“Young, Fun and Alcohol Free,” from the Sunday March 17 Tribune. Alcohol is a toxin and any drink because others do, but being alcohol free is a definite health benefit. Whatever anti-oxidant value it may have, can be gotten from grape juice without the alcohol.
In fact, any brightly colored fruit, eg blueberries, also has anti-oxidant properties. And it certainly doesn’t taste good. So the only reason to drink is because it makes you “feel good” in some way or helps you interact in a social situation. And if that is in fact the case, then drinking in moderation may be worth the health downside, and the loss of judgement it engenders – provided you never drink and drive.
However, for many, there is no “feel good”, and no social interaction improvement, while there may be increased sleepiness later in an otherwise enjoyable evening. In any event, it would seem that if it does not in some way make you feel noticeably better there is no reason to do it, and some definite reasons not to. This article reflects a growing number who try alcohol free living and prefer it.
