Is moderate drinking really linked to a longer life?

Of those, 405 (90.6%) used to drink alcohol, and 322 (72.04%) had engaged in at least one of the listed risky behaviors. However, results of a new study from the University of Greifswald in Germany contradict the idea of drinking alcohol to protect health. Whether via self-talk or a conversation with a trusted friend, family member, or healthcare professional, it’s important to talk about your urges and remind yourself why you chose to moderate your drinking in the first place. Learning to accept these feelings, and finding healthy ways to distract yourself from them, will also go a long way toward helping you to handle any urges to drink. The Sinclair method is an approach that involves taking either Revia or Vivitrol before people drink.

It turns out that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol daily does not—as previously thought—protect against heart disease or contribute to a longer life. Apologies if your alcohol consumption depends in part on this popular belief and (until now) useful rationalization. Even moderate drinking may raise your risk for some types of heart disease and cancer. For some types of cancer, the risk increases even at low levels of drinking (for example, less than 1 drink in a day). In addition to the circumstances under which drinking occurs, alcohol’s effects on the drinker (e.g., on the ability to drive a car) depend to a large extent on the blood alcohol levels (BALs) achieved after alcohol consumption.

Deaths from alcohol-related liver disease soared during COVID

The study found that nearly 1 million people died from alcohol-related causes between 1999 and 2017. But the majority of these deaths, especially cirrhosis, were related to heavy drinking or drinking-related accidents. The guidelines also warn that even drinking within the recommended limits may increase the overall risk of death attributable to various causes, including some types of cancer and heart disease, even at levels of less than one drink per day. The latest study is another piece in the growing consensus questioning the still-widespread belief that moderate drinking contributes to good health, the authors said. The World Heart Federation, for example, declared in a January 2022 policy brief that “contrary to popular opinion, alcohol is not good for the heart,” adding that any level of alcohol consumption can lead to loss of healthy life. Previous research suggests that people drinking alcohol in moderation live longer than those who do not consume it.

A review study (and meta-analysis), which was published in 2011 in the journal BMJ, showed that drinking alcohol significantly raised HDL cholesterol, yet didn’t raise total cholesterol, LDL or triglycerides. Still, if you don’t currently drink, there’s no need to start now. You can gain similar benefits from increased exercise or healthier eating habits. In addition, some of the health benefits of red wine we often hear about have been called into question by recent research. In the United States, a standard alcoholic drink contains 14 grams of pure alcohol. In the United Kingdom, a standard alcoholic drink is significantly smaller—8 grams.

Health

Just published in JAMA Network Open, this meta-analysis reviewed 107 observational studies that involved more than 4.8 million people. A study in Israel looked at what happened when people start drinking one standard drink per day, over two years. They split people into three groups, gave one water, and the other two either red or white wine. At the end of the study, there weren’t any consistent health effects – positive or negative – from drinking wine. The problem is that one of the biggest health impacts of drinking is cancer, and this can take years to develop, so we can say from this study that there probably aren’t any significant health benefits to https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/can-you-moderate-your-drinking/, but there may still be risks involved.

• There are people who abstain, but by and large we love to drink alcohol – it’s part of our social culture, part of our collective identity, and so pervasive that it can be hard to escape from even if you try.
• Binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks within two hours for women and five or more drinks within two hours for men.
• In addition, some of the health benefits of red wine we often hear about have been called into question by recent research.
• Made in partnership with Marmalade Film and Media, the global campaign will continue to  provide a drumbeat of activity throughout the year.
• Whether via self-talk or a conversation with a trusted friend, family member, or healthcare professional, it’s important to talk about your urges and remind yourself why you chose to moderate your drinking in the first place.
• The reported alcohol consumption is likely to be higher if the respondent perceives the assessment to be less stigmatizing.

When trying to moderate alcohol intake over the course of an evening or a week, it helps to know how much alcohol is in each drink you consume. Our DRINKiQ programme aims to raise the ‘collective drink IQ’ by increasing public awareness of the effects of alcohol and supporting responsible drinking. Drink for the taste, drink to socialise, but don’t drink because you think it’s going to cure your depression or heal your heart. “This study punctures the hope of many that moderate alcohol use is healthy,” said Robert DuPont, a psychiatrist and substance abuse expert who served as the first director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The researchers found that 447 (11.1%) participants had not consumed any alcohol in the 12 months before the interviews in 1996–1997.

Medical Professionals

However, those health benefits can quickly turn into health risks. Studies from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) have found that drinking frequency is a risk factor, even with moderate drinking. If you don’t drink alcohol, don’t start because of potential health benefits. However, if you drink a light to moderate amount and you’re healthy, you can probably continue as long as you drink responsibly.

But, a new analysis of more than 40 years of research has concluded that many of those studies were flawed and that the opposite is true. Instead of drinking alcohol, plan out the non-alcoholic beverages you can order or make instead. Enjoyable, non-alcoholic alternatives include soda and fresh lime juice, virgin mojitos, soda with fresh fruit, kombucha, or mocktails. Whether you carry a physical card in your wallet or use your smartphone, try tracking your drinks to get a better handle on your consumption. Similarly, make sure the drinks you are counting are standard sizes (12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits).

Moderate Drinking Explained: Guidelines, Definition, & FAQs

Of the 322 with one or more risk factors, 114 (35.4%) had experienced AUD. Also, 161 (50%) did not have alcohol-related risk, but they smoked daily. This information on drinking in moderation was adapted from materials from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Information on alcohol use, symptoms, and consequences, however, was not collected routinely until the early 1970s because alcohol dependence was not viewed as a chronic disease. By sponsoring regular surveys, the National https://ecosoberhouse.com/ Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has played an important role in establishing alcohol dependence in this category. Finally, distilled spirits exhibit a wide range in terms of alcohol concentration.

More evidence moderate drinking is good for your heart. Also: a reason.

There are professionals ready to help in cutting back alcohol intake or quitting for good through therapy and safe drinking tips. The ranges of alcohol content for beer, wine, and distilled spirits vary somewhat from State to State. Significant variation also exists in the alcohol content of beverages within each of these categories. The typical alcohol content of beer is roughly 4.5 percent (by volume), but the alcohol content of light beers may be less than 3 percent, and certain craft-brewed beers or malt liquors may have an alcohol content of up to 9 percent or higher. OK, so while there seem to be some legit health benefits behind that glass of wine (or two, if you’re a man), if you’re currently a non-drinker, you shouldn’t start drinking.

Hormones may also impact the rate at which alcohol is metabolized. Due to these differences, what constitutes moderate drinking for a woman is often thought to be less than what constitutes moderate drinking for a man. These distinctions are codified in the US guidelines, the Canadian guidelines, and the Irish guidelines. As noted above, these distinctions are absent from the UK guidelines. While moderate drinking is undoubtedly a better idea than binge drinking, no amount of alcohol is completely risk-free when it comes to your health.