Many Americans view moderate drink as unhealthy

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I never really liked alcohol much, but I started drinking at the age of 18 because it was the cultural norm to do so. You were treated as a bit of a social outcast if you didn't, with sly remarks like "can I get you an orange juice?" I hate orange juice. Nowadays, it is completely acceptable to say you don't drink. People no longer give you weird looks. And no one will make fun of you if you ask for a non-alcoholic beer.

Living in Switzerland, we are fortunate enough to have a good range of non-alcoholic alternatives. In fact, some are pretty popular. We even have a supermarket called Migros which doesn't sell alcohol at all because it is forbidden in its charter. One non-alcoholic beverage that is particularly popular is the Erdinger non-alcoholic Weissbier – a malty type of wheat beer. It's treated a bit like an isotonic drink by some to replace the sugar and salts while on the ski slopes. It's also popular because you get to enjoy a good beer without the side effects of alcohol affecting your performance.

Naturally, people are drinking less and this trend seems to be reflected in the US, as this first chart shows. It's an interesting development and I hope it will continue. Alcohol has been a silent killer for a long time. Think of how many lives will be extended by drinking less.

CHART 1 • Many American view moderate drinking as unhealthy

Times are changing for alcohol. A record 53% of Americans now view moderate drinking as bad for health, double the percentage from just two decades ago. Only 6% still believe it's good for you, down from 22% in 2001. Moreover, this view is backed by hard science.

The US Surgeon General issued an advisory calling for stronger cancer warning labels. New federal reports find even moderate drinking within dietary guidelines carries significant health risks. The World Health Organization says bluntly that "no level of alcohol consumption is safe." A major federal study found seven drinks per week carries a 1 in 1,000 risk of dying from alcohol use. Even moderate drinking increases breast cancer risk with "moderate certainty."

The old story about red wine being heart-healthy? Dead and buried. Multiple studies that once suggested benefits have been debunked for flawed methodology – they compared moderate drinkers to a group that included people who'd quit drinking because they were already sick. The alcohol industry is scrambling as Americans, especially younger generations, are drinking less or abstaining entirely. This shift in public perception mirrors what happened with tobacco decades ago.

Source: Chartr

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