make you feel so good that it’s worth the risks?

We all die in the end.
Even if you did not drink at all and still have any and all of the issues you listed above.
The question is, OP, why don’t you drink?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With all the information about alcohol causing cancer, Parkinson’s, wrinkles, anxiety, why do you still drink it? What makes you risk your health? Does it make you feel so good that it’s worth the risks?

Yes. I enjoy it. I’m thin and exercise a lot. But I’m a moderate drinker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With all the information about alcohol causing cancer, Parkinson’s, wrinkles, anxiety, why do you still drink it? What makes you risk your health? Does it make you feel so good that it’s worth the risks?

We all die in the end.
Even if you did not drink at all and still have any and all of the issues you listed above.
The question is, OP, why don’t you drink?

do you wear a seatbelt? why? we all die in the end?

I mean, you can avoid dying by having your head go through the windshield in an otherwise fairly mild car accident, but why bother -- we're all going to die!

[Anonymous]

Obviously, being sober didn’t help with your anxiety. I wonder how it’s working for wrinkles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My non drinking mom died of cancer.

My non drinking aunt has Parkinson’s.

Life is too short.

Those genes are a good reason not to drink.

PP and my drinking, smoking grandmothers lived to nearly 90.

I know we’d all like to think we can control things, but we don’t.

+1 My drinking, smoking grandmothers lived into their 90s before dying of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The one with Alzheimer’s only quit smoking because she forgot she smoked. My dad had an old fashioned almost every night and died at 85 with glioblastoma which all his doctors insisted had nothing to do with moderate alcohol consumption.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My non drinking mom died of cancer.

My non drinking aunt has Parkinson’s.

Life is too short.

Those genes are a good reason not to drink.

Or a good reason to drink

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My non drinking mom died of cancer.

My non drinking aunt has Parkinson’s.

Life is too short.

Those genes are a good reason not to drink.

PP and my drinking, smoking grandmothers lived to nearly 90.

I know we’d all like to think we can control things, but we don’t.

+1 My drinking, smoking grandmothers lived into their 90s before dying of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The one with Alzheimer’s only quit smoking because she forgot she smoked. My dad had an old fashioned almost every night and died at 85 with glioblastoma which all his doctors insisted had nothing to do with moderate alcohol consumption.

considering the recent developments in connecting alcohol to cancer, i wouldn't put too much weight into what your dad's doctors said.

also, you clearly understand that just because your grandmothers smoked and didn't die of lung cancer it's not particularly meaningful. my grandmother smoked and DID die of lung cancer. they're both anecdotal and not really useful.

actual research shows an undeniable cancer link. more research is needed, but it's pretty well established that alcohol is like tobacco--some people may not develop cancer, but there is also no threshold of consumption under which you dont' have a cancer risk.

your grandmothers sound lucky, your father... who can say because the research is new and developing.

[Anonymous]

Break down the increased odds of getting any one of those things from drinking 0-2 drinks a week. Do the odds go from 3% to 4.5%? How much damage does that caramel latte do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Break down the increased odds of getting any one of those things from drinking 0-2 drinks a week. Do the odds go from 3% to 4.5%? How much damage does that caramel latte do?

the relative danger of caramel latte has nothing to do with the established cancer risk of alcohol.

that said, you're not going to enjoy the emerging research on the links between sugar and cancer...

But seriously, the larger story, which only a few places have nipped at, is that the sugar and alcohol industry paid a lot of money over the years to push the (real) academic research that showed the cancer dangers of tobacco and the (less serious) academic research linking red meat/eggs to heart disease.

what we're discovering is that while tobacco is definitley not good for you (we all agree on that, right?) and red meat isn't GOOD in large quantities, it's actually alcohol and sugar that are largely responsible for heart disease and, apparently, more and more, cancer.

[Anonymous]

Why do people want to live so long? Is there something enticing about being over 90?

[Anonymous]

I am optimizing the quality of my life, not the quantity. Fine wines add immeasurably to that quality. It also enhances socialization, which is extremely beneficial for health and happiness.