BEER ME UP, SCOTTY!

DEMON DRINK, OR ELIXIR OF LIFE? THE COST/BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF YOUR POST-RIDE PINT.

- ROSS TUCKER

IN AN ONLINE ARTICLE ON bicycling.co.za, we're asked to consider whether cycling has a drinking problem...

It's a lengthy article. Among other things, it explains the risks associated with alcohol, that no alcohol dose is safe, and that regular consumption - even of small amounts causes all manner of health risks.

As cyclists, we like to think of ourselves as fit and healthy, engaged in a pursuit that makes us 'immune' to the worst possible health risks. And so we drink; often, as a reward for our health investments and efforts. So the article shakes our confidence, by reminding us - correctly! - that we might be exchanging a good behaviour for a bad one.

I'm sorry to say I have no direct rebuttal to that. The points made in the article are true; alcohol is harmful to your health, and while moderation's clearly better than excess, if you view your health purely as a balance sheet of good and bad behaviours, alcohol belongs on the bad side.

But that's not going to stop those of us who drink from drinking, is it? So if the article gives you one thing, let it be a better understanding of the harm alcohol causes.

That might stop you at three beers not four, or two glasses of wine rather than the bottle. Or you might stop altogether! Either will make you healthier; and potentially, happier.

A SACK OF CHEMICALS

That said, I also want to offer some thoughts on the article, and attempt to find a compromise position where we understand our individual relationship with alcohol a bit better. Because then we can own smarter, more robust decisions than if we’re ‘scared off’ by statistics and accounts of doom.

Arguably, the human condition is complex; but one thing that’s certain is that we very rarely do well and make good decisions when we’re