With his New York Times blog “A Link Between Alcohol and Cancer? It’s Not Nearly as Scary as It Seems” Aaron E. Carroll is guilty of public health nihilism. In his response, Viktor comments on and corrects some points Mr Carroll made and highlights some of Carroll’s logical fallacies in the attempt to cast doubt on the science about alcohol and cancer…
These myths are massively profitable for Big Alcohol. But these myths and the stigma flowing from them are highly detrimental to millions of people…
Maintaining the collective illusion that the only people who have real alcohol problems are those homeless social deviants is crucial for Big Alcohol’s bottom line. It’s also immoral. And it’s our duty to change it, to shatter myths, end stigma and promote an evidence-based discourse about alcohol and related harms…
Misclassification of former and occasional drinkers as abstainers is widespread in alcohol epidemiology. This practice leads to a systematic underestimation of health risks from alcohol use (e.g. for cancer) and overestimation of health benefits…
More difficult to achieve controlled alcohol use than to live alcohol-free completely
People who are seeking treatment for alcohol use disorders and whose goal is to quit alcohol use entirely are more likely to achieve this goal if they are treated by a care provider who advocates total abstinence. Those who wish to learn to consume alcohol in a controlled manner are not as successful, even when they are treated by a care provider who works with controlled consumption. These are the results of a study carried out at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden…
Everyone wants to live a life of happiness and pleasure. But what is the role of alcohol in such a life really? Does alcohol use give real pleasure or is it just learned or even forced pleasure? Viktor explores the science of life quality…
Comparison of consumption levels and awareness of risks associated with substance use shows, being perceptive of the risks does not mean young people change behavior and engage less in the risky behavior…
Alcohol stimulates the reward center of the brain. That is why people addicted to alcohol keep using alcohol. When a child or a person who is not an ‘alcoholic’ takes alcohol, what happens to the Reward centre? Nothing happens, according to available scientific evidence…
A recent study debunks the long-held myth that (“moderate”) alcohol consumption is beneficial for a person’s health. Studies have and keep reporting that wine is good for the heart. And the alcohol industry does what it can to perpetuate that myth – so Western culture has come to accept and embrace it. However, many of such studies also fail to look at research that says otherwise. In fact, one research of note states that abstaining from alcohol consumption, even for just a month, will boost health immensely…
New research from Edge Hill University shows that the smell of alcohol may make it harder for people to control their behavior. During the computer-based study, participants were asked to wear a face mask that was either laced with alcohol, or a non-alcoholic citrus solution. Participants were then instructed to press a button when either the letter K or a picture of a beer bottle appeared on their screen. The researchers measured the number of times the participants incorrectly pressed the button causing a ‘false alarm’. These false alarms indicate a reduction in the participant’s power to inhibit their behaviour when they were expected to. Results showed that the number of ‘false alarms’ were higher in participants who were wearing the alcohol treated mask…
