Why Do Heavy Drinkers Outlive Nondrinkers?

7zark7

7zark7

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[size=+1]Why Do Heavy Drinkers Outlive Non-drinkers?[/size]
By JOHN CLOUD Monday, Aug. 30, 2010

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.


Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2014332,00.html
 
This is really interesting because I just finished reading "Outliars" by Malcolm Gladwell a few months ago which included statistics about this village of people who migrated to the USA from Italy who outlived everyone outside of the little... city that the currently resided in. These people ate and drank some of the most unhealthy foods and drinks that you could think of and most of them smoked, but they were living a full 10-15 years older on average longer than the current average. The unique thing about this little city was that everyone knew each other, they passed and waved to each other every day, crime was virtually unheard of and these people were extremely sociable. They concluded that the stress-relief alone prevented many of the normal "aging sicknesses and diseases" such as Heart Disease and Cancer. This relates to this article because it shows when you consume a substance that does indeed reduce your stress levels and promotes sociability, you actually live longer even if the substance does indeed cause sickness and disease on it's own. So everyone, lets make a toast to doing the things that make us happy in life :D
 
i wonder if abstainers could reach the same age as their alcohol consuming counterparts by means of a homeopathic alcohol dilution.... or to live as long as the drinkers do u have to actually get wasted.. i mean "buzzed"
 
Sp33dy said:
This relates to this article because it shows when you consume a substance that does indeed reduce your stress levels and promotes sociability, you actually live longer even if the substance does indeed cause sickness and disease on it's own. So everyone, lets make a toast to doing the things that make us happy in life :D
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I can see this.. to a point. Also; for some people such as myself alcohol just doesn't fit well in my system. Benzos and phenibut are great though. :)

There's lots of people who drink a lot of alcohol, are really social, but the alcohol consumption does take a toll on their body. I think any substance that relaxes people can extend life, and the less toxic that substance is; the longer they'll live.
 
There are so many factors that determine how long you live I cant see how any study could sift out all the variables. My great grandfather smoked a pack a day starting at 15 he lived to be 88. My his son my granddad drank and smoked and still chews cigars and he is an extrememly healthy 80 years old in fact hes the only elderly person I know who takes zero prescription medications. I dunno what that proves but I think its pretty interesting.
 
Is there a middle path?

No, drugs are BAD! Now get back in your jail cell, or step back in the bar and buy some beer.
 
Can Staying Sober Shorten Your Life?
New Research on Why Abstainers Die Sooner

By COURTNEY HUTCHISON, ABC News Medical Unit
Sept. 1, 2010

It runs counter to decades of medical advice, but again and again, researchers are finding that those who drink moderately, and in some cases even those who drink heavily, outlive their sober peers.


In a recent study from the University of Texas, Austin, researchers followed middle-aged subjects into old age and found that while nearly 70 percent of abstainers were dead within twenty years of starting the study, only 60 percent of heavy drinkers and 41 percent of the moderate drinkers had died by that time.

Findings such as this have met with much controversy in the medical community, less because it supports the health benefits of modest drinking, and more because it suggests that those who say no to that evening glass of wine are substantially more likely to die sooner.

(continued at http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/alcohol-abstainers-die-sooner/story?id=11524962)
 
Volcano said:
Answer to thread title:


It's cuz they're sooooo relaxed!
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probably has a lot to do with it. this is why martial artists often live to be 100, and kick ass every day of the way (relaxation).

same thing for heroin too - if you had laboratory grade dope, and always regulated your dose, youd extend your life by about 10 years.
 
National Geographic had a special on long-lived populations a couple of years back. It was found that Sardinians, Okinawans, and a third group I forgot had the highest percentage of centenarians. All of these had daily alcohol consumption (along with other things, such as fish in diet) in common.
 
I heard this story on NPR the other day. One of the guests was hypothesizing that people who can afford to drink 1-3 drinks per day are better off financially, so they live less stressful lives. I don't know if it really makes sense because you can drink 1-3 drinks a day for $1-5 a day.

Overall I think there are too many factors to ever say that drinking 1-3 drinks a day is healthy for everyone. But I do think alcohol might be useful as a crutch...a go to type of stress relief that is readily available so long as it's not abused. Also the social aspect of drinking cuz it has been correlated that a better sense of community and support leads to a longer life. So between the stress relief and the social aspect of drinking, I can see it as being a somewhat healthy activity. And it has to be good to live a life where you set aside an hour or two every day to kick back, relax and socialize with friends and family. IMHO I think the social/relaxation aspect creates the majority of the health benefits.

Or it could be as simple as the type of person inclined to drink daily also has different genes than a non-drinker.

I think it would be an awesome revelation if it was found that being "up tight" is harmful to your health.%)
 
My best guess would be that it is the social aspect that brings the biggest benefit. "Let's go for a drink" is such a common way of initiating human interaction, and alcohol can help people take the edge off enough in order to open up.

Here's a guy who really loves his booze: http://www.drunkard.com/
 
dankstersauce said:
I think it would be an awesome revelation if it was found that being "up tight" is harmful to your health.%)
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Tell me about it! It's a damn shame that ethanol is the only unscheduled, common, and socially acceptable depressant though. Western society seems to have horrible taste in drugs for the most part.
 
^ No kidding. The hangover is not only GABA withdrawal but you've got the toxic metabolite acetaldehyde floating around; so you're getting screwed from two fronts.

Pharmacologically alcohol is one of the dirtiest drugs.

That said; I had a shot of whisky last night and it was nice :)
 
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