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WHO: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health

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Re: WHO: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health

#161

Post by woolion »

hilbert42 wrote: post #149
gizmo wrote: post #9

> To identify a “safe” level of alcohol consumption, valid scientific evidence would need to demonstrate that at and below a certain level, there is no risk of illness or injury associated with alcohol consumption. The new WHO statement clarifies: currently available evidence cannot indicate the existence of a threshold at which the carcinogenic effects of alcohol “switch on” and start to manifest in the human body.…

""no amount of cinnamon is safe for your health"". This is the point I was making when I posted my earlier facetious point about life being fatal. If we'd studied the effects of many other common day-to-day chemicals or foodstuffs that we take for granted in our lives to the extent we'd studied ethanol then we'd likely find them equally or even more dangerous. Keep in mind we all produce small amounts of ethanol as t…

For anyone else wondering about this DIY ethanol production, it is aptly named "Auto-brewery Syndrome".

The production of endogenous ethanol occurs in minute quantities as part of normal digestion, but when fermenting yeast or bacteria become pathogenic, extreme blood alcohol levels may result. Auto-brewery syndrome is more prevalent in patients with co-morbidities such as diabetes, obesity, and Crohn disease [2][3] but can occur in otherwise healthy individuals.[4] [...] While auto-brewery syndrome is rarely diagnosed, it is probably underdiagnosed.

Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513346/

Imagine your physician snitching on you to the state for illegal alcohol brewing and you might pay taxes on it.

Re: WHO: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health

#162

Post by aflag »

dbspin wrote: post #96
TOMDM wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For most recipes involving wine, the alcohol in the dish will have evaporated long before it arrives at your table.

Friend of mine in recovery pointed out recently that this isn't true. In fact depending on the other ingredients and cooking duration, there may well be quite a bit of alcohol by volume in any 'wine sauce' or similar dish. It's the water that will evaporate first "Meats and baked goods that are cooked for 25 minutes without being stirred retain 45 percent of alcohol." https://www.isu.edu/news/2019-fall/no-worries-the…

That's slightly misleading. The final ABV is what really matters in the end. So, even though maybe only half of the wine alcohol evaporated, the fact that it's so diluted means the end ABV is probably going to be way below wine or even beer. I think a table with the actual ABV of all the common dishes that take any form of alcohol would be far more useful.

By the way, I'm pretty sure alcohol evaporates before the water. That's the reason you evaporate and collect the alcohol in distillation instead of evaporating the water and keeping the alcohol.

Re: WHO: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health

#164

Post by fsloth »

B8MGHCBekDuRi wrote: post #136
fsloth wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So is the strategy of dying early due to alcohol consumption.

actually people who drink moderately live longer. Epidemiological studies indicate that moderate drinkers live longer than non-drinkers and heavy drinkers. https://www.med.unc.edu/alcohol/education-prevention/alcohol...

Afaik that is debunked according to latest data but I leave the details for any medical professionl who is reading this and would like to clarify the issue.

Since it’s apparently not bleedingly obvious which way it is moderate drinking is clearly not as bad as, say. a heroin addiction. So go ahead, be a moderate drinker but don’t fool yourself by delusions of better health outcomes.

Re: WHO: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health

#165

Post by aflag »

ekianjo wrote: post #158
kebman wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't agree. For one, I've done it myself, and you can have just as much fun, if not more without alcohol. Though when the crowd gets too pissed, I usually just move on or go home. I like to drink occasionally, though, but I often abstain because I don't like the day after effect. Second I know abstainers who regularly go out with peeps who drink, and they do just fine. It's ofc annoying the third time someone you…

I'm not saying it's impossible, but there is clearly social pressure to make you drink

Only if you're in a group where everyone is going to drink. If you go to a restaurant or a bar and everyone around you is drinking, I don't feel that really affects much my decision of whether or not I'll order an alcoholic drink. Whereas I got to believe that, if you're a smoker and other people around you are smoking, it's going to be difficult not to light one up yourself. It's the thing about nicotine addiction being much more common than alcoholism.

