No safe level of alcohol: Research
How much alcohol is safe to consume? Advice varies considerably between different medical studies, and with different studies offering advice that this sometimes confusing to consumers. A new study cuts through this and puts the case for abstinence.
According to the new research there were three million deaths in 2016 attributed to alcohol. The researchers use these cases to to state the case that alcohol consumption carries 'massive health risks' and that other studies that seek to establish a 'safe' weekly consumption of alcohol are wasting their time. This is because, the research, from University of Washington School of Medicine, concludes, there is no safe level of alcohol.
The three million deaths in 2016 were drawn from a total population of drinkers estimated to be 2 billion people, with the ratio 63 percent makes to 37 percent females. Data was drawn from a larger study called the Global Burden of Disease. Alcohol related diseases were classified as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, communicable diseases and unintentional injuries.
From the analysis, the researchers discovered that the risk of all-cause mortality, and of cancers specifically, rises with increasing levels of consumption, and the level of consumption that minimizes health loss is zero. The researchers make the case of increased government action globally to help to reduce alcohol consumption.
The research did not make any differentiation between beer, wine, and spirits *or 'liquor'). The scientists drew on general data pertaining to alcohol-related deaths and associated health outcomes to determine their conclusions, according to the BBC. A key finding was that alcohol is the leading risk factor for premature mortality and disability in the 15 to 49 age group, accounting for 20 percent of deaths.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/life/health/no-safe-level-of-alcohol-research/article/530326#hv69592
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If I was stressed - or for no reason at all. I'm 9 years sober as of April of this year and reading this makes me feel even more grateful than usual. 
There's a quote that we like to remember "We are not a glum lot," LOL. It's from the '30s - when AA first began - but it really is true. I just attended a celebration for a friend of mine who has three years and there was a lot of laughter there. We make fun of ourselves on a regular basis. 
I've learned that some of us have a genetic predisposition to abuse alcohol - and I'm one of them - that once we start, we just can't stop. I've known people who have died and even more who have ended up in real trouble so this is an added incentive to "put the plug in the jug" for good. It's not always easy, especially in a society that depicts drinking as a way to have fun, but it's far from that for those of us who can't drink safely.
Having just come from an AA celebration - my friend has 3 1/2 years sober after 30 years of abusing alcohol - when I ran across this article it resonated with me so I decided it was worth posting.