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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Are drinking alcohol and weight gain connected? We hear much about the calories in alcohol. So what’s the story? I. The Study Researchers wanted to find out. To do so, they studied 37,000 non-smokers for five years. Smoking and drinking interact to influence weight. Therefore, the researchers limited their study to people who had never …
What should alcohol policy for youth be in the U.S.? This is a heated subject. Here the National Youth Rights Association (NYRA) gives its views. I. Alcohol Policy for Youth NYRA believes U.S. youth alcohol policy should recognize the inevitability of alcohol consumption among youth. Therefore, it should seek to reduce the harm of that alcohol use. …
