I have found that as I get older, I tolerate alcohol much less and even a glass of wine or a beer disrupts my sleep and I feel it when I exercise in the morning. I am hearing the same thing from my fellow boomer friends who have also quit or drastically cut back so another non drinking group might be healthier older folks although that might be balanced by older folks whose AUD has gotten worse and are drinking more. At least now anyone who drinks alcohol can’t harass me about my Diet Coke 🤣
Thanks, Derek, for this considered take. I wonder if what's been missing from much of the conversation on the health impacts of alcohol is the commercial side. The alcohol industry is one of the most powerful lobbies where I live, and has consistently denied the carcinogenic nature of its product, funding biased science and charities to keep our focus on 'problem drinking' to the expense of considering population effects and fighting hard to keep the cancer-causing nature of its products suppressed. I also agree that just because something increases your risk doesn't mean that you shouldn't do it occasionally for other reasons (pleasure, socialisation) but that we also risk losing sight of the population health impacts of such effects if discussion is limited to the individual level.
Are you the only sane person writing about health online? threads etc ? I think so. Thanks. I’m on social media for the dogs and the flowers (and to stalk my young adult daughters) but i am constantly barraged by medical histrionics. Thanks for bringing some calm nuance to the conversation. That’s what I’m trying to do in my office with patients everyday! And as far as etoh I think it’s problematic for so many people that I’m glad that sober socializing is on the rise.
No, there are a number of people, but I try my best to think through studies and reports without getting caught up in hype, while (hopefully) admitting my own biases. Thanks for the comment!
I have found that as I get older, I tolerate alcohol much less and even a glass of wine or a beer disrupts my sleep and I feel it when I exercise in the morning. I am hearing the same thing from my fellow boomer friends who have also quit or drastically cut back so another non drinking group might be healthier older folks although that might be balanced by older folks whose AUD has gotten worse and are drinking more. At least now anyone who drinks alcohol can’t harass me about my Diet Coke 🤣
Thanks, Derek, for this considered take. I wonder if what's been missing from much of the conversation on the health impacts of alcohol is the commercial side. The alcohol industry is one of the most powerful lobbies where I live, and has consistently denied the carcinogenic nature of its product, funding biased science and charities to keep our focus on 'problem drinking' to the expense of considering population effects and fighting hard to keep the cancer-causing nature of its products suppressed. I also agree that just because something increases your risk doesn't mean that you shouldn't do it occasionally for other reasons (pleasure, socialisation) but that we also risk losing sight of the population health impacts of such effects if discussion is limited to the individual level.
Are you the only sane person writing about health online? threads etc ? I think so. Thanks. I’m on social media for the dogs and the flowers (and to stalk my young adult daughters) but i am constantly barraged by medical histrionics. Thanks for bringing some calm nuance to the conversation. That’s what I’m trying to do in my office with patients everyday! And as far as etoh I think it’s problematic for so many people that I’m glad that sober socializing is on the rise.
No, there are a number of people, but I try my best to think through studies and reports without getting caught up in hype, while (hopefully) admitting my own biases. Thanks for the comment!