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Title: Heavy Drinkers Outlive Non Drinkers, Study Finds
Source:
Time Magazine
URL Source: [None]
Published: Aug 30, 2010
Author: John Cloud
Post Date: 2010-08-30 15:09:54 by Ada
Keywords: None
Views: 257
Comments: 28
One of the most contentious issues in the vast literature about alcohol consumption has been the consistent finding that those who don't drink actually tend to die sooner than those who do. The standard Alcoholics Anonymous explanation for this finding is that many of those who show up as abstainers in such research are actually former hard-core drunks who had already incurred health problems associated with drinking.
But a new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that - for reasons that aren't entirely clear - abstaining from alcohol does actually tend to increase one's risk of dying even when you exclude former drinkers. The most shocking part? Abstainers' mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers. (See pictures of booze under a microscope.)
Moderate drinking, which is defined as one to three drinks per day, is associated with the lowest mortality rates in alcohol studies. Moderate alcohol use (especially when the beverage of choice is red wine) is thought to improve heart health, circulation and sociability, which can be important because people who are isolated don't have as many family members and friends who can notice and help treat health problems.
But why would abstaining from alcohol lead to a shorter life? It's true that those who abstain from alcohol tend to be from lower socioeconomic classes, since drinking can be expensive. And people of lower socioeconomic status have more life stressors - job and child-care worries that might not only keep them from the bottle but also cause stress-related illnesses over long periods. (They also don't get the stress-reducing benefits of a drink or two after work.)
But even after controlling for nearly all imaginable variables - socioeconomic status, level of physical activity, number of close friends, quality of social support and so on - the researchers (a six-member team led by psychologist Charles Holahan of the University of Texas at Austin) found that over a 20-year period, mortality rates were highest for those who had never been drinkers, second-highest for heavy drinkers and lowest for moderate drinkers. (Watch TIME's Video "Taste Test: Beer With Extra Buzz.")
The sample of those who were studied included individuals between ages 55 and 65 who had had any kind of outpatient care in the previous three years. The 1,824 participants were followed for 20 years. One drawback of the sample: a disproportionate number, 63%, were men. Just over 69% of the never-drinkers died during the 20 years, 60% of the heavy drinkers died and only 41% of moderate drinkers died.
These are remarkable statistics. Even though heavy drinking is associated with higher risk for cirrhosis and several types of cancer (particularly cancers in the mouth and esophagus), heavy drinkers are less likely to die than people who have never drunk. One important reason is that alcohol lubricates so many social interactions, and social interactions are vital for maintaining mental and physical health. As I pointed out last year, nondrinkers show greater signs of depression than those who allow themselves to join the party.
The authors of the new paper are careful to note that even if drinking is associated with longer life, it can be dangerous: it can impair your memory severely and it can lead to nonlethal falls and other mishaps (like, say, cheating on your spouse in a drunken haze) that can screw up your life. There's also the dependency issue: if you become addicted to alcohol, you may spend a long time trying to get off the bottle. (Comment on this story.)
That said, the new study provides the strongest evidence yet that moderate drinking is not only fun but good for you. So make mine a double.
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#1. To: Ada (#0)
It is not the drinker, but the man who has just stopped drinking, who thinks the world is going to the dogs. - Henry Louis Mencken
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
I always tell my patients..All things in moderation, just make sure you enjoy yourself. People who abstain fron alcohol, sex, and fun are not any joy to be around. If it were legal and I were not drug tested on a regular basis, I would do pot in my spare time. Never, ever saw a marijuanna overdose or someone violent and stoned. God must have made that plant for some good reason.
For some, one is too many and a thousand not enough. I'd estimate 80% of all the violent domestic abuse crimes I saw had a component of heavy boozing. It's a drug that reacts in wildly different ways in people. More so than other drugs I've seen.
Thank God for empirical evidence. Cheers, all.
God's own truth there, JT. Some of us get happy and horny. And others want to fight and/or kill.
In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria. A quote attributed to Ben Franklin but it is highly doubtful he ever said it. I don't think they knew about bacteria in his day. Still a good saying whoever said it.
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. He (Gordon Duff) also implies that forcibly removing Obama, a Constitution-hating, on-the-down-low, crackhead Communist, is an attack on America, Mom, and apple pie. I swear these military people are worse than useless. Just look around at the condition of the country and tell me if they have fulfilled their oaths to protect the nation from all enemies foreign and domestic. It's been a long time since I drinked enough to Heave.
"Chicago politicians are NOT officially dead until they have failed to vote in TWO presidential elections.” - Cynicom
Right, once once starts heaving anything it's prolly time to give it a rest.
