Why Do Heavy Drinkers Outlive Nondrinkers?

One of the most contentious issues in the vast literature about alcohol consumption has been the consistent finding that those who don't drink actually tend to die sooner than those who do. The standard Alcoholics Anonymous explanation for this finding is that many of those who show up as abstainers in such research are actually former hard-core drunks who had already incurred health problems associated with drinking.

But a new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that — for reasons that aren't entirely clear — abstaining from alcohol does actually tend to increase one's risk of dying even when you exclude former drinkers. The most shocking part? Abstainers' mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers.


Moderate drinking, which is defined as one to three drinks per day, is associated with the lowest mortality rates in alcohol studies. Moderate alcohol use (especially when the beverage of choice is red wine) is thought to improve heart health, circulation and sociability, which can be important because people who are isolated don't have as many family members and friends who can notice and help treat health problems.



Link to story: www.time.com...





[edit on 31-8-2010 by Krzyzmo]

Maybe because we (heavy drinkers) are preserving ourselves by pickling our organs. I'm gonna live forever

*I do not condone, nor glorify, my drinking problems*

You need a release from the daily grind; Nothing wrong with feeling good.
Here is a additional article from Time that is lised at the bottom of the article about being depresssed and not drinking. It just seems in society if someone feels good all the time, then something must be wrong with them, cause you should feel bad and be misserable like other people do. A good balance in your life will make you happy. Some drinks with friends will counter a bad day

Why Nondrinkers May Be More Depressed


if alcohol can lead to depression, does that mean abstaining from alcohol will make you happier? A new study suggests that the opposite actually tends to be true. In fact, those who never drink are at significantly higher risk for not only depression but also anxiety disorders, compared with those who consume alcohol regularly.

link to the story: www.time.com...




[edit on 31-8-2010 by Krzyzmo]

Because we know how to be happy.

I do condone and glorify my drinking habit. It's pretty awesome. Not only does drinking alcohol loosen you up a little, not being ashamed of being willing to drink loosens you up like woah.

Cheers to this,.(clink)
I will drink to that (clink)
I often wonder about the orgs. that do such studies.
do they have any affiliation to their reason for research?

Here are the financial funders for the study, extracted from the fulltext :

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by NIAAA Grant AA15685 and by Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Service funds. The opinions expressed here are the authors’ and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

[edit on 31-8-2010 by jjjtir]

Excessive drinking can lead to heart failure,
Also lack of sleep, and depression,.
So the key is to not overdo it,. can be a tough balance..

Where is the information on heavy drinkers living longer?

I've read many times that moderate drinkers live longer but I've never read that heavy drinkers live longer.

I drink a glass of red wine 3-5 nights per week. I think that one of the reasons that moderate drinkers live longer is that they are not so uptight. A glass of wine is no big deal to me.

I very rarely have more than one glass of wine. I don't consider myself a "heavy" drinker.

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I don't know about heavy drinkers living longer. Seems to be unlikely given what heavy drinking can do to your liver.. Stress can kill you though so maybe moderate drinkers just are less stressed than those who completely abstain? Cutting loose every once in awhile is a pretty good stress reliever.


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