Wine can play an important role in bringing people together.
Dr Erik Skovenborg discusses the numerous health advantages of social drinking.
In various cultures, the act of drinking wine and sharing meals serves as a catalyst for uniting friends and family. When people drink together, it creates a social environment where a bottle of wine becomes more than just a beverage—it’s an investment in enhancing amiability among company, fostering a friendly atmosphere that encourages interactions. Kiffer George Card, an assistant professor in health sciences at Simon Fraser University, raises an interesting point considering Canada’s new drinking guidelines. He questions whether these guidelines should factor in the social benefits of alcohol, pertaining to a recent mandate that claims no level of alcohol is considered “safe,” recommending a cap at two standard drinks per week.1
The authors of the new guidelines disregard the positive aspects of alcohol, such as its role in facilitating social interactions, asserting that these are irrelevant to health—yet they overlook the vital role of social connections. Research from the 1900s has shown that a lack of social ties can increase mortality risk by at least 50 percent. This impact is as significant as smoking and greater than many other known mortality risks, such as obesity or physical inactivity.
Social involvement is especially crucial for the elderly, as they often lose formal social roles that aid in social integration due to retirement, living alone, or limited mobility—factors that can heighten their risk of social isolation. Studies on alcohol consumption among adults over 50 years old suggest that moderate drinking might support social and leisure activities that could decline with age. This highlights the beneficial roles of alcohol in the lives of older individuals, contrasting with many studies that depict it as a hazardous health behavior.
The majority of “Drink Wise, Age Well” survey participants over 50 in the UK are categorized as “lower risk” drinkers, with a significant number, however, falling outside this category. The motives for drinking and the social settings differ between lower-risk and higher-risk drinkers. While 92 percent of lower-risk drinkers consume alcohol with others, this is true for only 62 percent of higher-risk drinkers. Additionally, only one percent of lower-risk drinkers report drinking when feeling down or depressed, versus 36 percent of higher-risk drinkers. Moreover, 78 percent of higher-risk drinkers consume alcohol to distract from their problems, compared to 39 percent of lower-risk older adults.
It is often argued that alcohol consumption among the elderly is seen as a concern from a public health perspective. However, Celia Wilkinson and Julie Dare contend that alcohol usage among the elderly, much like in younger populations, is intimately linked with socialization and social involvement. While the biomedical research has largely focused on the dangers of excessive alcohol use, it has seldom explored how low to moderate alcohol consumption (10–20 grams of alcohol/day) can facilitate social interactions and consequently lead to improved health and wellbeing. Social science research has examined the correlation between social interaction and health but has not specified how moderate drinking might act as a social facilitator for some elderly individuals.5
An English gentleman shared his thoughts on being medically advised to abstain completely from alcohol, stating: “Regardless of whether I can drink it or not, I find joy in the act of serving wine. However, I do miss the feeling of wellbeing, the sharpened wit, and the heightened fellowship that comes as the bottle makes its way around the convivial table.”6
May we always have a bottle of wine and friends to share it with.
Notes
J Holt-Lunstad, TB Smith, and JB Layton, “Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-Analytic Review,” PLOS Medicine 7 (7), 2010; doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316
BK Bareham, E Kaner, LP Spencer, and B Hanratty, “Drinking in Later Life: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Studies Exploring Older People’s Perceptions and Experiences,” Age and Ageing 48:1 (2019), pp.134–46.
G Holley-Moore and B Beach, “Drink Wise, Age Well: Alcohol Use and the Over 50s in the UK,” International Longevity Centre, UK, 2016, pp.1–60.
5. C Wilkinson and J Dare, “Shades of Grey: The Need for a Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Research Investigating Alcohol and Ageing,” Journal of Public Health Research 3:1 (2014), p.180.
6. FH Partington, “A Farewell to Wine?” Wine and Food, summer 1950, pp.66–71.
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