You know what's worse than drinking alcohol? Sitting in a chair all day staring at a screen. Why do we need studies for things we've known for centuries? Drink, eat, exercise, all in moderation. Get outside and move often as possible. It's not rocket science.
> Why do we need studies for things we've known for centuries?
Setting aside tradition/ritual, which I don't think should count for nothing, I can think of many objective metrics on which alcohol is superior: - Flavor - Fills the stomach (can be a disadvantage too, but is advantageous in some situations, e.g. while waiting for dinner to be served at a party) - Doesn't consume itself (i.e you can set down a drink and come back to it 30 minutes later) - Easy to consume a small amo…
There are lots of ways to consume weed that don’t have those drawbacks. There’s a dispensary around the block from me, and even though I don’t use it, I went in to look around to see what our new neighborhood shop looked like. They had a wide selection of edible candies, vape pens, and even drinks. It looks like it’d be very easy to get a consistent dose without burning anything. I know how much alcohol I can drink t…
And medically those are unsafe. The crucial part, though, is that that's not at all to say you shouldn't do them. You are simply using a different understanding of the word safe than they are. This is a medical brief aimed at experts who should have no trouble understanding what claims are and are not being made. This is not a lifestyle or dietary recommendation. This is not a cost benefit analysis. This is a medical…
I would argue that if those things are unsafe, the term unsafe has no useful meaning, i.e. life is unsafe. It's a policy brief, not a medical brief, it is pro-abstinence and recommends a variety of alcohol control policies, short of actual prohibition: "- Call for strict regulation of alcohol products - Advocate for minimum pricing of alcohol products - Build capacity internally and among peers to promote cessation o…
At least death is safe. As in, dying will not increase your risk of death.
Everything is a balance though, isn't it? If a little alcohol reduces one's stress and increases socialization, then they may be better off with the alcohol on net.
It's not obvious that alcohol reduces stress.
Alcohol removes my anxiety/stress nearly every time I consume some. Depending on how much I consume the next day my anxiety could be worse though.
Queue the Winston Churchill quote "I've taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me". I believe he died at age 91. Although it seems crazy that we could have ever believed alcohol is healthy in any way.
Anecdotal accounts could be one offs. We need data for a full picture and even than the data could be biased. It may very well be Churchill could have survived longer were it not for alcohol. This recent post seems to imply that they now have more accurate and more unbiased data leading them to this new conclusion. I think a lot of people at the WHF drink some amount of alcohol as do most people in the world. However…
To point 1. In the brief I find at the red download link [1] contains the line “ Based on recent evidence, it has been concluded that there is “no safe level of alcohol consumption”(5).” The reference points to an article from The Lancet [2] [1] https://world-heart-federation.org/wp-content/uploads/WHF-Po... [2] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6...
Another article from The Lancet from around the same time reported a whopping... 6 months of life expectancy reduction when consuming 100-200g of alcohol a week versus 0-100g of alcohol a week. [1, Figure 4] A drink is 14 grams of alcohol, so that means that your risk from consuming 150 grams, or over 10 drinks a week, is still relatively low in terms of all-cause mortality. Figure 1 also shows that consumption of 0-…
When I read stats like that I also think about quality of life. These results don't rule out people living pretty much the same length of time, but with an assortment of ailments caused by the alcohol that make life pretty miserable, as another comment in this thread says about obesity and diabetes.
Setting aside tradition/ritual, which I don't think should count for nothing, I can think of many objective metrics on which alcohol is superior: - Flavor - Fills the stomach (can be a disadvantage too, but is advantageous in some situations, e.g. while waiting for dinner to be served at a party) - Doesn't consume itself (i.e you can set down a drink and come back to it 30 minutes later) - Easy to consume a small amo…
There are lots of ways to consume weed that don’t have those drawbacks. There’s a dispensary around the block from me, and even though I don’t use it, I went in to look around to see what our new neighborhood shop looked like. They had a wide selection of edible candies, vape pens, and even drinks. It looks like it’d be very easy to get a consistent dose without burning anything. I know how much alcohol I can drink t…
I prefer edibles. Maybe it's because I don't really want the full experience, at least right now (perhaps I'll benefit from a higher level later on for medical reasons). I learned I like CBD and am glad to be in a state where I can have THC as well, at any ratio to CBD. It isn't a consistent dose, but it's easy to dial in what the top dose I might have is, and I like the randomness below the top dose.
Side note: in a related story, the Don't Go Stark Raving Mad During A Pandemic Foundation issued a statement saying that large amounts of alcohol are definitely sometimes good for not completely losing your shit during accursed times such as these.
You know what's worse than drinking alcohol? Sitting in a chair all day staring at a screen. Why do we need studies for things we've known for centuries? Drink, eat, exercise, all in moderation. Get outside and move often as possible. It's not rocket science.
Alcohol changes your state of mind which leads to car accidents, abuse and so much more. To compare that to sitting is stupid.
Why?
The article in question is about what's good for the heart and ultimately, living. Prolonged sitting kills far, far more people than alcohol. Anecdotally speaking, alcohol happens to be a lot more fun than sitting. Pick your poison, I suppose.
It is absolutely acceptable to knowingly exchange damage to body for healing to mind, and vice versa as well. But I still appreciate that science is gradually making clear that alcohol is not perfectly harmless, and that a large-scale health foundation is finally admitting that.
The mind is part of the body Also contrary to popular belief, alcohol does not heal or help the mind unless perhaps you have methanol poisoning or are in the middle of a panic attack
> alcohol does not heal or help the mind
Is it not possible that some people find alcohol in reasonable doses to be a net positive mentally and mood-wise?