Not drinking will kill you.

Cheers!

Of the 1,824 study participants, only 41 percent of the moderate drinkers died prematurely compared to a whopping 69 percent of the nondrinkers. Meanwhile, the heavy drinkers fared better than those who abstained, with a 60 percent mortality rate. Despite the increased risks for cirrhosis and several types of cancer, not to mention dependency, accidents, and poor judgment associated with heavy drinking, those who imbibe are less likely to die than people who stay dry.

Previously, previously, previously.

Tags:

10 Responses:

  1. Barry Kelly says:

    Almost certainly due to correlation with social connectedness, but fun nonetheless.

    • James says:

      "Social connectedness?" Care to elaborate? Not a whole lot on Medline except for the elderly.

        • James says:

          I was hoping you had clicked through to the "even after controlling for nearly all imaginable variables — socioeconomic status, level of physical activity, number of close friends, quality of social support and so on" part.

        • Tom Lord says:

          "Almost certainly" "Let me google that for you."

          Ha ha. You know when they controlled for social-behavioral and sociodemographic factors (among much else), abstainers still showed a mortality rate about 50% higher than moderate drinkers.

          They were looking at factors like marital status and degree of social support (among much else).

  2. Xan says:

    score 404
    Hilarious background gif of marky mark sans the funky bunch doing to a mac what should be done to macs. And by hilarious I mean I was promised beer and got a funky bunchling in the singular.
    The failing url seems to be determined to put an au in there and show marky.
    http://www.businessinsider.com.au/abstaining-from-alcohol-significantly-shortens-life-2013-12
    Do you think he'd look funkier upside down.au?

    • Xan says:

      So horrified by his bunchness I missed the "view on us" link button horror. As you were.

  3. Erbo says:

    Well, I guess I'm screwed, then. I have gout, and I can keep it under control only as long as I don't drink. If I have even one drink, next morning, I will wake up with sharp pain in my feet that makes it nearly impossible to even stand.

    So, crippling pain or a higher risk of death. Some choice.

    • Pavel Lishin says:

      If the reason folks who drink live longer is the social-lubricant aspect of alcohol, perhaps you can just start smoking marijuana, or huffing whippets, or whatever it is that kids are doing these days.

  • Previously