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My next door neighbor seems to be one of the most relaxed, healthy women I've ever met. She sits on her porch every evening for an hour and slowly drinks one la

My next door neighbor seems to be one of the most relaxed, healthy women I've ever met. She sits on her porch every evening for an hour and slowly drinks one large glass of wine. I feel like alcohol can complement a healthy lifestyle. If you're healthy, exercise, and want to use alcohol as a small portioned daily treat that makes you relaxed and happier, then I see that being downright healthy. That being said, most drinkers -- at least in the US -- do not fit the above category at all.

elefanten 5y ago
This n=1 personal anecdatum does not fit well in this thread about longitudinal studies. Alcohol’s potential role in someone’s preferences about how to enjoy life doesn’t have anything to do with the discussion of whether it has a biologically protective effect. I know a few problem drinkers who are linearly killing themselves and they all grasp for this “scientists have proven alcohol is good for you” misinformation as a part of their excusing narrative.
- thehappypm 5y ago
  I agree with this completely, and it's kind of my point: while there are anecdotes of people fitting alcohol into a healthy life (and maybe getting a tangible benefit), many don't.
- scarby2 5y ago
  There's no study that shows that more than 1-2 standard drinks at a time is good for you. Anyone in this category is almost certainly not a problem drinker. However i'd be surprised if there was a positive biological effect from alcohol. It's not unreasonable to presume that such moderate drinking probably correlates with all sorts of other health related lifestyle choices. From my entirely anecdotal world view the most healthy people i know still have a couple drinks every now and then (but dont drink excessively regularly). It's almost impossible to control for all these factors in a study Most of the non-drinkers i know do so because they don't like the taste/have alcoholic parents/are teetotal due to addiction and have no correlation in terms of other behaviors.

elefanten 5y ago

This n=1 personal anecdatum does not fit well in this thread about longitudinal studies. Alcohol’s potential role in someone’s preferences about how to enjoy life doesn’t have anything to do with the discussion of whether it has a biologically protective effect. I know a few problem drinkers who are linearly killing themselves and they all grasp for this “scientists have proven alcohol is good for you” misinformation as a part of their excusing narrative.

thehappypm 5y ago
I agree with this completely, and it's kind of my point: while there are anecdotes of people fitting alcohol into a healthy life (and maybe getting a tangible benefit), many don't.
scarby2 5y ago
There's no study that shows that more than 1-2 standard drinks at a time is good for you. Anyone in this category is almost certainly not a problem drinker. However i'd be surprised if there was a positive biological effect from alcohol. It's not unreasonable to presume that such moderate drinking probably correlates with all sorts of other health related lifestyle choices. From my entirely anecdotal world view the most healthy people i know still have a couple drinks every now and then (but dont drink excessively regularly). It's almost impossible to control for all these factors in a study Most of the non-drinkers i know do so because they don't like the taste/have alcoholic parents/are teetotal due to addiction and have no correlation in terms of other behaviors.