Effects of Alcohol Consumption

In the zest for alcohol consumption in contemporary American culture, especially among college campuses, drinking of all types earns a wild and controversial reputation. Among protectors of the public good and anyone with a motorized vehicle, excessive drinking poses a very real threat to safety. In examining the various effects of drinking, individuals must carefully examine what provides context for an acceptable limit based on drinking habits and weight.

The prognosis, however, for alcohol consumption is not completely negative. In spite of major media campaigns warning against the excessive consumption of alcohol, studies show a different outlook for drinkers who embrace moderate consumption habits. In "A Study of Wine and Beer Drinking in Young Danish Adults" (Mortensen 1844), researchers endeavor to more clearly understand what exactly are the explanatory factors linked with alcoholic beverage selection and health among young Danish adults. Erik L. Mortensen led the research, implementing the study among test subjects in Copenhagen. Such a study comes in the context of various scientific investigations confirming the physiological benefits of wine consumption, especially in the field of cardiovascular health and atherosclerosis (Mayo Clinic Staff and Szmitko). Certain studies even suggest a positive correlation between wine consumption and the absence of dementia (Orgogozo et al. 185). The result of the aforementioned Danish study reveals that, while consumption of wine is beneficial, not all alcohol is alike.

The investigative process called for a methodology applied to a select age group. The scientific investigation was conducted among subjects between the ages of twenty-nine and thirty-four in a sample of 363 men and 330 women (Mortensen 1844). These people were chosen uniquely on the basis of their age based on records at the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort. In total, six aptitudes were measured: socioeconomic status, education, IQ, personality type, psychiatric symptoms, and health-related behaviors (especially alcohol consumption) (1844). The gathering of this phenomenological data required specific measurement tools in order to generate sound results. Specific assessment procedures included Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale, and Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (1845). These processes culminated in a questionnaire seeking to gauge typical alcohol consumption within a given week.

The substance of the study only took into account the drinking of beer and wine, not hard liquor. In addition, the factors measured whether or not the subjects consumed these certain types of alcohol and in what quantities they were taken. These two outcome variables were then analyzed using linear and logistic regression in the search for meaningful results (Mortensen). Initial results showed a significant interaction between sex and alcohol type, so the subjects were reviewed separately based on their gender. Finally, the qualities and differences between the two beverage types were analyzed separately (Mortensen 1845).

The results conclusively demonstrated that the consumption of wine within the Danish population occurs more frequently among richer, smarter, and healthier people regardless of gender. The interpretation of the data demonstrated a higher IQ, parental education level, and socioeconomic status among this control group (Mortensen 1845). On the other hand, the consumption of beer statistically occurred most often among subjects with significantly lower scores on those same variables and below average functioning in personality assessments, psychiatric symptoms, and unrelated health behaviors such as smoking and illicit drug use (Mortensen 1847). Beer drinking men more typically exhibited signs of neuroticism while wine drinking women were more often perceived as extroverted (Mortensen 1847). Perhaps, the drastic differences between men exclusively drinking wine or beer were most dramatic—113.2 and 95.2 (Mortensen 1847). Without a doubt, the type of alcohol consumed among middle-aged denizens of Copenhagen indicates far-reaching social effects.

The findings clearly show that alcohol consumption matters. As shown in Table Four, perhaps the most surprising find of this study came from the data demonstrating that people who abstained both forms of consumption were merely average (Mortensen 1846). Beer consistently dropped men's and women's IQ while wine drinkers responded to the contrary with major spikes in IQ. Those who drank both forms of alcohol marginally improved their intelligence outlook. Mortensen and his colleagues do not note limitations or drawbacks in the results of the study.

The significance of this report to American society, nevertheless, remains limited. Alcohol consumption provides for strong stigmas and differences in perception across cultural barriers as a veritable microbrewery culture has sprung up in America among the upper-middle class. In addition, the drinking habits measured by Mortensen do not necessarily provide the root cause for the characteristics described. To argue "because Joe Smith consumes beer, he suffers from neuroticism," may be hasty as interactive environmental factors come into play. Rather, the study demonstrates that individuals from specific backgrounds prefer specific beverages. At the college level where heavy partying and binge drinking serve as context for a significant population of students, such results set a challenge to consider how much beer can and should be consumed.

Works Cited

Mayo Clinic Staff. "Diseases and Conditions." Red wine, antioxidants and resveratrol: Good for your heart?. Mayo Clinic, 4 Mar. 2011. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/red-wine/art-20048281.

Mortensen, E. L. "Better Psychological Functioning and Higher Social Status May Largely Explain the Apparent Health Benefits of Wine: A Study of Wine and Beer Drinking in Young Danish Adults." Archives of Internal Medicine, vol. 161, no. 15, 2001, pp. 1844-1848..

Orgogozo, J. M., et al. "Wine Consumption and Dementia in the Elderly: A Prospective Community Study in the Bordeaux Area." Unité de Recherche Epidémiologique, vol. 153, no. 3, 1997, pp. 185-192..

Szmitko, P. E. "Red Wine And Your Heart." Circulation, vol. 111, no. 2, 2005, pp. e10-e11.