Should you drink?

The ingestion of alcohol is a tricky issue in today's health arena. On one hand, it's been proven over and over that moderate amounts of alcohol on a daily basis can actually protect us from heart disease, and now a recent study in Japan has shown that drinking with a support group is even more medically beneficial. And there's much ado about an ingredient in red wine (Resveratrol) that may turn out to be the new fountain of youth.

But on the other hand, we know that too much alcohol can destroy the brain, the heart and the liver and can actually result in death. And clearly for alcoholics, who are estimated to be 4-8% of the American population, one drink of alcohol can trigger a binging episode with dire consequences.

How do you know what's safe for you? First of all, most experts agree that one to two drinks (slightly less for women) of beer, wine or liquor on a daily basis is considered light to moderate drinking. If you drink, you should do it or a daily basis rather than abstaining during the week and then binging on the weekend.

What if you're an alcoholic? AlcoholScreening.org has a short test you can take to determine if you have a drinking problem or not. This is a service of Join Together, a project of the Boston University School of Public Health, that's supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The test asks you 12 questions about your drinking habits and then analyzes the results and provides recommended action if a problem is indicated. This is a excellent resource that can be used by anyone.

To learn more about the benefits of moderate drinking with friends, go to: http://www.examiner.com/x-6347-Columbia-Health-Care-Examiner~y2009m4d8-Drinking-with-friends-may-be-good-for-you