Defining Beneficial Patterns of Alcohol Consumption: A Survey of Clinicians Prepared for the International Center for Alcohol Policies bY

INTRODUCTION In assessments of the impact of alcohol on health, any discussion of potential benefits of alcohol consumption is typically set aside and a detailed account of the harmful effects of alcohol is presented. However, cataloging the harm without paying some attention to the benefits of drinking offers an unbalanced, indeed biased view of alcohol This is particularly true given the increasing evidence for a protective effect against the development of coronary heart disease and of benefit in a number of psychological and social domains