How Much Alcohol is Safe?

Warning: Results may vary

Photo by Thomas Park on Unsplash

Just one drink won’t hurt.

In fact, a drink helps you relax — ease into the after work part of the day. Or, start off the weekend by easing your mind.

Plus, some suggest certain drinks — like red wine — have benefits for our health, however small.

But a story out of the Washington Post offers reasons to reevaluate alcohol consumption.

For years, the common wisdom and science was that a little bit of alcohol wasn’t bad — and even beneficial — for your health: A toast to moderation.

But new research published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine suggests that even light alcohol consumption can increase dementia risk.

The finding comes from data of more than 550,000 adults ages 56 to 72, as well as genetics information from 2.4 million study participants. It adds to evidence that even small amounts of alcohol can be harmful to our health, including increasing the risk of cancer or disrupting sleep.

After struggling with alcohol use disorder for some time, I’ve been alcohol free for several years now.

Still, I sometimes wonder — can a former problem drinker become a “normal drinker?” And, if so, would that be a good thing?