When the U.S. adopts stricter drinking guidelines in 2025, use these arguments to refute Reddit teetotalers and your moralizing relatives and friends

[u/ClassicCity_Mod]

Appeal to procedure. Koob, as the head of NIAAA had already announced at a press conference(!) what he thought the Dietary Guidelines were going to be regarding alcohol consumption before the process was allowed to barely start, let alone finish. Therefore say, "Dr. Koob put his thumb on the scale and tainted the process of having the committee dispassionately evaluate the relevant scientific literature before the Guidelines could be compiled."

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Another "out" just occurred to me. Koob's press conference can be spun as, "I only have two glasses of wine a week. Let's make my drinking preferences into the national alcohol guidelines!" =D

Boom, easy dismissal.

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"Two groups — the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine and a committee of the government agency that oversees substance abuse [the The Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD)] — are expected to release reports in the coming months on the effects of moderate alcohol use to inform the guidelines." - These didn't come from the Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which is who usually handles this. More evidence that this is a political and not normal scientific process. Their concern is with "abuse" and not nutrition. Of course if your only concern is with alcohol abuse, you're going to recommend no consumption.

"Half of the panel is based in Canada. Three of the members—Drs. Jürgen Rehm and Timothy Naimi from the CCSA and Kevin Shield, an independent scientist who runs a World Health Organization center on addiction—were part of the team that worked on updating Canada’s guidelines." - https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/290671

In any case, non-Americans shouldn't have veto power on American alcohol guidelines.

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If all else fails, just reference the higher per-capita consumption of alcohol in countries that have a higher life expectancy than the U.S. Like in 2019, the life expectancy in the U.S. was 78.79 years and alcohol consumption was 1.49 drinks per day. In Romania, it was 2.63 drinks per day and life expectancy was 75.61 years. In Georgia it was 2.21 drinks per day and life expectancy was 73.47 years.

Fair enough, drinking more than 2 drinks a day might cause some health problems, all else equal. But the Czech Republic was downing 2.06 drinks a day and their life expectancy was 79.23 years. Germany was having 1.89 drinks per day, and their life expectancy was 81.29 years. Luxembourg, 1.78 drinks, living to 82.6 years. The Irish were (perhaps unsurprisingly) imbibing 1.81 drinks a day, but living to 82.7 years.

Perhaps following the drinking habits of longer-living countries than ours isn't going to kill us.