CriticalMass

I found the following article online...and really didn't know what to think. I really hope this isn't the case.


"[A] new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that — for reasons that aren’t entirely clear — abstaining from alcohol does actually tend to increase one’s risk of dying even when you exclude former drinkers. The most shocking part? Abstainers’ mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers…

The sample of those who were studied included individuals between ages 55 and 65 who had had any kind of outpatient care in the previous three years. The 1,824 participants were followed for 20 years. One drawback of the sample: a disproportionate number, 63%, were men. Just over 69% of the never-drinkers died during the 20 years, 60% of the heavy drinkers died and only 41% of moderate drinkers died.

These are remarkable statistics. Even though heavy drinking is associated with higher risk for cirrhosis and several types of cancer (particularly cancers in the mouth and esophagus), heavy drinkers are less likely to die than people who have never drunk. One important reason is that alcohol lubricates so many social interactions, and social interactions are vital for maintaining mental and physical health. As I pointed out last year, nondrinkers show greater signs of depression than those who allow themselves to join the party"


I need some comments...

bellakeller

Don't believe everything you read.

Hooped

Considering at the end I was shaking so bad I couldnt hold a pen, was puking up blood, and losing control of my bodily functions... I figure my chances of living are much better by not drinking no matter what any study says.
Since when do heavy drinkers have ANY social interactions anyway?
When I was on a bender, I wouldnt even open the drapes or answer the phone.

Reset

My depression was worse when I drank, and I drank alone most of the time.

However, my grandfather drank heavily until his mid-30's and then quit entirely, and he died at 59. He had a lot of other health problems too though.

Which tells me you have to adjust the study to include other factors such as diet, pre-existing conditions, genetics, etc.

bdiddy5522

All I know is that if I wouldn't have quit drinking, there is NO WAY I would have lived to be an old man. At least now I have a chance.

Zube

I'd rather die younger with serenity, than older without.

Zube.

CarolD

Ever watch someone die from active alcoholism?
or try to comfort their loved ones?

Since I quit in '89 ..I have lost about 30 friends and acquaintances
from alcohol related causes. Not one reached 55.

Russian Roulette anyone? No thanks....think I will continue to enjoy life...

SASA

well if somebody would have asked me or anybody in my family in questionairs we never drank any alcohol........ Maybe 1 glas or 2 max per week. The reality was otherwise. Do you by chance have a citation where to find the original article?

FNB3

I believe this study to be entirely valid because its subjects are probably mostly dry drunks. Alcohol and drugs are used in a lot of instances to relieve the stress of life. Once removed those stresses can have a lot of damage on the body and can even lead to suicide.

You have to get real sobriety to learn alternative coping methods for stress. Without it you are in trouble and will most likely end up self medicating again to relieve the stress. Stress kills.

I liken it to a tea pot percolating to a boil (stress) until it overflows a bit (drinking or drugs). It will be ok for a little while then it will repeat. Sobriety teaches you to turn off the heat source, or at least turn it down a little bit.

Boleo

Nothing new here. Abstinence is not drinking and feeling bad about it. Recovery is not drinking and feeling good about it.

Abstainers’ mortality rates are higher because life is miserable without some kind of relief from anxiety. Those who still drink have at least some relief in their lives (even if it is only for a few hours).

That is why there is more to quitting drinking than just quitting drinking.

CriticalMass

Thanks for the comments guys.

I'll post the link when I have more than 15 posts since your count has to be 15 or greater to post links or images.

SASA

Alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality among ... [Drug Alcohol Depend. 2010] - PubMed result This is the link to a study in Finland, not sure if this is the one they meant. Alcohol consumption was retrospectively measured by beverage-specific quantity and frequency over a 12-month period. Mortality data were obtained from the official Cause-of-Death Register. Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyse the relative risks (RRs) of death......

Raindance

I can figure out how to be social without it.

If I keep drinking i'll be dead in 10 years, i'll take my chances without it.

CriticalMass

I know that I would rather have 20 instead of 2...so I can't have 2. I woke up so many mornings after a night of hard drinking thinking "I'm going to die incredibly young if I keep this up." That's a scary thought...especially in my early 20's. So if heavy drinking was killing me, and moderate drinking cannot be obtained, my option is clear.

That makes a lot of sense. I appreciate that.

Enoy

Am I reading this correctly ?


They studied people who had been in "any kind of" outpatient treatment between the ages of 52-65. ( So the cause of outpatient was irrelevant because there are " never drinkers " in the study. )

They followed them for the NEXT 20 years ? so 75-85 was the reference age ? ( So they died at the average life expectancy of North Americans )


There seems to be no other information related to their other lifestyles. It could be the formerly heavy drinkers made such drastic changes to their diets and lives that they lived longer while the others continued other unhealthy habits.

It could be happenstance with that age group.
It could be a completely flawed study that doesn't seem to be anymore than a standard media hyped report.

californiapoppy

If I don't drink my life is better, I feel better, I'm happy. If I drink I feel awful, anxious, unhappy and I hate myself. Why would I want a long life of pain? I prefer to die happy.

Eddiebuckle

Speaking only for myself, when I quit drinking I hadn't seen a Dr. for twenty years. I didn't want to ever go to a Dr for fear they would discover how much I drank, discover any damage drinking was doing and therefore threaten my ability to drink the way I wanted.

That said, it is a known fact that a drink a day is good for cardiovascular health. But I suspect there are very few of us here who anytime recently have drunk in that fashion, so to suggest that drinking is better than abstaining for us is absolutely delusional thinking.

Supercrew

No one on this forum has to worry, we were all heavy drinkers at one point.

Supercrew

When they said "abstainers" they meant people who have never drank. Abstinence means not drinking period. Not "not drinking and feeling bad about it". Maybe you feel bad when you don't drink and maybe you need relieve from anxiety, but I don't.

I find it strange that you still consider drinking "some sort of relief".

cabledude

Cool. I drank so much I'll probably live forever.