My father, a fan of Italian reds, regularly justified his small indulgences with the fact that drinking red wine is healthy for you. And I’m sure my father wasn’t alone. For over two decades, doctors, health experts, researchers and others have been claiming that moderate consumption of red wine and even other alcoholic beverages is beneficial to our health.

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Red wine would be especially healthy, if consumed in moderation, since it contains a number of beneficial substances such as phenols and antioxidants. These can reportedly decrease risks of cancer and dementia, as well as osteoporosis. Red wine can help you lose weight, lower your blood pressure and lower the risk of heart disease. In general red wine, when consumed moderately of course, can make you live longer and healthier.

Yet we all knew that the party wasn’t going to last. “Red wine is bad for you, say experts.” “Red wine not good for you after all, doctors to reveal.” Headlines around the globe read. Doctors and health experts have been debunking all of the facts above, claiming the negative outweighs the positive effects of wine. They’ve also said that the positive benefits of consuming a glass of red wine a day can also be achieved by eating less and exercising more. Next to that they’ve claimed that any excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancers.

This comes from the UK government’s alcohol guidelines, which are also suggesting that there shouldn’t be a difference between amounts consumed by men and women. While previously thought that men are permitted to drink a little more than women. This is not the case anymore. The new guidelines suggest that anyone shouldn’t drink more than fourteen units of alcohol per week and stay off booze for at least two days a week in order to allow your body to recover. So cramming the fourteen units into one or two days isn’t very healthy either. And if you do drink in excess, health experts suggest you drink on a full stomach and consume plenty of water in between drinks.

So for optimum health, drink less and spread it evenly. What the experts forget, of course, is that mental health needs to be accounted for as well. And if that excuse doesn’t cut it for you, we’re sure you’ll find something else to justify your own indulgences.

Cheers.