"Chicago politicians are NOT officially dead until they have failed to vote in TWO presidential elections.” - Cynicom
I saw two middle-aged women sitting on a bench at a bus stop yesterday, one of them kept folding a shopping bag, made of like burlap or something. She must have tried two or three times to get thing folded right. I was thinking about how compulsive that sounds and thought I should ask you, do you think she may have been high on drugs or something?
"Chicago politicians are NOT officially dead until they have failed to vote in TWO presidential elections.” - Cynicom
Yeah, that heaving is rough.
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. He (Gordon Duff) also implies that forcibly removing Obama, a Constitution-hating, on-the-down-low, crackhead Communist, is an attack on America, Mom, and apple pie. I swear these military people are worse than useless. Just look around at the condition of the country and tell me if they have fulfilled their oaths to protect the nation from all enemies foreign and domestic. What the f*ck are you doing hanging around bus stops, huh???
That's why I always choose the plastic bags. No folding there. Just grab and go.
Heavy drinkers might live longer than non-drinkers (I wonder if anyone compared them to moderate drinkers) but .... it seems likely to me that the boozers spent more time that the sober in low- risk activities, like sitting in front of the TV or in a bar than doing strenuous and risky things like being firefighters or airplane pilots. Also, heavy drinkers might live to be older ... but their memory of that extra time is probably blanked out so they have no advantage in that extra time.
Was the bag made of burlap?
Cute, I like it. The discovery of bacteria is about a hundred years post Franklin. They were still "bleeding" in his day.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
During the golden age of Television Bob Hope did a skit where he walked out in a ridiculous 10 gallon hat, chaps and other western attire and said, "Hi, mah name is Slim. Ah don't drink, ah don't smoke and ah don't chase wimmen. Ever-body calls me "Lonesome Slim"!
i've smoked pot like 5 times in my life and it didn't do a thing for me except make my eyes look weird. ;P
It looked like burlap from where I was standing, but I'm not an expert.
"Chicago politicians are NOT officially dead until they have failed to vote in TWO presidential elections.” - Cynicom
Oh man I'm behind! "Every Person born within the limits of the United States, and subject to their jurisdiction, is by virtue of natural law and national law a citizen of the United States. This will not, of course, include persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers accredited to the Government of the United States, but will include every other class of persons. You're not missing anything. Just remember Bette Davis admonition: "Never trust a White Wine drinker."
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
This might be true. But I still won't drink. I don't like the idea of doing something I wouldn't do if not drinking. Being drunk is not an excuse for criminal behavior, but many make that case as if it is a disease or something. You choose to drink or not, that is not a disease, but a choice.
God is always good!
You should try reading articles before posting. They made that exact comparison. The largest groups of booze hounds I've ever met were: The 82nd Airborne and professional pilots. You want to know how active you are as a pilot? You sit on your hind quarters and drive an air taxi. The only stress is takeoff and landing during a normal flight, the actual flying itself is almost soporific. Let me guess...you're a reformed alcoholic, or, you're an abstainer? Could be wrong, but the tone seems pretty self righteous, of the kind not taken by most people who have a social drink now and again. I've drank since I was ~16-17. I make wine and beer (beer since 1988, even enter contests, fun fun). Remember pretty much the vast swath of time in my life. Heavy drinking is not the same, I think, as excessive/alcoholic drinking. You don't drink to "passing out" as a heavy drinker, you drink more than, what, I think 3 drinks a day 5 out of 7 days, or some such foolishness as that? The Irish managed to build up an entire beautiful, elegant, artistically cultured and refined society whilst being one of the, if not the, heaviest drinking cultures in the world. Their brothers the Scots invented an entire society based on individualism, free markets, questioning religion and embracing science and arts, while being only one wee dram away from consuming as much as their fellow Gaels in Ireland. Germans are and were bang up engineers and amazing musicians with unbelievable amounts of culture and civilization and they generally can't go a day without "heavy drinking" by American standards. Nah, good drink with good friends is one of the strongest proofs of an all loving benevolent God that one can find.
"The more artificial taboos and restrictions there are in the world, the more the people are impoverished.... The more that laws and regulations are given prominence, the more thieves and robbers there will be." - Lao Tzu, 6th century BC
Great article filled with the common sense knowledge we've known through most of human history, but which we needed Scientific Studies to tell us was common sense. heh
"The more artificial taboos and restrictions there are in the world, the more the people are impoverished.... The more that laws and regulations are given prominence, the more thieves and robbers there will be." - Lao Tzu, 6th century BC
Being of Viking ancestry, I drink mead out of the skulls of my enemies. I outlived them.
