By Gamal Hennessy
It appears that all the ads of bikini clad women sipping vodka, new brands infusing exotic fruits or caffeine (or both) into our drinks, and hip hop videos worshiping Courvoisier have been in vain. A new medical study has found that liquor consumption is down across the United States. Is this good for nightlife or are we becoming a bedroom community?
“Secular Trends in Alcohol Consumption” is the article that Dr. Yuqing Zhang has published in the August 2008 American Journal of Medicine. Dr. Zhang analyzed the liquor consumption of 8,000 Americans from 1948-2003. He has concluded that while hard liquor rates have remained constant, drinking rates of beer have decreased significantly and wine drinking has increased. He has also found that moderate drinking is more likely in individuals born later in the 20th century. There is also a major increase in the number of people who identify themselves as non drinkers. While Dr. Zhang’s findings show a decline in national consumption, other studies have shown that binge consumption in New York is even lower than the rest of the country.
This move towards a healthier relationship with alcohol comes at a time when medical research is finding benefits in the bottle. Recent studies have shown that moderate drinking reduces your chance of stroke and heart disease, can increase your levels of good cholesterol and reduce the chance of breast cancer in women. The health benefits, combined with its use as a social lubricant and relaxation tool raise the positive profile of drinking…as if you needed another reason to drink.
It is amazing that in a city of bottle service, open bars, and endless launch parties that studies show us drinking less than ever before. It might be hard to believe when you frequently see smashed lightweights being pushed into a cab by their friends. But maybe the drunks are just the ones we remember. The thousands of other people out every night drinking without getting drunk don’t leave a lasting image.
While there are some raging alcoholics in our city, the idea that nightlife is nothing but an army of drunks is clearly unfounded. We go out, we drink, we have a good time and we go home. We’re at work the next day. Sometimes we have a hangover, sometimes we come out with just a leanover but overall we can still function as the center of the universe. New Yorkers balance work and play and playing is often more fun with a cocktail. Remember that the next time someone tries to criticize your three cosmo a day habit.
Have fun.
Gamal
Source: Press Release
And if you want to find out more about what's going on in New York nightlife, sign up for NYN Insider. It's free.
It appears that all the ads of bikini clad women sipping vodka, new brands infusing exotic fruits or caffeine (or both) into our drinks, and hip hop videos worshiping Courvoisier have been in vain. A new medical study has found that liquor consumption is down across the United States. Is this good for nightlife or are we becoming a bedroom community?
“Secular Trends in Alcohol Consumption” is the article that Dr. Yuqing Zhang has published in the August 2008 American Journal of Medicine. Dr. Zhang analyzed the liquor consumption of 8,000 Americans from 1948-2003. He has concluded that while hard liquor rates have remained constant, drinking rates of beer have decreased significantly and wine drinking has increased. He has also found that moderate drinking is more likely in individuals born later in the 20th century. There is also a major increase in the number of people who identify themselves as non drinkers. While Dr. Zhang’s findings show a decline in national consumption, other studies have shown that binge consumption in New York is even lower than the rest of the country.
This move towards a healthier relationship with alcohol comes at a time when medical research is finding benefits in the bottle. Recent studies have shown that moderate drinking reduces your chance of stroke and heart disease, can increase your levels of good cholesterol and reduce the chance of breast cancer in women. The health benefits, combined with its use as a social lubricant and relaxation tool raise the positive profile of drinking…as if you needed another reason to drink.
It is amazing that in a city of bottle service, open bars, and endless launch parties that studies show us drinking less than ever before. It might be hard to believe when you frequently see smashed lightweights being pushed into a cab by their friends. But maybe the drunks are just the ones we remember. The thousands of other people out every night drinking without getting drunk don’t leave a lasting image.
While there are some raging alcoholics in our city, the idea that nightlife is nothing but an army of drunks is clearly unfounded. We go out, we drink, we have a good time and we go home. We’re at work the next day. Sometimes we have a hangover, sometimes we come out with just a leanover but overall we can still function as the center of the universe. New Yorkers balance work and play and playing is often more fun with a cocktail. Remember that the next time someone tries to criticize your three cosmo a day habit.
Have fun.
Gamal
Source: Press Release
And if you want to find out more about what's going on in New York nightlife, sign up for NYN Insider. It's free.
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