No safe level of alcohol: Research

[Rhiannon12866]

How much alcohol is safe to consume? Advice varies considerably between different medical studies, and with different studies offering advice that this sometimes confusing to consumers. A new study cuts through this and puts the case for abstinence.

According to the new research there were three million deaths in 2016 attributed to alcohol. The researchers use these cases to to state the case that alcohol consumption carries 'massive health risks' and that other studies that seek to establish a 'safe' weekly consumption of alcohol are wasting their time. This is because, the research, from University of Washington School of Medicine, concludes, there is no safe level of alcohol.

The three million deaths in 2016 were drawn from a total population of drinkers estimated to be 2 billion people, with the ratio 63 percent makes to 37 percent females. Data was drawn from a larger study called the Global Burden of Disease. Alcohol related diseases were classified as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, communicable diseases and unintentional injuries.

From the analysis, the researchers discovered that the risk of all-cause mortality, and of cancers specifically, rises with increasing levels of consumption, and the level of consumption that minimizes health loss is zero. The researchers make the case of increased government action globally to help to reduce alcohol consumption.

The research did not make any differentiation between beer, wine, and spirits *or 'liquor'). The scientists drew on general data pertaining to alcohol-related deaths and associated health outcomes to determine their conclusions, according to the BBC. A key finding was that alcohol is the leading risk factor for premature mortality and disability in the 15 to 49 age group, accounting for 20 percent of deaths.


Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/life/health/no-safe-level-of-alcohol-research/article/530326#hv69592

[Glamrock]

1. Well I'm screwed.

I need a drink to deal with this.....

[Rhiannon12866]

2. I used to be the same way

If I was stressed - or for no reason at all. I'm 9 years sober as of April of this year and reading this makes me feel even more grateful than usual.

[Glamrock]

4. Hahaha

Glad I could help! And congrats on your near decade of sobriety! Sincerely. I mean it.

P. S. Sorry for my lack of sensitivity and class. I generally view everything through comedy glasses. No offence intended.

[Rhiannon12866]

6. Humor is always welcome - especially for those of us in recovery!

There's a quote that we like to remember "We are not a glum lot," LOL. It's from the '30s - when AA first began - but it really is true. I just attended a celebration for a friend of mine who has three years and there was a lot of laughter there. We make fun of ourselves on a regular basis.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. The increased risk of one drink daily is 0.5%: miniscule. Plus there are methodological flaws

Much depends on the rest of diet and on the person.

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2818%2931310-2/fulltext
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/safest-level-of-alcohol-consumption-is-none-worldwide-study-shows/2018/08/23/823a6bec-a62d-11e8-8fac-12e98c13528d_story.html

There seems to be evidence that moderate alcohol guards against heart disease but worsens cancer risk.

Some people are more prone to one risk than the other and should consider that.

Further, inflammation is a risk factor for both illnesses and the rest of the diet is very important.

Drinking alcohol on top of a redneck high animal fat / high red meat / high fructose / high processed food diet is probably a very bad idea because that diet is high in inflammation.

Drinking alcohol in moderation as part of a Mediterranean diet may be a net win to the extent that it include anti-inflammatories and anti-oxidants. It is better the more highly colored the fruit & veg and the less the food has been processed with additives and nutrition removed.

It is probably better to drink beer than wine and wine than liquor, since that is a progression of higher and higher processing.

I am not a nutritionist, nor do I pretend to be one. Do your own reading. I have done so.

Numerous peer-reviewed studies found evidence that people who have a drink or two a day are less likely to have heart disease than people who abstain or drink excessively.

But the new study, while noting the lower risks of heart disease from moderate drinking, as well as a dip in the diabetes rate in women, found that many other health risks offset and overwhelm the health benefits. That includes the risk of breast cancer, larynx cancer, stroke, cirrhosis, tuberculosis, interpersonal violence, self-harm and transportation accidents.

“Current and emerging scientific evidence does not suggest that there are overall health benefits from moderate drinking,” said Robert Brewer, who directs the alcohol program at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was not involved in the new research. He pointed out that alcohol studies have long been dogged by “confounders” — factors that create a misleading impression of cause and effect.

“People who report drinking in moderation tend to be very different from people who don’t drink at all. They tend to be a healthier population, they tend to exercise more, they tend to be more affluent, they tend to have more access to health care,” Brewer said.

[Rhiannon12866]

5. Well, since this is the Addiction and Recovery Group, alcohol is not safe for most of us

I've learned that some of us have a genetic predisposition to abuse alcohol - and I'm one of them - that once we start, we just can't stop. I've known people who have died and even more who have ended up in real trouble so this is an added incentive to "put the plug in the jug" for good. It's not always easy, especially in a society that depicts drinking as a way to have fun, but it's far from that for those of us who can't drink safely.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

7. OP was presented straight up on the merits of the study without regard to addiction, so I

... so I responded in kind: straight up on the merits or demerits of the study.

[Rhiannon12866]

8. Fine with me, no study is infallible and your criticism is welcome.

Having just come from an AA celebration - my friend has 3 1/2 years sober after 30 years of abusing alcohol - when I ran across this article it resonated with me so I decided it was worth posting.