Just some thoughts

…Moderate drinking…

            This is an opinion paper about moderate drinking. I’ve done countless hours of research on this topic and I have come to the conclusion that drinking in moderation can be, in fact, good for your health! There are a lot of misconceptions about moderate drinking.  A big influence on why society looks down on moderate drinking  is that people tend to confuse moderate drinking with social drinking, which refers to casual drinking in a social setting without an intent to get drunk.  Social drinking has a reputation of causing problems. People get out in the club setting and start having a few drinks then before they know it they are drunk. Drunk people who cannot handle their alcohol tend to cause a lot of problems.  Moderate drinking is the opposite. Moderate drinking refers to drinking that does not generally cause problems. One to two drinks a day would be considered moderate drinking. Now that we have defined moderate drinking, let’s look at the benefits.

            There are many benefits of moderate drinking. Research shows that consuming low levels of alcohol can reduce stress, decrease tension, self- consciousness and anxiety. It even proves that in elderly people, moderate drinking helps improve mood, stimulate appetite and even regulates bowel movements.  Studies show that drinking alcohol in moderation can help prevent coronary heart disease. Also that people who indulge in moderate drinking are 30-40 percent less likely to develop diabetes than those who abstain from drinking.

            The key word in this situation is MODERATE. Consuming alcohol to the point of becoming intoxicated is NOT moderate drinking. People who normally drink a twelve pack and are now only drinking a six pack are NOT moderate drinking. As with all things in life, there are other factors to be considered, for example; age, medical history, and family history. That being said, I still come to the same conclusion which is, for the majority of society moderate drinking is safe and can be both healthy and relaxing.