理性看待喝酒（外刊双语阅读）

摘要：Though there isunanimitythatheavy drinkingis very bad for you, there is less agreement around lightindulgence. In December America

余老师：提高英语不能只学习教材，课外阅读积累词汇和表达是关键！

Though there is unanimity that heavy drinking is very bad for you, there is less agreement around light indulgence. In December America's National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine concluded, with "moderate certainty", that moderate drinking (up to two cans of beer a day for men or one for women, as per official American advice) was associated with benefits rather than harms. Benefits in heart health appeared to outweigh the risks from cancer and other ailments, though the effect disappeared quickly with extra quaffing.

尽管人们一致认为酗酒对身体有害，但对于少量饮酒的看法却分歧较大。2024年12月，美国国家科学院、工程院和医学院以“适度饮酒确定性”得出结论：适量饮酒（男性每天最多两罐啤酒，女性每天一罐，按美国官方建议）与益处而非危害相关。适量饮酒对心脏健康的益处似乎超过了患癌症和其他疾病的风险，但这种效应会在饮酒量稍有增加时迅速消失。

Many scientists think that the benefits of light drinking are a statistical mirage. But even if the WHO is right, and no amount of alcohol is safe, that is only half the picture. After all, there is no completely safe level of almost anything, from flying to going on a date. Walking is good for you, and touted at book length by the surgeon-general ("Step It Up!"). But 7,00 American pedestrians were killed by cars in 2022.

许多科学家认为，少量饮酒的益处只是一种统计幻象。但即使世界卫生组织是正确的，不管多少量，酒精都是不安全的，这也只是问题的一半。毕竟，几乎所有事物都不存在绝对安全的水平，无论是坐飞机还是约会。步行对健康有益，美国卫生总署长甚至撰写了长达一本书的宣传（《迈开步子！》）。然而，2022年，美国仍有700名行人被车撞死。

People balance the dangers of an activity against the benefits it brings. These days, suggesting that drinking might have any benefits at all feels faintly heretical. But many enjoy the taste of a good beer or wine, appreciate the buzz it provides, or take pleasure in the social rituals, like a pub visit or a dinner party, which it lubricates. That is why the world is willing to spend $1.8trn a year on drink. All that enjoyment belongs on the scales with the (equally real) harm.

人们总是会权衡一项活动的风险与收益。如今，提出饮酒可能有任何益处，似乎都显得有些异端。但许多人喜欢啤酒或葡萄酒的口感，享受它带来的微醺感，或者乐于参与那些因酒而更加融洽的社交活动，比如去酒吧或参加晚宴。这正是全球每年愿意在酒上花费1.8万亿美元的原因。所有这些愉悦感都应该与（同样真实的）伤害一起被权衡。

Some perspective: Canada's new guidelines define "low risk" as a one-in-1,000 chance of premature death owing to alcohol. Boosting consumption from two to six drinks a week raises the odds to one in 1o0. With walking, the lifetime risk of being run over in America is about 1 in 470.

让我们换个角度来看：加拿大新的饮酒指南将“低风险”定义为因饮酒导致早死的可能性为千分之一。如果将每周饮酒量从两杯增加到六杯，早死的几率会升至百分之一。相比之下，美国人一生中被车撞倒的风险约为四百七十分之一。

What to do in 2025? If you are a heavy drinker, almost everyone would agree that it would be wise to cut down. For all but the most risk-tolerant, the middle-class habit of downing half a bottle of wine with dinner is worth examining. But if you fancy a pint or two with friends every now and then, you will be trading a tiny risk of harm for an evening of warmth and good company. That is a trade many rational people will be happy to make-especially amid the cold and gloom of January.

那么，2025年我们该怎么做呢？如果你是一个酗酒者，几乎所有人都会认为减少饮酒是明智的。对于那些不太能承受风险的人来说，中产阶级晚餐时喝半瓶葡萄酒的习惯值得重新审视。但如果你偶尔和朋友一起喝上一品脱或两品脱酒，你将用极小的风险换取一个温暖而愉快的夜晚。这种交换，许多理性的人会很乐意去做——尤其是在一月寒冷阴郁的天气里。