Are alcohol and diabetic retinopathy connected? There is strong evidence that they are. But first, what is diabetic retinopathy? I. The Disease of Diabetic Retinopathy Diabetic retinopathy is a disease that causes impaired vision or even total blindness. It does so by damaging blood vessels in the retina. The retina is needed for vision. This disease usually affects both eyes. And it can affect anyone with diabetes. That is, either type 1 or type 2. In… Read more

Wine experts and wine snobism can intimidate people. We’re afraid to trust our own judgment of what we like. Or of what we think we “should” like. Most people want a good wine at a good price. Should you rely on wine experts? Their advice should be, well, expert. As we’ll see, the experts aren’t really so expert. And the scientific evidence proves it! Or people often say that you get what you pay for.… Read more

I. Potential Problem Industry funding of research can sometimes bias research findings. That was the case of tobacco company support of smoking research. Many people are concerned that alcohol research funding on health effects of moderate drinking by producers may bias the findings. That’s a very logical and sound concern. Here’s a good example of that fear. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is the federal agency on alcohol. It asked for funds… Read more

Confusing correlation with causation is natural. We all tend to fall into the trap. The classic example is the correlation between high ice cream sales and drownings. Or the sale of sunglasses. But ice cream sales don’t cause either drownings or the sale of sunglasses.  The cause of these things is clearly warm weather. It’s not caused by high ice cream sales!  I. Alcohol Sales Outlets Similarly, people often observe that alcohol consumption tends to be… Read more

Purley Baker was a leading temperance and Prohibition leader. He was born in Ohio in 1858 and died during National Prohibition (1920-1933) in 1924. Prohibition was part of the Progressive Movement. Anti-Saloon League Rev. Baker was an ordained Methodist minister who became well-known for strongly opposing alcohol and saloons. Perhaps because of that fact, Howard Hyde  Russell, the head of the Anti-Saloon League (ASL) hired him to work for the Ohio ASL. After only a year… Read more

Practicing Alcohol Moderation: A Comprehensive Workbook is a practical guide on how to drink in moderation. It’s written by Cyndi Turner, LCSW, LSATP, MAC. She is co-founder and Clinical Director of Insights Into Action Therapy and Insight Recovery Centers. The book is based on harm reduction. That is, recognizing goals short of abstinence as legitimate. It’s also evidenced-based rather than ideological. It provides questionnaires, checklists worksheets, and even quizzes. Readers develop their own Alcohol Moderation… Read more

The coronavirus pandemic is causing serious problems around the world. Many companies and their employees are hit hard. COVID-19 and unemployment are closely connected.  COVID 19 especially threatens restaurants and bars. These have been places where people typically gather in groups.  However, social distancing and sheltering in place threaten to destroy such businesses. Trying to survive, they have closed their dining rooms and taprooms. Thus they must rely on takeout and/or delivery. This also true… Read more

Research has shown that alcohol drinking reduces Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other causes of dementia. This has long been true. Recently, research has implicated plaques in the brain in causing AD. And a cause of such plaques are beta-amyloid peptides. These are short links of amino acids. OK, so this isn’t a chemistry class. The important thing is that moderate drinking appears to reduce these peptides. I. The Study Researchers at Seoul National University and… Read more

Researchers wanted to know if there is a link between drinking alcohol and blood vessel function or health. The endothelium is the thin interior surface of small blood vessels. Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is when it fails to perform all of its important functions normally. As a result, several bad things can happen to the tissues supplied by those arteries. For example, ED is a risk factor for heart and vessel diseases. That includes heart attacks… Read more