Alcohol Warning Labels

There is talk of placing warning labels on alcohol-containing bottles and cans that explain 'units' to consumers and it is being lauded as a good thing. A similar approach hasn't done much to deter smokers from using cigarettes to get the nicotine fix by placing warning labels on cigarette packets. The promotion of the suggestion that people need to be told what healthy drinking is can be regarded as being very cynical and it clearly implies that those who don't drink (they do exist) are missing out on a real health benefit.

Safe drinking? This is a recipe for alcoholism. When does drink dependence cross over into alcoholism? Are they not the same? What is drink dependence? If you are a drinker, try going for a week without. Or even just a day. Is drinking in moderation healthy? No, it is not. Drinking alcohol has no health benefit. And those who claim that alcohol has no effect at all, even in moderation, are deluded.

Of course, simply a small amount of alcohol in the human biological system has an effect. Why have an alcoholic beverage and not simply a glass of water if you're only thirsty? Or when a small amount of stress is perceived? The use of alcohol as a "get me over this period" is just a crutch. All that "a drink" of alcohol can do is divert attention away from the cause of the stress temporarily, but the cause of the stress is still there to return as it hasn't been dealt with. The answer to problems is never found at the bottom of a glass. This can be a perpetual cycle for some as causes are never attended to and never go away. Reach for the bottle. Again. Too much tea or coffee has its dangers - so we are informed. Certainly too much caffeine is not a good idea and they are diuretics (lose body fluid).

That's paradoxical: drink alcohol under the delusion that you're thirsty and so lose fluid and need more to replace what you've lost. Rather like eating salt to quench thirst.