Heavy Drinkers Outlive Nondrinkers!

[The Original An Gadaí]

http://www.time.com/time/health/arti...014332,00.html

Even though heavy drinking is associated with higher risk for cirrhosis and several types of cancer (particularly cancers in the mouth and esophagus), heavy drinkers are less likely to die than people who have never drunk. One important reason is that alcohol lubricates so many social interactions, and social interactions are vital for maintaining mental and physical health.

Someone pass the bottle to the teetotallers quick!

[Taumpy]

As much as I would love to raise a glass and get toasted to that news, their reasoning sounds... questionable to me.

[Panther Squad]

I choose to not read this article and instead use this title's thread as an excuse to tell myself I should get twisted tonight.

Thank you Mellophant!

[Zuul]

But even after controlling for nearly all imaginable variables — socioeconomic status, level of physical activity, number of close friends, quality of social support and so on — the researchers (a 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 had never been drinkers, second-highest for heavy drinkers and lowest for moderate drinkers.

The sample of those who were studied included individuals between ages 55 and 65 who had had any kind of outpatient care in the previous three years. The 1,824 participants were followed for 20 years. One drawback of the sample: a disproportionate number, 63%, were men. Just over 69% of the never-drinkers died during the 20 years, 60% of the heavy drinkers died and only 41% of moderate drinkers died.

The fact that the majority of the people in the sample were men is an issue and I'd like to know what methods they used for controlling the different variables. This is definitely something that needs to be repeated by a few different teams to see if the same results come up.

I'm wondering how much culture has an influence on the matter, something that isn't mentioned in the article. Like if the teetotalers are disproportionately Baptists and the heavy-drinkers are Catholics.

[Exy]

Like if the teetotalers are disproportionately Baptists and the heavy-drinkers are Catholics.

So, you're saying . . . contemporary Christian music shortens life expectancy, while the Pogues and Edith Piaf lengthen it?

I'm in.

[What Exit?]

Look we all know that teetotalers are clearly too uptight to live long. This study only bears out the expected doesn't it. Now what we really need to know is heavy drinkers vs. casual drinkers.

[Cluricaun]

It's true! I can live more in one single besotted night than a dry person can live in a decade.