Alcohol: Toxic in any amount, or beneficial in moderation, or does it depend on the person?

What I find interesting is that most of the recent articles in the main stream press saying "no amount of alcohol is safe" are based on the same Lancet article saying "No level of alcohol consumption improves health"

The two things don't necessarily mean the same thing.

I should declare a invested interest. I do drink alcohol in fact I drink it almost every day. Which perhaps I shouldn't.

Do I think drinking a beer, having a glass of wine or whisky improves my health. No I don't think it does improve it. However, I also don't think the harm it's potentially doing is significant.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)31571-X/fulltext

Stockholm_Andy wrote: »

The two things don't necessarily mean the same thing.

...

Do I think drinking a beer, having a glass of wine or whisky improves my health. No I don't think it does improve it. However, I also don't think the harm it's potentially doing is significant.

I think it is clarifying to make the distinction between being healthful and being detrimental.

Another question one could ask, which seems to be related to an unacknowledged bias aound here, is this:
Does drinking alcohol improve your life?

There is not an easy or one-size-fits-all answer to this one. For those with alcoholic tendencies, or certain health conditions, the answer is certainly "no". For others, for example wine connoisseurs, the answer is going to be "yes". I personally am a craft beer fan, and one of my great indulgences is sampling, at the end of the day, some of the amazing creations that are out there.

Obviously this site is focused on health. But we make a mistake of putting foods and practices into boxes labeled "healthy" or "unhealthy". Even if alcohol is toxic in any amount, I would still choose to enjoy it because it has other perceived benefits besides a clinical, toxicological assessment. It makes my life richer - it adds color and texture to my world. If someday I find that it has a worse impact on me - e.g. an adverse reaction to a needed prescription- then I would make the choice to abstain.

I don't know about studies & I know that's what you're asking for but just to share, I hate alcohol. My father was an alcoholic, his father (died young) my 3 brothers, my husband(stopped drinking 3yrs ago & me when I was young. Ruined many lives

I can't imagine how alcohol itself could have any health benefits. I could see how other ingredients that happen to also be in an alcoholic beverage might though. That said I'd imagine if you got those ingredients without the alcohol it would be just as beneficial.

In other words lots of claims that say a glass of wine a day is a good thing....but I doubt anyone claims it is due to the ethanol, if anything they hand wave over the antioxidants. Haven't heard any claims that drinking a shot of everclear or moonshine a day is good for you.

For me, toxic in any amount.

Scotch Drink

Let other poets raise a fracas
Bout vines, and wines, an drucken Bacchus,
An crabbit names an stories wrack us,
An grate our lug:
I sing the juice Scotch bear can mak us,
In glass or Jug.

O thou, my Muse! guid auld Scotch drink!
Whether thro' wimplin worms thou jink,
Or, richly brown, ream owre the brink,
In glorious faem
Inspire me, till I lisp an wink,
To sing thy name!

Let husky wheat the haughs adorn,
An aits set up their awnie horn,
An Pease and beans, at e'en or morn,
Perfume the plain:
Leeze me on thee, John Barleycorn,
Thou king o' grain!

On thee aft Scotland chows her cood,
In souple scones, the wale o' food!
Or tumbling in the boiling flood
Wi' kail an beef;
But when thou pours thy strong heart's blood
There thou shines chief.

Food fills the wame, an keeps us livin;
Tho life's a gift no worth receivin
When heavy-dragg'd wi pine an grievin;
But oil'd by thee
The wheels o' life gae down-hill, scrievin,
Wi' rattlin glee.

Thou clears the head o' doited Lear,
Thou cheers the heart o' drooping Care;
Thou strings the nerves o' Labour sair,
At 's weary toil;
Thou ev'n brightens dark Despair
Wi' gloomy smile.

Aft, clad in massy siller weed,
Wi gentles thou erscts thy head;
Yet humbly kind in time o' need,
The poor man's wine:
His wee drap parritch, or his bread,
Thou kitchens fine.

Thou art the life o' public haunts;
But thee, what were our fairs and rants?
Ev'n godly meetings o' the saunts,
By thee inspir'd,
When, gaping, they besiege the tents,
Are doubly fir'd.

That merry night we get the corn in,
O sweetly, then, thou reams the horn
Or reekin on a New-Year mornin
In cog or bicker,
An just a wee drap sp'ritual burn in,
An gusty sucker!

When Vulcan gies his bellows breath,
An ploughmen gather wi their graith,
O rare! to see thee fizz an freath
I' th' lugget caup!
Then Burnewin comes on like death
At every chaup.

Nae mercy, then, for airn or steel:
The brawnie, bainie, ploughman chiel,
Brings hard owrehip, wi sturdy wheel,
The strong forehammer,
Till block an studdie ring an reel,
Wi dinsome clamour.

When skirlin' weanies see the light,
Thou maks the gossips clatter bright,
How fumblin coofs their dearies slight;
Wae worth the name!
Nae howdie gets a social night,
Or plack frae them.

When neebors anger at a plea,
An just as wud as wud can be,
How easy can the barley-brie
Cement the quarrel!
It's aye the cheapest lawyer's fee,
To taste the barrel.

Alake! that e'er my Muse has reason,
To wyte her countrymen wi' treason!
But monie daily weet their weason
Wi' liquors nice,
An hardly, in a winter season,
E'er spier her price.

Wae worth that brandy, burnin trash!
Fell source o' monie a pain an brash!
Twins monie a poor, doylt, drucken hash
O' half his days;
An sends, beside, auld Scotland's cash
To her warst faes.

Ye Scots, wha wish auld Scotland well!
Ye chief, to you my tale I tell,
Poor, plackless devils like mysel!
It sets you ill
Wi' bitter, dearthfu' wines to mell,
Or foreign gill.

May gravels round his blather wrench,
An gouts torment him, inch by inch,
Wha twists his gruntle wi' a glunch
O' sour disdain
Out owre a glass o' whisky-punch
Wi honest men!

O Whisky! soul o' plays an pranks!
Accept a Bardie's gratefu thanks!
When wanting thee, what tuneless cranks
Are my poor verses!
Thou comes---they rattle i' their ranks,
At ither's arses!

Thee, Ferintosh! O sadly lost!
Scotland lament frae coast to coast!
Now colic grips, an barkin hoast
May kill us a';
For loyal Eorbes' charter'd boast
Is taen awa!

They curst horse-leeches o' th' Excise,
Wha mak the whisky stells their prize!
Haud up thy han', Deil! ance, twice, thrice!
There, seize the blinkers!
An bake them up in brunstane pies
For poor damn'd drinkers.

Fortune! if thou'll but gie me still
Hale breeks, a scone, an whisky gill,
An rowth o' rhyme to rave at will,
Tak a' the rest,
An deal't about as thy blind skill
Directs thee best.

-Robert Burns

Great people write great songs and poetry about alcohol. No respectable human being toasts a great achievement to a Diet Coke.

I suspect Mr. Burns' death may have had more to do with just alcohol.

Genetics establishes parameters. Humans have the innate and unique capacity to exceed these parameters. Physiologically speaking you're not going to find much evidence to support alcohol. Socially and psychologically however....

I suspect there's some hidden link within gnotobiotic studies, but the degree of bias would exponentially high.