Think Before You Drink

“The French Paradox” is where it all began, with an episode on the popular CBS news program, “60 Minutes.”

How could it possibly be that the French, known for their heavy consumption of red wine, experienced fewer cardiovascular problems than Americans, where wine consumption was considerably less?

In the months and years that followed, researchers addressed this paradox scientifically, concluding that the drinking habits of the French were not necessarily the reason for lower rates of heart attacks. However, most people didn’t look beyond the headlines, and for more than a decade, not only wine, but alcohol itself has emerged as somewhat of a preventive measure for cardiovascular and other heart problems.

Research has continued to emphasize the dangers of alcohol use, and clarified that health benefits of moderate drinking were mostly confined to women past menopause and older men, hardly the group responsible for most of America’s alcohol consumption.

Any possible benefits associated with drinking would come from moderate use, defined as no more than a drink or two a day. However, this part of the research has been largely ignored by the news media and instead of influencing heavy drinkers to cut down on their alcohol intake, the research on alcohol and health has been used to encourage abstainers to sip a little wine and present drinkers not to feel guilty about their habit.

What it really boils down to is an effort by the alcohol industry to profit from the alleged benefits of alcohol consumption. As health protective as a glass or two of wine a day may be, there is also considerable data showing that light to moderate daily alcohol is a slippery slope that can lead some people to heavy drinking. Alcohol abuse is responsible for killing 100,000 American annually.

In general, we are best guided by the words of Abraham Lincoln: "It has long been recognized that the problems with alcohol relate not to the use of a bad thing, but to the abuse of a good thing." Thanks for your ear and keep reading!