Drive yourself to moderation

Projet Rescousse encourages people to assume a responsible attitude toward drinking. Beer is a wholesome drink that is made from natural ingredients, but like anything that is overused or overly consumed it can have severe deleterious effects. Excessive drinking has been associated with an increased risk of cancer, liver disease, high blood pressure, accumulation of fat around internal organs (beer belly), not to mention the dangers of drunk driving and damage to fetuses of pregnant women who are drinking.

As pointed out by early toxicologist Paracelsus over 400 years ago: "All substances are poisons. The right dose differentiates a poison and a remedy". Actually, a number of scientific studies have shown that for most people, moderate and regular alcohol consumption which does not exceed 1 or 2 drinks a day can protect against cardio-vascular disease, particularly for people aged 60 and over. Beer, especially ales and stouts, contain high levels of antioxidant chemicals (polyphenols) as well as vitamin B6, both believed to reduce the risk of heart disease. The conclusions of these studies however have been criticized and many argue that the health benefits of moderate drinking is marginal compared to the harm than its abuse may cause. There are obviously other ways to protect yourself against heart disease than consume beer and one should not start drinking to become healthy. Although the protective effect of alcohol remains a controversial issue, most specialists would agree that drinking small amount of beer at least does not hurt. Moderation is key here, as in all things.