Thursday, October 11, 2018

The Demon Alcohol: What Will They Blame on it Next?


     It seems that never does a week goes by that a new report that tries to demonize the moderate use of alcohol.   It is beginning to sound like the days leading up to Prohibition in the 1920’s.  The latest one came out this week by Washington University linking moderate use of alcohol with “premature death”.  Unfortunately, most of these studies are more about binge or power drinking and being related to a moderate use of alcohol.

     Use of alcohol is being made responsible for just about every affliction to mankind as well condition of the world today.  The devil himself could not do all of the things that alcohol is being blamed for.  If we spent as much money researching cures for known diseases as we do looking for trouble where there is very little, the world would be a lot healthier.

     We have tried to use the law to get people to stop drinking and it doesn’t work. The recommendations of all these “new studies” included the same dusty proposals that have been pushed by anti-alcohol activists since the end of Prohibition.   The calls for more taxes, advertising restrictions, and further limitations on alcohol availability. These policies might all sound good on paper, but they do little to curtail legitimately dangerous drinking habits.  They have tried all the same tactics related to the use of cannabis and now they are legalizing it and people are not using it any more or less than they did when it was illegal, only differences is they don’t have to be “outlaws” to enjoy it.

     The good news for those of us that do enjoy an occasional alcoholic beverage is that many of these assertions are overblown and not backed up by the available science.  It is like most everything else in this world including food, a little bit is fine, but over do it and you will suffer.