Chief Executive of IARD, the international alliance of leading beer, wine and spirits companies
How risky is it to drink alcohol? For adults to who choose to drink, that’s the question they want and need a clear answer to. The claim that there is “no safe level†of alcohol consumption is increasingly being amplified by some within public health authorities. However, as Dr Erik Skovenborg explains, this all-or-nothing concept is misleading and damaging to the public understanding of the risks of drinking alcohol: 👉The science shows that there are benefits as well as risks to consuming alcohol moderately, and that all the meta-analyses studies of the last 25 years indicate that those who drink moderately live at least as long as those who never drink. 👉When science cannot prove a negative, public health advisory bodies should seek to explain the level of risk to the public in order to help them manage those risks in their daily lives. This often involves using terms like “low risks to health†or “very low riskâ€. 👉Everything in life involves some degree of risk, and the balancing of risks and benefits. Skovenborg gives the example of cycling, something that many cities are promoting, which involves 5.5 times more traffic deaths per kilometer traveled than by car for all ages. The harmful use of alcohol involves serious risks to the individual and to others, and is rightly regulated. But putting all use of alcohol in that category is not supported by the science and does a disservice to the public, who need clear guidance not absolutism.
