| Wine and Health |
Everything In Moderation
Growing up in America, we all have been exposed to the ingrained
knowledge that the effects of alcohol can be harmful to us. Indeed, there
is a definite truth to this message that is hard to argue against. For
example, alcohol clearly, or not so clearly in the literal sense, affects a
persons judgment and motor skills, thereby creating a dangerous
impairment when operating heavy machinery such as a vehicle. Driving
while under the influence of alcohol is and always will be a dumb decision
made by the guilty party.
There have been passionate arguments made for and against with
regards to the debate of the effects of alcohol during a woman’s
pregnancy. Whether alcohol does, or does not have ill effects on a
pregnant mother, I tend to err on the side of caution in this debate,
preferring to not risk the chance something going wrong as a result of
the alcohol consumption. Liver disease and alcoholism are two other
ailments brought about by a person’s inability to control the amounts of
alcohol they intake.
Then there are those that site all the despicable acts done as a result of
alcohol or the shady establishments that are attached with the stigma of
alcohol that fuel still more anti-alcohol beliefs. Some of this is religiously
biased, but if you stop and think about it, this is really an American belief
born out of the Prohibition Era of the early 1900’s. The Prohibition was
the time in our country when it was illegal for anyone to make or
consume alcohol and people that did were considered outlaws, criminals
or evildoers. The government felt so strongly about this that they
purged and censored any mention of alcohol in all of the medical texts for
twenty-five years.
It was the government and not necessarily religion that formulated these
opinions on the general public. I say this because our European
ancestors do not seem to share the same feelings we Americans have
with regards to alcohol. Countries like England, France, Spain, Germany
and Italy have the same religious institutions as we do here in America,
so why then do they feel differently about alcohol than we do? Maybe
we need to do a better job of examining what the real issue is here. I’ll
come back to that statement later!
I only have my religion to go by as a reference and I grew up a
Methodist for most of my life. By the way, I promise not to make this a
plea for joining my church! The Methodist religion was basically
founded on the principles of tolerance and how ironic is that word in a
discussion about the effects of alcohol on a human being? Tolerance and
the acceptance of others. One lesson I was taught through the
Methodist Religion was the life principal “everything in moderation”.
That is, whether or not something is good for you or bad for you, a little
bit in moderation is okay. Too much however, can have grave and dire
consequences. This is a principal I still live by today.
Unlike cigarettes, which are addictive and have absolutely been proven
to kill the very people that enjoy them over time, alcohol in it’s self does
not kill anyone. People make the choices that determine their own fate
with alcohol. If I had too much to drink, it would be my choice to get
behind the wheel of a car and drive. I choose the amount I want to drink
and the actions that follow, right or wrong! I know the cigarette smokers
will say that it is their choice whether or not they want to smoke, but you
see, over time, whether you smoke one cigarette a day or two packs a
day, those cigarettes are eating away at your health each and every time
you take a drag. In contrast, by applying the principle I learned in
Church and consuming my alcohol in moderation as well as using good
judgment, I not only avoid any long term negative effects upon my body,
I also reap many health benefits along the way.
These are health benefits you probably have never been made aware of
by those naysayers that want to scare you out of enjoying it. When you
pick up a bottle of wine and read all the warnings on the label, you will
never see, not even in the fine print, any messages that read something
like; Red wine may reduce the risk of heart disease, fight cancer,
prevent sunburns, lower the risk of dementia, add years to your life, aid
in digestion, kill ulcer causing bacteria and lower the risk of diabetes.
All of these are scientifically proven by the way! Try to find these kinds
of benefits from smoking. I haven’t even mentioned the reduction of
stress and tension. This is perhaps the benefit my wife would say she
enjoys the most from consuming wine or alcohol.
The point I am trying to make is this, alcohol for the most part, does not
cause the ill effects suffered by people, but rather it is the choices we
make when we decide to ingest it. Maybe we should spend more time
concentrating on helping people make the right choices in life rather than
fighting a substance that has so many mental and health benefits for the
rest of us! Everything in moderation…….words to live by!
