[rossdavidh]

So, we get a lot of "alcohol is bad" or "alcohol is good (in moderation)" from different scientists. What am I, a non-scientist, to believe? For my "null hypothesis", which I hold to unless and until a scientific consensus demonstrates otherwise, is that conditions similar to my ancestors' lifestyle is what is most likely to be what I am adapted for. I'm pretty sure my ancestors were occasional drinkers of alcohol.

Of course, it would depend on my particular ancestors. If my dad or mom died of cirrhosis of the liver, I would choose differently.

[goodcanadian]

As someone who considers himself a scientist, though definitely not in the medical field, this is my take:

Alcohol (i.e. ethanol) is essentially a poison, but so are many other things that we regularly consume. Our bodies have evolved to handle small to moderate amounts of these naturally occurring poisons, so small to moderate amounts aren't really a problem.

It has been shown that there are side benefits to alcohol and/or other compounds commonly found in alcoholic drinks. From the articles I've seen, I believe these benefits to be real, but I'm less convinced that they are significant in the context of safe amounts of alcohol. It's all a trade off. I think this is why it remains controversial; there is not a clear answer.

So, it's almost certainly safe to consume small amounts of alcohol, but you are probably not losing anything if you don't. Consuming large amounts of alcohol, of course, is known to be bad.

[rossdavidh]

All sounds reasonable, but: 1) a small amount of a poison, like a fever, can be a net positive if it does more damage to pathogens than to you, and 2) if the social benefits of moderate amounts of alcohol are significant, given that we know the medical benefits of social ties are significant, alcohol could be a net bonus

[bitwize]

This is hackernews, where random commenters from the internet can dig up evidence that anything you might enjoy consuming is bad for you. About the only thing people can agree is good for you is fasting.

[topmonk]

Not anymore, currently top comment on article on IF:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21888639

[non-entity]

As libertarian as this site leans otherwise, its strange to pull up threads supporting banning alcohol, drugs, etc.(not this one, but a thread on LSD a few days back)

I'm not one to judge anyone for what they dont do and certainly don't buy into any of the miracle cure stuff, and respect people's decisions on what they ingrst, but most threads seem to have an overwhelmingly negative response to anything regarding alcohol or drugs.

[topmonk]

My philosophy is that if there is a great debate between two choices that never seems to be resolved, it probably doesn't matter much and do what ever is easier/makes you more happy.

[rossdavidh]

Probably, but I feel I should point out the other possibility, which is that there is the true option, and the option that people _want_ to be true. But since, in the case of alcohol, there is great disagreement about which option people want to be true even, that's probably not the case here.

[betterbeehome]

Given the fact that many Europeans drank beer, ale and what have you as a main source of water (the other primary source being food). I'm not surprised if it turns out that it's not too big of a deal. As long as the drinks are as low alcohol content as the ales and beers of the past, then it's all good. Hell even children drank small light beer in the past.

Not saying it isn't poison, just that the body can deal with it in small amounts.

[lazyjones]

Alcohol is toxic, so it's always bad, even in moderation. But apparently it correlates with some beneficial effects, so it's a tradeoff.

Most good things in life don't come free of drawbacks.

[postsantum]

Everything is toxic. Drink too much water and you'll get potentially fatal water poisoning. Breath too much - hyperventilaton can cause really nasty things

[lazyjones]

This is always the first reaction when someone brings up toxicity of alcohol in a pub, including the Paracelsus quotation. But it misses the point: alcohol is very toxic in the small amounts consumed while drinking "in moderation", water isn't. There is a good reason why we usually avoid some substances.

https://www.fatherly.com/news/global-study-finds-that-no-amo...

[therockspush]

Alle Dinge sind Gift, und nichts ist ohne Gift, allein die Dosis macht dass ein Ding kein Gift ist. All things are poison, and nothing is without poison, the dosage alone makes it so a thing is not a poison.

—Paracelsus

[bawolff]

The conclusion i'd draw is that alcohol is complex and has good and bad aspects. Some scientists study the good parts, other the bad