[quote=sdsurfer]I wonder about the stress vs drinking aspect. Of course I do think that people should find other outlets too, but I’m referring to the person that comes home from work and has a beer or two to loosen up from the day.
Say you had two people that were very similar. One of them has a beer or two every day when they get home on the porch as a little stress reliever and the other one does not.
Who would live longer if everything else stays the same?
I really think that as long as it does not lead to Jack Daniels the one that has a beer or two might have a bit more longevity. Let me know if you know of anyone like the second guy. I’ll be test subject #1.[/quote]
Your intuition is probably right.
Researchers found that moderate alcohol drinkers are more likely to live longer over a 20-year follow-up than heavy drinkers and abstainers. Moderate drinking means consuming about one or two drinks per day. A report published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research stressed that the health benefits of drinking alcohol among older individuals are “intrinsically linked to moderation”.
After living most of my life as a teetotaler, I started drinking moderate amounts of alcohol after seeing this research. Before that, I was a stress case. I still stress out, but the odd drink definitely seems to help with that. And you can’t beat having a glass of wine or a beer in a social setting. All of my neighbors (and my husband) have said that they like me a lot more when I’m drinking.