The Fruit of the Vine

It’s empirically based: moderate drinking is good for you, and better for you than not drinking at all and better than heavy drinking.

I’m 100% in favor of control, of discipline, of not drinking in excess, of never drinking and driving, of young adults not drinking until they are mature enough to know what they’re doing, of… of … but still… total abstinence is neither biblical nor wise.

When Jesus turned the water into wine, he was doing something that was not only a symbol of festive joy but good for those attending the wedding.

What’s your guess: Did Jesus make red wine or white wine? I say “RED”.

Here’s a clip from a recent article linked to above.

But 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 — the researchers (a six-member team led by psychologist Charles Holahan of the University of Texas at Austin) found that over a 20-year period, mortality rates were highest for those who had never been drinkers, second-highest for heavy drinkers and lowest for moderate drinkers.

The sample of those who were studied included individuals between ages 55 and 65 who had had any kind of outpatient care in the previous three years. The 1,824 participants were followed for 20 years. One drawback of the sample: a disproportionate number, 63%, were men. Just over 69% of the never-drinkers died during the 20 years, 60% of the heavy drinkers died and only 41% of moderate drinkers died.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2014332,00.html?hpt=C2#ixzz0y8oZiWqW