Rick Raw: Drinkers Live Longer–New Study Finds Moderate and Even Heavy Alcohol Consumers Live Longer than Non-drinkers

By Rick Grant Commentary rickgrant01@comcast.net

Granted, there are scientific studies that can justify just about any vice or habit. There is probably a study that finds people who stab themselves in the chest with a Bowie knife have shorter lives than people who don’t.

Alcohol consumers, who drink moderately, like me, have long believed that it’s good for your health. Now, we have a study to substantiate that belief. A new paper in the journal "Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research" suggests that for reasons that aren’t entirely clear, abstaining from alcohol does tend to shorten life expectancy, even when former problem drinkers are accounted for.

Shockingly, teetotalers’ mortality rates are higher than those of even heavy drinkers! Hallelujah, pour me a beer. That’s all we needed to justify our drinking lifestyle. The study also revealed that moderate drinking, which is defined as one to three drinks per day, is shown to have the lowest mortality rates.

More significantly, moderate use of alcohol improves heart health, circulation, and sociability.

Yes, a couple of drinks takes the edge off one’s day, and makes one more sociable. But, getting drunk at a bar and driving home is definitely not healthy.

The study also reveals that even heavy drinkers who have not yet fried their liver or heart, or have slowed down to moderate drinking or quit, live longer than non-drinkers. This study does not account for the damage that heavy drinking can do to the body. Clearly, if you survive that hurdle, you live longer than abstainers.

The obvious question is why would abstaining from alcohol lead to a shorter life?
In the "Time Magazine" piece by John Cloud, He states that "the authors of the paper note that those who abstain from alcohol tend to be from lower socioeconomic classes and less able to afford the expense of drinking."

No way-- I vehemently disagree with that conclusion. Poverty breeds all social ills such as heavy drinking. The poor will get their alcohol one way or another by buying cheap wine, beer, or moonshine.

However, in Cloud’s piece, he paraphrases the paper by saying, "But even after controlling for nearly all imaginable variables–existing health problems, socioeconomic status, level of physical activity, number of close friends, quality of social support, et al–the 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 were not current drinkers, regardless of whether they used to be alcoholics. The second highest mortality rates for heavy drinkers, and the lowest for moderate drinkers."

So the key words in this paper are "moderate drinkers" will live the longest. "The 1,824 participants ranged from 55 to 65 at the beginning of the study. The sample included a disproportionate number to men (63%).

Just over 69% of the teetotalers died during the 20 years, 60% of the heavy drinkers died, and only 41% of the moderate drinkers died. The scientists factored in the fact that heavy drinking is associated with a higher risk of cirrhosis and several types of cancer, particularly of the mouth and esophagus. Still, heavy drinkers are likely to live longer than non-drinkers if they survive the effects of heavy drinking.

The study authors are careful to note that even though drinking is associated with longer life, it can be dangerous. It can severely impair your memory and lead to non-lethal falls and other painful mishaps.

Yes, you could wake up in a strange bed, or like inebriated Rip Torn, thinking he was breaking into his own house, and being arrested for breaking into a bank. Of course, alcohol addiction can lead to divorce, loss of job, and a painful recovery.

So, moderation is the key when consuming alcohol. I drink two beers at suppertime and a glass or two of wine while I watch television. I never get drunk and I never drive after consuming alcohol. At 70, I’m in great shape. But, who knows, my neighborhood might blow up due to a gas leak, or an airplane might fall on my roof. And no, I’m not planning to stab myself in the chest with a Bowie knife. Cheers