Re: WHO: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health

#166

Post by meowfly »

zwirbl wrote: post #37
ascotan wrote: post #25

Well according to the American Cancer Society, alcoholic beverages are a Group 1 Carcinogen. Right up there with Asbestos, UV radiation, Tobacco smoke, and Diesel exhaust. https://www.cancer.org/healthy/cancer-causes/general-info/kn... There probably a story somewhere as to why cigarettes get big labels and beer cans don't.

Possibly because beer can be fun and cigarettes are just highly addictive

You could say the same thing about coffee.

There is a reason nicotine is addictive and popular. It's mildly enjoyable.

UK's old drug czar, David Nutt, got in trouble for calling alcohol Britain's most dangerous drug.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11660210

Re: WHO: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health

#167

Post by Ekaros »

Apreche wrote: post #120

We know that banning alcohol doesn’t work. We should do what we did for tobacco. Ban advertisements for alcohol. Do the same for other vice. If consenting adults want to engage in vice that doesn’t hurt other people such as gambling, alcohol, etc. then allow it. Just don’t allow it to be advertised. Can’t deny that as someone who has abstained from alcohol my entire life, feeling pretty smart every time more of these…

And after that we could put age restrictions to any media that markets alcoholic drinks in positive light. Just make them R rated, and add suitable warnings before any old programs. This should direct producers of such programs to steer clear.

Re: WHO: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health

#168

Post by fsloth »

peoplefromibiza wrote: post #70
fsloth wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Alcohol consumption is always a net health risk. It's also quite fun and adults should be allowed to do what they want with their bodies. But one should always be aware of the risks. The statement "alcohol is not bad for my health" is only true if a person is about to die from alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

> Alcohol consumption is always a net health risk No. Or, if you accept that definition, the air you breathe is even more dangerous for your health. Food is even more dangerous than air. [1] > The statement "alcohol is not bad for my health" is somewhat true. The kind of food popular in USA average diet is killing a lot more people. The solution is not to stop eating altogether, but to eat less and better. It's exact…

A net health risk in a population. If we plot alcohol consumption in a population where x is alcohol consumed and y is health outcomes, and start from a value of ”y=1” at ”x=0” consumption, the curve will have a negative derivative everywhere.

Alcohol may be fun, and moderate drinkers may reach old age, but statistically speaking it’s not a) necessary or b) healthy.

Claims otherwise are delutional (unless one has some really unique response to alcohol consumption).

Alcohol is fun in moderate amounts just like cake but neither are good for you. This does not mean one should not drink or eat cake - just don’t delude yourself

I don’t know how to write the following compassionately so I’m going to just write it - my intention is not to insult. I’m not sure why you are equating drug use with physiological necessities but if you feel you need to be defensive of your or someone elses drinking habits that’s a red flag for alcoholism.

Usually alcoholics - typical of addiction- get pretty defensive of their habit. ”This is good for me”, ”I know what I’m doing”, ”This is nobodys business but my own”. So if one is drinking - well, even moderately by their standards thoughts like these should give a pause and instigate a moment of self reflection.

Re: WHO: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health

#169

Post by notacoward »

mabbo wrote: post #126

What's fascinating about this isn't the study itself - it's the reactions people here are having. From "I guess that means fruit juice should be illegal since it can contain alcohol!" to "Life leads to death too!". Just any justification to call the WHO's point bunk. Denial, in a word. This is the world's leading body on science health giving a result that I'm guessing most of us don't want to hear. Because we like a…

> Because we like alcohol and want to be told we're right for liking it.

That works the other way too. It's all too easy for people who don't like alcohol anyway to jump on studies like these, but the fact that their personal preference aligns with health advice doesn't justify their expressions of moral superiority. There's no moral dimension to it. It's little more than happenstance.

"Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes" still applies.

Re: WHO: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health

#170

Post by _a_a_a_ »

ikekkdcjkfke wrote: post #152
_a_a_a_ wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Brit here, upvoted for the giggle, but behind that I must admit we brits arguably have a serious (as in not at all funny) drug problem and that drug is alcohol.

If it ain't broke

I personally knew someone who drank himself to death, literally. I've heard from reliable sources of quite a few others who did the same, so I reckon it's broke.
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