Why drinkers live longer than nondr...

Posted by alisa , On September 24, 2010 , in drink , No Comments

One of the most contentious issues in the extensive literature on the consumption of alcohol is regularly supports the conclusion that the sober people die sooner than those who drank. The standard explanation of Alcoholics Anonymous lies in the fact that many of those who are defined as sober when such studies are in fact former heavy drinkers who have had health problems associated with drinking.

But a new article in the journal «Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research» suggest the possibility that, for reasons that are not fully clear, complete abstinence from alcohol does increase the risk of death, even if you exclude a number of subjects ex-drinkers. The most shocking part? Deaths among abstainers is higher than among drinkers.

Moderate drinking, defined as one – three “drink” a day (a standard “drink” in the bar – this is usually 30 – 50 grams – Translator’s Note), in studies on alcohol consumption is associated with lowest mortality. Moderate alcohol consumption (especially if the preferred drink – red wine) is considered a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, increases sociability, which may be important, because single people do not have family and friends who would help them to notice and allow health problems.

But why total abstinence from alcohol (abstentizm, trezvennichestvo) leads to a shortening of life? Yes, it is true that those who abstain from alcohol, mainly located in the lower socio-economic position, since alcohol roads. And the people of lower socio-economic status have more life stress – work, care, child care, which can not only keep them out of the bottle, but if they (the stress) are sufficiently long period, and also cause stress-related illness. (They also can not remove your stress, just drinking one – two “drink” after work).

The researchers (the team of six members, headed by psychologist Charles Holahanom from the University of Texas at Austin) have found that even with almost every imaginable variables – socio-economic status, physical activity, number of close friends, quality of social support and so on, for 20-year period, mortality was highest among those who did not drink alcohol, regardless of whether they were alcoholics before or not, in second place – alcoholics, and the lowest mortality rate – among the moderate drinking.

The study included people age – from 55 to 65 years who received any kind of outpatient treatment during the previous three years. These 1824 participants were followed for 20 years. One drawback to the study: a disproportionate number of participants – 63% were men. During these 20 years, died more than 69% of abstainers, 60% of alcoholics, and only 41% of moderate drinkers.

This is – remarkable statistics. Even given that alcoholism is associated with a higher risk of cirrhosis of the liver and several types of cancer (particularly cancers of the mouth and esophagus), alcoholics are likely to die later than teetotalers, even if the latter had never had problems with alcohol. One important reason for this is that alcohol is the lubricant in so many social interactions and social relationships are vital to maintain mental and physical health. As I wrote in my article last year, the temperance found more symptoms of depression than those who allow themselves to join the company.

The authors of the new study strongly emphasize that, even if drinking is associated with longer life, it can be dangerous: it can greatly reduce your memory, it can lead to non-fatal errors and failures (like, say, cheating husband or wife in a drunken haze) which, in turn, can ruin your life. There is also the problem of dependence: if you become dependent on alcohol, you can spend lot of time trying to break away from the bottle.

Nevertheless, the new study offers the strongest evidence that moderate drinking is not only pleasant but also useful. So – to combine.