Exploring psychological benefits associated with moderate alcohol use: a necessary corrective to assessments of drinking outcomes?

The aim of this paper is to identify positive psychological concomitants of moderate alcohol consumption. Current research and public-health perspecti ves on alcohol emphasize harms disproportionately relative to benefits. The major exception is research establishing beneficial effects of moderate dr inking on cardiovascular health and overall mortality. In addition, much ob servational and experiential data suggest the widespread prevalence of posi tive drinking experiences. This paper is one of the first attempts since 19 85 to codify such benefits in epidemiological terms. Methodological difficu lties in accomplishing this include defining moderate drinking, controlling for confounding variables, and establishing causality. Nonetheless, eviden ce of psychological benefits has been found in experimental, observational, interview, self-report, correlational, and some prospective research. Thes e positive findings are in the areas of subjective health, mood enhancement , stress reduction, sociability, social integration, mental health, long-te rm cognitive functioning, and work income/disability. Problem drinkers and alcoholics also seek mood and other benefits from alcohol, but are more lik ely to drink to counteract negative feelings and to support their egos than are social drinkers. It is as yet impossible to determine to what extent m oderate alcohol consumption causes positive psychological outcomes and to w hat extent it is part of a complex pattern of mutually reinforcing variable s. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.