Shane Johnson
President
Dallas Secret Wine Society
knowledge that the effects of alcohol can be harmful to us. Indeed, there
is a definite truth to this message that is hard to argue against. For
example, alcohol clearly, or not so clearly in the literal sense, affects a
persons judgment and motor skills, thereby creating a dangerous
impairment when operating heavy machinery such as a vehicle. Driving
while under the influence of alcohol is and always will be a dumb decision
made by the guilty party.
There have been passionate arguments made for and against with
regards to the debate of the effects of alcohol during a woman’s
pregnancy. Whether alcohol does, or does not have ill effects on a
pregnant mother, I tend to err on the side of caution in this debate,
preferring to not risk the chance something going wrong as a result of
the alcohol consumption. Liver disease and alcoholism are two other
ailments brought about by a person’s inability to control the amounts of
alcohol they intake.
Then there are those that site all the despicable acts done as a result of
alcohol or the shady establishments that are attached with the stigma of
alcohol that fuel still more anti-alcohol beliefs. Some of this is religiously
biased, but if you stop and think about it, this is really an American belief
born out of the Prohibition Era of the early 1900’s. The Prohibition was
the time in our country when it was illegal for anyone to make or
consume alcohol and people that did were considered outlaws, criminals
or evildoers. The government felt so strongly about this that they
purged and censored any mention of alcohol in all of the medical texts for
twenty-five years.
It was the government and not necessarily religion that formulated these
opinions on the general public. I say this because our European
ancestors do not seem to share the same feelings we Americans have
with regards to alcohol. Countries like England, France, Spain, Germany
and Italy have the same religious institutions as we do here in America,
so why then do they feel differently about alcohol than we do? Maybe
we need to do a better job of examining what the real issue is here. I’ll
come back to that statement later!
I only have my religion to go by as a reference and I grew up a
Methodist for most of my life. By the way, I promise not to make this a
plea for joining my church! The Methodist religion was basically
founded on the principles of tolerance and how ironic is that word in a
discussion about the effects of alcohol on a human being? Tolerance and
the acceptance of others. One lesson I was taught through the
Methodist Religion was the life principal “everything in moderation”.
That is, whether or not something is good for you or bad for you, a little
bit in moderation is okay. Too much however, can have grave and dire
consequences. This is a principal I still live by today.
Unlike cigarettes, which are addictive and have absolutely been proven
to kill the very people that enjoy them over time, alcohol in it’s self does
not kill anyone. People make the choices that determine their own fate
with alcohol. If I had too much to drink, it would be my choice to get
behind the wheel of a car and drive. I choose the amount I want to drink
and the actions that follow, right or wrong! I know the cigarette smokers
will say that it is their choice whether or not they want to smoke, but you
see, over time, whether you smoke one cigarette a day or two packs a
day, those cigarettes are eating away at your health each and every time
you take a drag. In contrast, by applying the principle I learned in
Church and consuming my alcohol in moderation as well as using good
judgment, I not only avoid any long term negative effects upon my body,
I also reap many health benefits along the way.
These are health benefits you probably have never been made aware of
by those naysayers that want to scare you out of enjoying it. When you
pick up a bottle of wine and read all the warnings on the label, you will
never see, not even in the fine print, any messages that read something
like; Red wine may reduce the risk of heart disease, fight cancer,
prevent sunburns, lower the risk of dementia, add years to your life, aid
in digestion, kill ulcer causing bacteria and lower the risk of diabetes.
All of these are scientifically proven by the way! Try to find these kinds
of benefits from smoking. I haven’t even mentioned the reduction of
stress and tension. This is perhaps the benefit my wife would say she
enjoys the most from consuming wine or alcohol.
The point I am trying to make is this, alcohol for the most part, does not
cause the ill effects suffered by people, but rather it is the choices we
make when we decide to ingest it. Maybe we should spend more time
concentrating on helping people make the right choices in life rather than
fighting a substance that has so many mental and health benefits for the
rest of us! Everything in moderation…….words to live by!
Shane Johnson
President
Dallas Secret Wine Society
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