So raising the levels of HDL, a sort of detergent which bonds with the cholesterol and reduces its rate of accumulation in the arteries, is beneficial. However there are two important caveats to that statement. The HDL raised by alcohol may not be the subtype of HDL that reduces the risk of coronary artery disease. Second, there is a quirk of our national character that renders hazardous any positive statement about a potentially dangerous substance. If there's anything we Americans are bad at, it's doing things in moderation.
Vitamins are vital components of nutrition, in proper amounts.
That condition can lead to congestive heart failure. But alcoholism's other lethal effects tend to overshadow this late-developing condition. Alcohol in excess is one of our leading health and social problems. Alcoholism is a leading factor in auto accidents, domestic and societal violence, homelessness and poverty, all of which deliver their victims by the thousand to the door of the hospital and the doctor's office.