Alcohol: friend and foe | Dean Burnett

People typically abstain from alcohol in January, sometimes getting sponsored for this. But it's possible that alcohol isn't as bad as is often made out. And how would we cope if alcohol were suddenly taken from us? Quite badly, as it turns out.It always happens at this time of year, the collective Christmas hangover coupled with the new year resolutions to get in shape mean alcohol is the first thing to go for many. You can even be sponsored for, as the term Dryathlon enters our vocabulary. Our Olympic Legacy looks different to what I expected. I've previously mocked the notion of being sponsored for doing something as unintentional as growing a moustache, but now people are literally asking to be sponsored for something they're not doing? The audacity! I jest, of course, but what does the fact that choosing not to consume a low-level poison is seen as a genuine achievement say about our culture and its relationship with alcohol? When not drinking is seen as more of an aberration than drinking, alcohol is clearly ingrained in society at a fundamental level.Alcohol is often demonised by a wide variety of people. It's a common tactic in the UK to try boosting revenue and political capital by suggesting raising the minimum price of alcohol, allegedly to tackle problem drinking. And when the topic of drug legislation comes up, you'll invariably hear about how alcohol is worse than most other drugs. Many argue that it's hypocritical to criminalise something like cannabis when a m...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Blogposts Health guardian.co.uk Alcohol Science Source Type: news