Is Alcohol Healthy?
HEADLINE: Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower risk of diabetes, gallstones, and coronary heart disease!
“I knew my nightly cabernet was healthy. Pour me another!”
Not so fast. Like any highly-debated topic, the answer to the question “Is alcohol healthy?” is not so simple. The goal here is not to convince you to start or stop drinking, but to offer a real understanding of the trade-offs with alcohol so that you can make a clear choice.
The common “health benefits” of alcohol are not convincing.
Most research on alcohol’s health benefits are large, long-term epidemiological studies. These studies only show correlation, not causation, which proves nothing. So although studies suggest that light to moderate drinkers have lower rates of certain health problems than teetotalers, that doesn’t mean that alcohol causes those benefits.
Maybe the alcohol reduces stress or raises good cholesterol levels? Or maybe the light drinkers have certain lifestyle or social habits that contribute to good health? There's no clear causation so we can’t use health benefits as a valid reason to drink. Sorry.
But there can be both pros and cons to drinking.
Here are a few possible pros:
Pleasure: It’s fun. You feel good. And maybe you don’t seek comfort in food if you enjoy a nice drink instead.
Relaxation: It helps you destress and relax.
Social Connection: You connect easier and more often. You’re more honest. These things are essential to your health.
And a few cons:
Poison: Alcohol is poison that your body must convert into less-harmful substances.
Quality of life: It can have a negative impact on sleep, sexual health, and body fat.
Health: Moderate to heavy drinking increases risk for a long list of health problems (not to mention possible addiction).
Underestimating consumption: Research shows that people routinely underestimate how much they drink (by a lot!).
So should I drink or not?
The answer: It depends. The key is switch off of auto-pilot and make a real choice. Start here:
Observe your habits. How much and how often do you ACTUALLY drink?
Notice how drinking affects your body, thoughts, emotions, and quality of life.
Pay attention to WHY you drink. Is it to calm anxiety or to fit in at social gatherings? These are probably not great reasons.
Understand the trade-offs and decide what you want. If you don’t get 6-pack abs but date nights with your spouse are extra sweet, is that worth it? Maybe.
Put alcohol in the “Luxury” box. You don’t HAVE to have a sports car, but it’s not wrong to enjoy it. Don’t drink out of pressure, habit,or for your health. Drink because you enjoy it and you have made the decision that it’s worth it to you.
Cheers,
Austin