Stop Promoting The Idea That Drinking Wine Every Day Can Be Healthy

Woman is drinking wine at home

The other day I was sitting in the waiting room of a chiropractor’s office that had one of the televisions that scrolls between various ads and educational slides. I’ve seen these sorts of things all over the place so I didn’t think much of it until one slide, in particular, came up. The slide was promoting the “potential health benefits” of drinking one to two glasses of wine per day. I’ve heard this before and in the height of my alcoholism often used this as one of my many justifications to drink on a regular basis. Now that I am able to think more rationally it is easy to see that the potential harm from alcohol far outweighs any potential “health benefit” it may have.

The idea of promoting drinking one to two glasses of wine per day is simply put dangerous. Maybe it’s because I’ve been working in the addiction field for some time now and a part of the recovery community for over seven years or maybe I have a jaded view on the subject from my own personal experience but, I just can’t see how this is a good idea. The thing is that yes, there are people out there who are able to drink responsibly but for too many people seeing this sort of message gives a “green-light” to continuing unhealthy drinking patterns.

The most ironic part of all of this is that the potential health benefits of drinking a glass of wine per day are very similar to the potential adverse effects of drinking too much alcohol. The potential benefits of wine that are often touted actually come from resveratrol which is from the skins of grapes, not the alcohol itself.

Potential Health Benefits of Resveratrol:

  • Reduced risk of heart disease
  • Prevention of vision loss
  • Raised levels of omega-3 fatty acids
  • Healthy blood vessels
  • Prevention of dementia
  • Reduced risk of depression
  • Prevention of liver disease
  • May reduce brain damage after a stroke
  • Reduced blood pressure
  • Prevention of colon cancer
  • Prevention of breast cancer
  • Prevention of lung cancer
  • Improved lung function
  • Protection from prostate cancer

Potential Health Risks of Alcohol:

  • Addiction
  • High blood pressure
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Mental health problems
  • Stroke
  • Arrhythmias
  • Liver disease
    • Cirrhosis
    • Fatty liver
    • Alcoholic hepatitis
  • Dementia
  • Heart disease
  • Multiple forms of cancer:
    • Breast
    • Pharynx (throat)
    • Colon
    • Rectum
    • Larynx (voice box)
    • Esophagus
    • Mouth
    • Liver
    • Pancreas
    • Stomach
  • Alcohol poisoning

While it is true there is a benefit to consuming resveratrol there are much safer alternatives to incorporating this into your daily diet than drinking wine. Resveratrol can be obtained by eating blueberries, cranberries, peanuts, raspberries, mulberries, bilberries, grapes or in supplement form. All of these methods provide the potential health benefits of resveratrol without running the risks of over-consuming alcohol. With all of that being said I think it becomes pretty obvious why it would be a good idea to drop the idea that a glass of wine per day is healthy advice and see it for what it really is, an outdated justification to drink.


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AUTHOR

Julie

After overcoming her own addiction in 2012 Julie went on to become certified as an addiction counselor in order to help others achieve a life of recovery. She worked in the addiction field for 8 years and now uses both her personal and professional experiences with addiction as an influence for her writing.

NARCONON COLORADO

DRUG EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION