Alcohol is one of the worst "drugs" on a personal/societal harm scale - if we're going to tolerate this at large, we should probably consider legalizing everything else that's less harmful to at least be consistent. While we're at it, let's de-stigmatize the abuse of substances and treat it like a real mental health issue.
David Nutt did important work in this area. See for example his scale of drug harmfulness here: (Edit: see archive link below) And https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014067361...
No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation
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Re: No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation
#52I've never drunk alcohol before. Is it worth never having it? Does one drink really ruin your body that much.
Re: No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation
#53Quoted post unavailable.
You know, most (Americans) drink little or no alcohol. The cult of alcohol is certain they cannot live without it, which is part of the problem perhaps. But most do live without it. And are not eating bugs.
* 85.6 percent of people ages 18 and older reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime
* 69.5 percent reported that they drank in the past year
* 54.9 percent reported that they drank in the past month
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sh...
Re: No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation
#54Re: No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation
#55Quoted post unavailable.
Alcohol is fun like cigarettes are cool . It's marketing.
And I mean, cigarettes are cool. There's a reason they still exist as a trope in movies and it's not all due to marketing. It lends something to the character.
That's not to say there isn't or can't be a healthier replacement, of course.
Re: No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation
#56Alcohol is one of the worst "drugs" on a personal/societal harm scale - if we're going to tolerate this at large, we should probably consider legalizing everything else that's less harmful to at least be consistent. While we're at it, let's de-stigmatize the abuse of substances and treat it like a real mental health issue.
While we're at it, let's de-stigmatize the abuse of substances and treat it like a real mental health issue. Literally everyone involved in the treatment and support of substance abuse does that, whether it's treatment facilities or social groups like AA and Al-Anon. As they should. Every family I know has been affected in one way or another by drug or alcohol addiction and has firsthand knowledge that substance abus…
Treat here not in the "provide medical care for" sense but in the "interpretation" sense, as in, "I know it's a polka, but I'm going to treat it like a waltz."
Re: No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation
#57If a little alcohol reduces one's stress and increases socialization, then they may be better off with the alcohol on net.
Re: No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation
#58Quoted post unavailable.
Re: No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation
#59Don't worry, in 5-10 years it will be good for you again. I still remember being lectured in school on the food pyramid and the importance of getting your 8-10 servings of grains a day.
People have been making noise about this issue for a very long time. Doctors know this stuff is poison and causes cancer. It’s always seemed silly that just the right amount of poison is good somehow. Of course, you don’t know without study, but experienced people can see areas where the data doesn’t seem to make sense.
I remember hearing about this stuff a few years ago and it was nothing new, even then. We know that early studies looked good because many “sick quitters” stop drinking due to their failing health. This makes non-drinkers look less healthy. Now this stuff is still actively studied and many of the pro-alcohol people insist it’s still healthy, but the writing has been on the wall for at least 5-10 years; no amount of alcohol is “healthy”.