[lkesteloot]

I had also read elsewhere that the worse health of non-drinkers (relative to moderate drinkers) could be explained by the fact that many non-drinkers are recovering alcoholics, and had already trashed their bodies pretty badly. A study (can't find link) controlled for this and found that non-drinkers are healthier than moderate drinkers, even without controlling for wealth.

[ibejoeb]

This study has accounted for what they call "sick quitters" and those lifelong abstainers. This is entertaining, to me, because it seems that they have arrived at exactly the opposite conclusion: when controlling for overall intake, and then controlling for wealth, moderate drinkers fare better than non-drinkers.