In contrast, people who drink large amounts of alcohol in a single binge appear to gain fewer advantages. The cardiovascular shield put in place by alcohol lasts about 24 hours, Doll says. The experts remain well aware of alcohol's destructive side. Excessive alcohol use carries with it a risk of addiction, dementia, liver damage, and in some cases death. For some people, even a small amount of alcohol may trigger a slide toward excessive use.
Alcohol use can cause problems even for moderate drinkers.
For example, older people who drink run a greater risk of falling and injuring themselves. In addition, the NEJM study found that, compared to nondrinkers, women who have just one alcoholic drink per day run a 30 percent higher risk of dying from breast cancer. Such risks have put public health officials in a bind about what to recommend. In the past, experts simply prohibited alcohol use, citing its dangers. Yet an unrestricted okay might be taken as a message to go all out, a path that certainly presents many pitfalls.