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Dispelling myths about alcohol and health
It is about time to dispel some of the myths about alcohol and health. Much study has been devoted to this by the health services of the USA and UK. Much of what follows is based on information from the USA: (https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm) and UK (http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Alcohol-misuse/Pages/Introduction.aspx)
The significant thing both countries emphasize is that it is the amount of alcohol that matters, not the form in which it is ingested. Thus it does not matter whether the alcohol is imbibed as wine, beer or arrack. What matters is the number of units of pure alcohol consumed.
In the USA a standard drink contains 0.6 ounces, (14 grams or 1.2 tablespoons) of pure alcohol. Heavy drinking is defined as 15 or more standard drinks per week. In the UK alcohol consumption is measured in units. A unit is 10 ml of pure alcohol which is about half a pint of normal strength lager or a single measure (25 ml) of spirits.
The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention answers the question “Is beer or wine safer to drink than liquor?” with a categorical “No”. This is one of the commonest myths that needs to be dispelled.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) in its “Global status report on alcohol and health” does not, at any point advocate promoting beer and wine over spirits or vice versa.
Owing to the common misconception that beer and wine do less harm to the health than spirits and the discriminatory taxation that resulted, there has been a massive increase in the consumption of beer between 2005 and 2015. It grew by a staggering 144% while the spirits market grew by 34%. ‘Strong beer’ (malt liquor above 5% in strength usually nearer 8.8%) grew by a staggering 414% between 2006 and 2015. And all this was owing to the above-mentioned misconception.
Let me, once and for all, say what the true position is. The fact is that alcohol is damaging to health only if taken in excess. This applies with equal force to other comestibles like king coconut water, rice, and fruits, that are viewed with approval. In fact there is a strong view in medical circles that a couple of moderate drinks a day can be beneficial. No one can go wrong if the Buddha’s dictum is followed to the letter: Everything in moderation.
While saying this there is one misconception that must be exposed. The GMOA is the latest group that has shown how badly it has been misled. It believes that high prices (through higher taxation) would result in less consumption of alcohol. This is a total myth. All that happens is that when licit alcohol (arrack, gin and so on) become more expensive the masses (who are poor) do not give up drinking, as our naïve leaders and the clergy imagine; they shift to kassippu.
And this is a deadly brew. Even in moderate quantities it is so poisonous that it results in blindness and a total breakdown in health. This results in large increases in government health expenditure. Crime and lawlessness, bribery and corruption, all increase with an increase in the power of kassippu dealers. They suborn the police and politicians. And they do not pay excise duty or taxes! There activities result in a huge loss of revenue to the government. All this seems to be too much for our thinkers at the GMOA and the clergy to comprehend. It is too complicated for them. Even our political leaders seem unable to grasp this.