alcohol consumption

Even Light Alcohol Consumption Not a Health Benefit

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Several years ago a study came out stating that alcohol was good for your health. The studies showed that drinking in moderation could be good for your heart. However, a new study was conducted showing that this is not true. Alcohol is not good for your health. According to the new study, one drink a day that contains alcohol could increase the risk of heart disease.

The study looked at information taken from 260,000 people. The outcome of the study was that even those that do not consume much alcohol could cut their risk for heart disease by cutting down on the amount of alcohol they drink. “The best thing to do is to reduce consumption to reduce blood pressure and risk of heart disease” said Juan Casas, professor of epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and also the lead author of the study. Casas hopes that the study will influence policy makers now that they know that alcohol does not carry any health benefits. He explained that when people thought that there might be some healthy components to drinking in moderation it was hard to decide how much was too much. Now that the results are in and alcohol only does harm to people, policy makers can adjust laws accordingly.

The study looked at people that carried a variant of the alcohol dehydrogenase 1B gene. This gene causes unpleasant side effects when drinking; therefore these people tend to drink less. When researchers studied these people they found that they have a 10% lower risk of coronary heart disease, they have lower blood pressure and a lower body mass index.

Casas explained that previous studies, stating that consuming alcohol in moderate amounts was healthy for one’s heart, did not take into effect the lifestyle of those who didn’t consume alcohol. Casas points out that those who do not drink, or rarely drink, are more likely to participate in physical activity and lead generally healthier lives. Casas also said that the previous studies included those individuals who didn’t drink because of health reasons. That would falsely indicate that people who do not drink are unhealthy.

Lawmakers are currently reviewing the guidelines on how much to drink, they are taking this study into account.

Louisiana Considers Allowing Alcohol in Theaters

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A bill is currently on Governor Bobby Jindal’s desk. The bill is named Senate Bill 654 and has created quite a stir in Louisiana. The bill would allow movie theaters across the state to sell alcoholic beverages to its customers. While the bill made it through the Senate fairly easily, members of the House of Representatives are strongly divided over the passing of the bill.

The bill was not expected to pass the vote in the House of Representatives, but it managed to make it with just enough votes. Interestingly, State Representative Alan Seabaugh was not in attendance when the votes were being taken. Despite him not being present, his voting machine shows he voted for the bill. This indicates that someone used his voting machine to vote the bill through. Seabaugh has been vocal that he would never have voted for the bill to be passed. Due to this discrepancy, the legality of the bill’s passing is surely going to be called into question.

The public has gotten news of the bill and are letting Governor Jindal know that they are in opposition to its passing. Many church groups are rallying together to write letters to Jindal letting him know that they do not want their children in that sort of environment.

Movie theaters have long been a place where most parents feel comfortable dropping their children off to spend time with friends. Louisiana citizens are concerned that now that movie theaters are going to allow alcohol they will not be able to trust that their children will be safe. Many people are pointing out the obvious problem of the combination of a dark room and alcohol. Underage drinking isn’t usually a problem in movie theaters but may start to become a problem if the bill is passed by Governor Jindal.

Supporters of the bill liken this to drinking in restaurants. They indicate that no one is upset that alcohol is served at the same table where a child is seated in a restaurant. Those that oppose the bill point out those movie theaters are not restaurants and families should have an alcohol-free place to take their children. It is unclear whether or not Bobby Jindal is planning on approving the bill.

Liam Neeson Talks About Quitting Drinking

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neesongqActor Liam Neeson hits the cover of GQ Magazine and opens up about his life. One of the topics that came up was his drinking. While the 61 yr-old actor said he really only had one thing that he would drink, he said he was drinking too much after his wife died, and he decided it just wasn’t healthy.

Neeson was quoted as saying, “I was just — I was drinking too much. It started since my wife died. Pinot Noir: That’s all I drink. I was never into spirits or liquor, hard liquor. And I gave up the Guinness years ago, because it just past an age, it sticks to you, you know? So last year, I just thought — they’ve been throwing these action movies at me, and I thought, ‘Okay, let’s just change it a little bit.’ And it’s been great. I love it.”

Late last year Bradley Cooper was also on the cover of GQ and he talked about his decision to stop drinking as well. Both of these leading men commented on the benefits of their decision to stay sober and they both are also considered to be at peaks in their careers.

Many actors tend to get caught up in the Hollywood lifestyle that includes lots of parties and alcohol, and when you throw in difficult situations such as losing a loved one then it can often escalate the tendency to seek relief from substances.

Liam’s admission of his heavier drinking and subsequent cessation should serve as positive examples that people can recognize when something isn’t healthy in their life – such as substance abuse – and make changes accordingly.

Study Shows Russians Who Drink More Vodka Have Shorter Life Expectancy

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russianvodkaRussia has been known for many things over the years, and one connection that has stood out consistently is vodka. However, the consumption of the distilled spirit has had its peaks and valleys during various political regimes and regulations. A new long-term study that examined mortality rates in Russian men found a correlation involving vodka consumption.

Published in the British medical journal The Lancet, researchers followed more than 150,000 people in Russia for over ten years. What they found was that Russian men who drank three or more half-liter bottles of vodka per week had significant risk of dying before the age of 55, compared to those who drank less than one bottle per week. The study was jointly funded by the British Heart Foundation, Cancer REsearch UK, WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer and the UK Medical Research Council.

According to news reports, lead researcher Dr. David Zaridze of the Russian Cencer Research Center of Moscow said, “High mortality absolutely is caused by hazardous alcohol consumption.” Much of the alcohol was consumed in binge-drinking episodes and patterns, which may also contribute to the high death rate. Some deaths were from conditions such as alcohol poisoning or cancer. Others were due to accidents, violence and even suicide.

Heavy alcohol consumption, whether in binge episodes or long-term drinking, can not only have seriously damaging health effects, but can also cost lives in other ways.

If you have a loved one with an alcohol problem, contact us to speak with a counselor who can help.

Poll Finds Most Teens Don’t Drink

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hsalcoholchartmaddMothers Against Drinking and Driving (MADD) and State Farm Insurance recently teemed up to conduct a survey of high school kids and alcohol consumption. Although only about 700 students were surveyed, more than three quarters of them from around the country said they did not consume alcohol. The numbers were fairly to those for 10th grade students across the country found by the Monitoring The Future Study. However, it is far from what was found for 12th grade students, where 42% of them said they had consumed alcohol within the past 30 days.

In the MADD survey, the top five reasons listed for teens not drinking were:

1. It’s illegal
2. Effect on health
3. Effect on grades
4. Parents don’t approve
5. Don’t want to be like others who drink

The findings for the poll were released to coincide with Red Ribbon Week, also known as national drug prevention week, which is October 23 – 31.