I find it rather interesting that so often, when it comes to drinking alcohol, how much we already know. It seems to me that all that modern researchers are “finding out” just demonstrates what mankind has known for quite some time, or, perhaps puts a number onto something that was previously left undefined.

Take, for example, “moderate” or “low-risk” or “healthy” or “responsible” drinking. There are huge debates over drinking guidelines.  In the UK there was a mini-scandal when one of the panel that came up with the first UK guidelines admitted they didn’t have a scientific basis for the numbers they chose.

Recently in Australia there was a great debate when the health “experts” decided that the government should lower the guidelines (which weren’t well known and weren’t really being followed by anyone anyway).

But back in around 400 BCE, a Greek writer, Eubulus, put these sensible words into the mouth of the god of wine, Dionysius:

For sensible men I prepare only three bowls (of wine):

one for health (which they drink first)

the second for love and pleasure,

and the third for sleep.

After the third bowl is finished, wise men go home.

The fourth bowl is not mine any more – it belongs to bad behaviour;

the fifth is for shouting;

the sixth is for rudeness and insults;

the seventh is for fights and black eyes;

the eighth is for breaking the furniture;

the ninth is for nausea and depression;

the tenth is for madness and unconsciousness.

Now we could argue abut just how big the bowl (or krater) was. How strong was the wine: how many “standard drinks” or “units” of alcohol were in there? But the message will remain the same.

Drink this much and we derive pleasure, enjoyment, even health.

Drink more and you start to tip over into harmful territory.

Simple really.

And how much is enough? Unfortunately, it is for each of us to find out, because each of us is different and we each react to different levels of alcohol differently. And for some unlucky ones, that level might even be none at all.

Cheers!