Elf Sternberg

Vox had a one of its "what if X was covered the way we cover Y" articles, this time "What if the media covered alcohol like other drugs?." It's a solid piece of writing that more or less gathers all the statistics about alcohol use and abuse, and pairs them with the kind of sensational observations about drug users urinating or vomiting in the streets, staggering along the sidewalks, and engaging in other erratic behaviors. It's the kind of lurid rhetoric journalists reserve for heroin or meth, but here trenchantly deployed to discuss liquor.

But there's another truth about alcohol that Vox misses: We evolved around alcohol, and it's become an essential nutrient to our biology. In 34 separate epidemiological studies conducted across 52 different countries, the "alcohol J-curve" shows up again and again, and it says one thing clearly and consistently: one to two drinks a day significantly lowers your prospects of dying over the course of the next few years. The overall risk of dying does not rise to that of the non-drinker until you hit four drinks.

In this case, a "drink" has a specific definition, which is one beer, or one six-ounce glass of wine, or one short shot of liquor. Which isn't a lot, and probably isn't going to even give you a buzz. But the whole "one drink is too many" line many governments hand out isn't even just bullshit, it's actually harmful bullshit.