ALCOHOL

the truth.

Good morning everyone.

Last weekend I caught up with some friends I met earlier this summer. After 12 weeks of reading my infallible words, they’re now fully converted disciples of the Running On Butter lifestyle.

Shout-out to: Cathrine, Abigail, Britton, Caleb, Joseph, Abbie, Cagan, Monroe, Joy, Ally, Katherine, Tate, Ashley, Eva, Ava, Josh, and Anson.

You guys are the real ones.

How’s sobriety treating you, America?

We’re reportedly drinking less alcohol.

I’m not a big drinker myself. In the past year my alcohol consumption has been eight ounces of wine and a Moscow Mule. I’m not saying this to prove I’m better than you (sorry if you’re just learning this).

I say it because alcohol should be consumed extremely sparingly.

If that makes you mad: congrats, you’re an alcoholic. Welcome to AA. Let’s get started.

Anson, would you like to share first? Cagan, you’re on deck. Ashley, there’s a box of tissues on the counter. Yep, right there next to the 12 Steps pamphlets. Can you pass one to Catherine?

Alcohol’s Influence on Humanity

Most of my friends drink. I don’t object when they enjoy a crafty IPA or a $20 seasonal cocktail. No judgment, no disappointment. Good for them. Happy for them.

With this being true, we must also ascertain this truth: alcohol objectively causes a lot of harm to humanity.

I’ve seen the bottle end marriages, send fathers to jail, and cut lives short. I’m sure you have too because according to the data, what I’ve witnessed isn’t unique.

• 40% of violent crimes involve alcohol.

• An increase of just one liter of alcohol per capita correlates with a 20% spike in divorce rates.

• 55% of domestic abuse cases involve alcohol by the perpetrator.

• 28% of traffic fatalities involve alcohol.

• 140,000 annual U.S. deaths are directly attributed to alcohol.

These stats aren’t Ameircan problems. They’re global truths. And they make me question its utility to humanity.

What is it about this one drink that fuels so much tragedy, heartbreak, and violence?

I can hear my alcohol-enjoying friends saying something like, “Vance, it’s not the alcohol! It’s the people who drink the alcohol that cause problems. Just like how guns aren’t the cause of shootings but rather the criminals who pull the trigger.”

To which I say: fair point.

However, alcohol isn’t only as dangerous as the person holding the glass. Unlike the gun analogy, it doesn’t sit idle until someone misuses it. Alcohol itself reshapes people.

It can awaken habits and behaviors that weren’t there before. It’s not just that it accompanies destructive people; it can catalyze people into becoming destructive.

How it Treats the Body

Alcohol is a poison. This means when you consume it, your body immediately goes to work to mitigate its toxicity. And it’s metabolically expensive to pull this off.

• First, alcohol is converted to acetaldehyde, which is about as volatile as the last girl I went out with. (Very.)

• The body’s master antioxidant—glutathione—is then called into action. It helps neutralize the free radicals and oxidative stress charged by alcohol. But glutathione isn’t free nor unlimited. It’s hard to make, and when it’s depleted the body’s in a bad place—susceptible to oxidation, et al.

• Alcohol blocks the absorption of B vitamins, zinc, and magnesium.

• It also drains NAD⁺, a compound essential for energy and longevity.

• It temporarily inhibits the body’s ability to make glucose. Think: blood sugar dips.

• It impairs the gut microbiome and can cause leaky gut.

• Hormone havoc: alcohol spikes cortisol, lowers testosterone in men, and dysregulates leptin the appetite hormone. This is why people who drink more tend to eat more too.

• Last: When you consume alcohol, your metabolism turns all its attention to burn through it. This then turns off fat burning.

What about the Antioxidants in Wine?

Doctors and sommeliers love to defend wine as a health food because of its antioxidants. The story goes that wine’s polyphenols are behind its supposed heart-protective effects.

This is a stretch.

Wine does contain polyphenols from its grapes. But you’re far better off getting better quantities and quality from herbs, spices, or a handful of blackberries a vine of actual grapes.

And those “heart benefits”? They come from observational studies—data that can’t prove cause and effect and are riddled with confounding factors. This is the same sketchy science that demonized butter.

Research hasn’t shown wine to be any more beneficial—or less harmful—than beer or liquor. The French love their wine and boast low heart disease rates. But so do the Japanese. And they’re sipping sake, not Cabernet.

And the final irony: your body burns through its master antioxidant, glutathione, to detoxify wine. If it’s such great antioxidant, why does the body respond defensively?

Jesus’ First Miracle

I’d be negligent if I ignored the wine-filled passages of Scripture. This is interesting not only from a faith perspective, but also from a historical and nutritional one.

Alcohol is ancient. And my general rule of thumb is this: if a food has been around since the dawn of time, it’s usually good to go. Running On Butter verified, if you will.

But alcohol may be the exception. For one, ancient alcohols were made from better ingredients—grape varieties, for example—free from synthetic pesticides and lower in contaminants like heavy metals. And they were often lower in alcohol content than what we brew today.

And Scripturally, wine is obviously never outright forbidden. Have you been to a Catholic wedding? Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine, which seems like pretty solid divine endorsement. Hard to argue with that.

But the Bible also doesn’t mince words about alcohol’s power to destroy lives: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1). And that’s just one of many warnings.

I don’t fully know what to make of this tension. Life is complicated.

The Verdict

My job is to give you the best information so you can live your healthiest lives. Other than world domination, my only goal is that you have more energy, fewer bad days, a higher capacity, and a longer, joy-filled life.

Which is why I have to say something you probably won’t welcome with open arms: alcohol isn’t here for your health.

I’m not saying a drink a few times a year will derail your life and health. But I am saying—based on mountains of research—that alcohol does far more harm to humanity and health than it does good.

I’m sorry it has to be this way.

Can someone grab some more tissues for Catherine?