“How many Sex and the City fans have funneled all their maternal instincts into their Chinese bulldog without even noticing their ovaries have expired?”
I love a well made mead. Not desert wine sweet, but the drier types of mead that they used as a guide when they were inventing wine thousands of years ago. Made a sparkling mead once, and I discovered that women not only liked it, they practically clawed down the doors of my home to get me to make them some more. An amazing thing to see (I'm only half kidding actually, I still have some female friends/friends of wives bothering me to make them sparkling mead).
"The more artificial taboos and restrictions there are in the world, the more the people are impoverished.... The more that laws and regulations are given prominence, the more thieves and robbers there will be." - Lao Tzu, 6th century BC
Don't like sweet wine, only dry. Never heard of sparkling meand, I'll get myself a wine-making kit and try it.
“How many Sex and the City fans have funneled all their maternal instincts into their Chinese bulldog without even noticing their ovaries have expired?”
Same here. There are some very good dry meads to be had, but you have to look for them in places other than CostCo. Hey, good luck with that. The initial equipment outlay can be a bit off putting to some, but once you buy the equipment it's bought and stays bought, you don't have to keep buying new equipment. After that, it's honey, water and whatever spices you want to add.
"The more artificial taboos and restrictions there are in the world, the more the people are impoverished.... The more that laws and regulations are given prominence, the more thieves and robbers there will be." - Lao Tzu, 6th century BC
#2. To: Ada (#0)
Here's to the corkscrew - a useful key to unlock the storehouse of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the gate of pleasant folly. ~ W.E.P. French
"Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance." ~ Benjamin Franklin
"Wine is sunlight, held together by water!" ~ Galileo Gallilei
"A mind of the caliber of mine cannot derive its nutrient from cows." ~ George Bernard Shaw
#3. To: Ada (#0)
#4. To: Lysander_Spooner, 2+2 (#1)
It is not the drinker, but the man who has just stopped drinking, who thinks the world is going to the dogs. - Henry Louis Mencken
#5. To: Ada (#0)
... heavy drinkers are less likely to die than people who have never drunk.
#6. To: Jethro Tull (#4)
It's a drug that reacts in wildly different ways in people. More so than other drugs I've seen.
#7. To: Original_Intent (#2)
Lord Acton
OsamaBinGoldstein posted on 2010-05-25 9:39:59 ET (2 images) Reply Trace
#8. To: Ada (#0)
#9. To: octavia (#3)
I always tell my patients..All things in moderation, just make sure you enjoy yourself. People who abstain fron alcohol, sex, and fun are not any joy to be around.
#10. To: Jethro Tull (#4)
For some, one is too many and a thousand not enough. I'd estimate 80% of all the violent domestic abuse crimes I saw had a component of heavy boozing. It's a drug that reacts in wildly different ways in people. More so than other drugs I've seen.
#11. To: Dakmar (#9)
Right, once once starts heaving anything it's prolly time to give it a rest.
Lord Acton
OsamaBinGoldstein posted on 2010-05-25 9:39:59 ET (2 images) Reply Trace
#12. To: Dakmar (#10)
Mike Flaherty: Yeah, it's been there a long time. I wish I knew which corner.
My Man Godfrey (1936)
#13. To: Dakmar, 4 (#10)
#14. To: Ada (#0)
#15. To: Dakmar (#10)
She must have tried two or three times to get thing folded right. I was thinking about how compulsive that sounds and thought I should ask you, do you think she may have been high on drugs or something?
#16. To: James Deffenbach (#7)
In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.
#17. To: Ada (#0)
Heave Drinkers Outlive Non Drinkers, Study Finds
#18. To: octavia (#3)
#19. To: Jethro Tull (#15)
#20. To: Ada (#0)
Heavy Drinkers Outlive Non Drinkers, Study Finds
Senator Jacob Howard, Co-author of the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment, 1866.
#21. To: christine, Octavia (#18)
i've smoked pot like 5 times in my life and it didn't do a thing for me except make my eyes look weird. ;P
#22. To: Ada (#0)
#23. To: Shoonra (#14)
Heavy drinkers might live longer than non-drinkers (I wonder if anyone compared them to moderate drinkers) but ...
...or airplane pilots.
Also, heavy drinkers might live to be older ... but their memory of that extra time is probably blanked out so they have no advantage in that extra time.
#24. To: Ada (#0)
#25. To: Ada (#0)
#26. To: Turtle (#25)
#27. To: SonOfLiberty (#26)
I love a well made mead
#28. To: Turtle (#27)
Don't like sweet wine, only dry.
Never heard of sparkling meand, I'll get myself a wine-making kit and try it.
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