I have seen statements that “no level of drinking is safe”. Is this correct?

We believe that the “no safe level” statement is misleading and unhelpful since it ignores harmful consumption and instead shifts the focus on to moderate drinkers who simply want to have a glass of wine with dinner or a beer while watching a sports event. 

This “one size fits all approach” provides no useful information on individual health risks in the context of everyday life. Anyone with a serious drinking problem may tune out of the health messaging completely. This approach mirrors Prohibition-era thinking … which ended up creating the worst alcohol-related public policy mistake in history.

A further problem with the “no safe level” position is that it misrepresents the actual risks associated with alcohol in the real world. Life is full of risks which we accept every day. If we did not accept some amount of daily risk, we would have a hard time leaving the house each morning. Yet, the “no safe level” position assumes that any risk or increase in risk associated with alcohol consumption is unacceptable. 

Indeed, the vast majority of scientific studies (hundreds of them) have consistently shown for decades that those who consume alcohol in moderation are, on average, either just as healthy as non-drinkers or are actually slightly healthier. Despite the claims of some groups, “the science” in this regard has not changed … and studies continue to show the same results: those who drink in moderation have the same or better life expectancy than those who do not drink at all. You can review a compilation of some recent studies here: Recent Studies on Alcohol & Health.

I have seen statements that “alcohol causes cancer”. Is this correct?

We believe that this statement is misleading because it is too simplistic. A more accurate statement would be that “alcohol may contribute to certain types of cancer depending upon the amount consumed”. 

Generally, it is difficult (and unwise) to make definitive statements about the relationship of alcohol consumption and health because there has never been a large enough high quality study with sufficient controls to enable robust conclusions (it is difficult to perform such studies). Rather, the available studies (hundreds of them) are smaller and observational in nature.

They usually rely on people self-reporting information which can be unreliable and which can affect the validity of the conclusions. It’s also very difficult to monitor and control all the complicating factors related to people’s lifestyles. As such, the studies can only demonstrate correlation rather than causation (i.e. it “looks like” there may be a link between “x” and “y” rather than being able to say that “x” causes “y”).

The evidence from these studies shows correlation (links) between moderate alcohol consumption and improved cardiovascular health while also showing some increases in risk for certain types of cancer. Depending upon the individual, these potential benefits and risks could balance each other out, could provide an indicator of worse health or could provide an indicator of improved health.

As a result, it is wise for each person to educate themselves and to make their own decisions about what benefits and risks they are comfortable with.For the most part, the risks of cancer from moderate alcohol consumption are extremely low and in line with many of the other risks that we accept in day to day life..