Australian's justify the drinks

[bouche]

from the Ottawa Sun

A couple of drinks can go to your head, in a good way.

Moderate drinkers are better thinkers than teetotallers or people who overindulge, a new study has found.

The Australian National University study suggests drinking in moderation boosts your brainpower, while not drinking, or drinking too much, can make you dull.

The study of 7,000 people in their early 20s, 40s and 60s found those who drank within safe limits had better verbal skills, memory and speed of thinking. Safe consumption was considered to be 14-28 drinks a week for a man, and 7-14 for a woman.

Questions ranged from verbal reasoning to tests of short-term memory. Teetotallers were twice as likely as moderate drinkers to achieve the lowest scores

[can-o-phish]

14-28 dpw for a man. Now is that a beer or a shot? So four drinks a day and obviously one can't save up and have all 28 in a sitting as this is referred to as "tying one on". Guess that makes me fall into the low zone so according to this study I must consume more throughout the week.

And this coming from the land of Fosters, kangaroos, koalas, didgeridoos, Crocadile Dundee, Ayres Rock and much more

CRIKEY, GOTTA LOVE THEM AUSSIES!!!

[Douglas]

I can deal with 7-14/wk....of these:

[Ms.Huxtable]

HAhaha. I hear you Dougie. I guess I'm an over indulger. Can't argue that it makes you dull though. I sure feel dull today after last night.

[Hux]

eeek...my martini's usually have 4-7 ounces alone. F*ck I'm smart.

[badams]

Douglas, now I see why you married Booche.

[Kaidy Mae]

Evidence is steadily accumulating (although not without the occasional challenge) that the regular consumption of modest amounts of alcohol improves cognitive function (perception and memory) and the overall health of the brain.

The Canadian magazine Wellness Options released a similar article (containing the above quote) around 2003. I can't post a direct link to the article, but follow the link, click on past issues, click on No. 8 Mood & Addiction and then select the gourmet tab. Voila!

Note: For anyone interested in health and psychology, this magazine is a must. Issue No. 12 had great articles on how music affects us, how "spiritual" people live longer and some scary stats on post traumatic stress disorder (mainly in regards to Vietnam vets). One of my favourite issues. Click on No. 12 in the past issues and then select covery story if you're interested.

Vietnam veterans in particular returned home to find unprecedented hostility from their own community, denying them the support they needed to recover from the trauma. Since the end of the war, there has been an estimated 1.5 million cases of post-traumatic stress disorder among Vietnam veterans, and suicide has claimed three times as many lives as the actual combat.