Two recent articles in TVNZ’s Health News highlight the two aspects of alcohol: killer and potential health aid.
rubins vase sharp 150 by masterymistery
The first is “Alcohol as bad as drugs say international experts“, in which a drug expert unfortunately named Professor Nutt claims that “If someone was to invent alcohol today and we didn’t have it, we would be very concerned about its dangers and would probably classify it as a class B drug.” Another researcher, Dr Doug Sellman, is quoted as saying, “In this research we found that alcohol… has around about the same dangerousness to public health as Fantasy.” He was probably quoted out of context, of course, TV news (and news in general) being what it is, because I’m sure he wouldn’t have neglected to elaborate on this and point out that the prevalence of alcohol is of course much greater, because alcohol is a legal drug and Fantasy is an illegal drug, so the comparison isn’t really a fair one. He wouldn’t have forgotten to say that, would he?
On the other hand, “Veggies and alcohol may ward off prostate woes“. This piece reports on a study (PubMed abstract here; supposedly in the American Journal of Epidemiology but at the time of posting, not visible there) that “examined dietary risk factors for incident benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in 4,770 Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (1994-2003) placebo-arm participants who were free of BPH at baseline”. It found a significantly lowered risk for those participants who drank alcohol and those who were high consumers of vegetables (and protein, but not fat, which increased the risk).
So: real life is complex. Well, we knew that. Alcohol can be associated with (although it hasn’t necessarily been shown to cause) decreased risk of heart disease and prostate problems; it’s also a dangerous substance that drug experts compare to Class B illegal drugs. Which is true? Both of them.
This is why alcohol use in moderation is, I think, the way to go. The Government message at the moment in NZ is “It’s not just the drinking, it’s the way we’re drinking”. I’m no great advocate of alcohol; I hardly ever drink myself, but it seems clear that making alcohol illegal just isn’t going to happen, so we need to learn to use it responsibly.
If you’re having difficulty doing that, consider my Healthy Lifestyle hypnotherapy CD, which includes a track on “Enjoying Alcohol in Moderation” (as well as one on “Positive Eating” which could help you to increase your fruit and veg consumption). Of course, as I point out on the track, for some people alcohol in moderation is just something they can’t do; if that’s you, I recommend Alcoholics Anonymous as an organization with an excellent program – and an excellent long-term record – for helping people to stop using alcohol altogether, if that’s what they need to do in order to deal with it.
Technorati: alcohol • consumption • drug • health • moderation • prostate • vegetables
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