To Your Health! Nondrinkers Die Younger Than Imbibers

Not all alcohol is created equal. Wine has more beneficial effects than, say, grain alcohol.

"Why do heavy drinkers outlive nondrinkers?" is the title of the TIME magazine article (among others). The surprise result from a study published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research (which does not seem to be funded by Jack Daniels) is that the mortality rate for nondrinkers is even higher than heavy drinkers.

This is no flash-in-the-pan study, either; its 1,824 participants were tracked over two decades. (Caveat: 63 percent were men.) Participants were between 55 and 65, and the study controlled for "for nearly all imaginable variables--socioeconomic status, level of physical activity, number of close friends, quality of social support and so on," says TIME.

Charles Holahan

The study's author, Charles Holahan, researches "health psychology, with a specialization in stress and coping," which is a clue to what the answer to the puzzle may be, and how debilitating it is to miss out on socializing regularly.

While no one's suggesting heavy drinking is good for you (69 and 60 percent of the study's nondrinkers and heavy drinkers died, respectively, but only 41 percent of moderate drinkers did), it may be that stress and lack of social interaction is worse for you than brain damage and increased cancer risks. (Moderate, by the way, is one to three drinks per day, so it's not a path of ruthless sacrifice.)

Coincidentally, the same day I heard about the study, El Gaucho Bellevue (City Center Plaza, 450 108th Ave. NE) emailed me about their new line of "medicinal" cocktails, four new drinks involving "ginseng, ginkgo biloba, St. John’s Wort, and skullcap." Says lead bartender Chris LeRoy, "With all the stress that people deal with these days, I thought I would take the trend a step further and combine it with the healing properties of natural herbs and tinctures." See? Stress!

The tinctures are pre-made by the herbalists at Herb Pharma, and each drink contains half the recommended dosage, so you can "take two." Who you call in the morning is up to you. 

Here's the mix-up in your cup:

Remember Me:  Cachaça, honey syrup, lime, gingko biloba

This cocktail blends gingko biloba (thought to enhance memory and to alleviate altitude sickness and premenstrual symptoms) with cachaça (for energy), honey syrup (for healing and immunity as well as sweetness) and lime (a powerful antioxidant and scurvy cure).

Gin Zing: Boodles gin, triple sec, lemon, honey syrup, ginseng

Asian ginseng (Panax Ginseng) is considered to be an energizer for the entire body, partially attributable to the human shape of the ginseng root. In addition to being an energy tonic and physical and emotional stress reducer, it is used to treat everything from common colds to diabetes to erectile dysfunction.

Pain Killer: Hendrick’s gin, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, lemon, cucumber, St. John’s Wort

Popularly known as “nature’s Prozac,” St. John’s Wort (Hypericum Perforatum) has been used for millennia, most widely as a treatment for mild depression as it increases levels of serotonin in the brain.

Stress Reliever: Calvados, Luxardo maraschino liqueur, pear liqueur, lemon, ginger, medicinal blend

The medicinal blend contains 20 calming herbs, including skullcap, (Scutelleria Lateriflora) whose powerful sedative properties are used to treat a range of nervous conditions. Ginger calms the stomach and alleviates symptoms of the common cold.