“A glass of red wine a day protects the heart.” “Beer is healthy because of the vitamins”—you hear these claims all the time. For many, they serve as a convenient excuse: if you drink alcohol, at least do it with a clear conscience. But science has long shown: that’s a myth. The beverage industry still subtly amplifies these ideas by cherry-picking studies and promoting positive headlines.
In this article, we take a closer look: What is alcohol, really? What’s behind the claim it could be healthy? And what are the actual health effects—even at low doses?
Find the full text here in our blog
Those old favorites—“a glass of red wine a day is good for the heart” or “beer is healthy thanks to its vitamins”—are still everywhere. They’re the perfect excuse: if you’re going to drink, at least feel good about it, right? But modern science has dismantled these claims for years. Large meta-analyses, statements from the WHO, CDC, and leading researchers (e.g., Stanford, Lancet reviews) are crystal clear: there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. The famous J-shaped curve (where light drinking supposedly protects) is mostly an artifact—largely explained by the “sick quitter” bias (former heavy drinkers end up in the non-drinking group, skewing the numbers).
You nailed it: the alcohol industry cherry-picks studies, spins positive headlines, and quietly funds “moderate drinking is fine” narratives. Resveratrol in red wine? The heart-protective doses seen in labs would require drinking hundreds of glasses a day—completely unrealistic. Meanwhile, even small amounts raise the risk for cancer (especially breast, liver, colorectal), high blood pressure, stroke, liver disease, and more.
Thank you for laying this out so clearly and without sensationalism. This is exactly the kind of no-BS knowledge that helps people break the mental loop of “it’s not that bad” and actually consider change.
Reading something like this and thinking “maybe I should look closer” is already a huge first step toward freedom. Keep these coming—they make a real difference, one reader at a time. 💪
