Stanton Peele, who studies and treats addiction, has published a fascinating summation of the scientific evidence on drinking and health (hat tip: Instapundit), and it cuts against the grain of much of what you will hear from most public health spokesmen. Drinking alcohol, up to two drinks a day for women and four for men (sorry, ladies, that’s what the data shows!), decreases mortality. Drink up and live longer. The U.S. public health establishment buries overwhelming evidence that abstinence is a cause of heart disease and early death. People deserve to know that alcohol gives most of us a higher life expectancy—even if consumed above recommended limits. (snip) …the evidence that abstinence from alcohol is a cause of heart disease and early death is irrefutable—yet this is almost unmentionable in the United States. Even as health bodies like the CDC and Dietary Guidelines for Americans (prepared by Health and Human Services) now recognize...(Read Full Post)