If alcohol went through food standards testing for toxicity now, you'd only be allowed to have less than a wine glass of alcohol per year. David Nutt discusses alcohol in the same kind of context that a drug harm reduction NGO would inform about any substance, by framing it as: drinkers should mindfully find the minimum required dosage, for the pleasurable effects they seek. In addition, he is a Fellow of the Royal Colleges of Physicians and of Psychiatrists and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

That wine drinkers have better health than spirit drinkers and often beer drinkers, although that’s questionable, depends on the country. Nutt is a Neuropsychopharmacologist as well as a owner of a wine bar and uses that background to comment on alcohol. Many of us know the feeling of wanting a drink after a stressful day at work or enjoying a Friday evening pint at the pub. Only then can you make the right choice for yourself, whether that is to go alcohol-free or to drink in moderation. Where people have looked at alcohol intake in other cultures where you don’t have all those other factors, then it’s pretty hard to show that alcohol is beneficial.We will never do an experiment where we take one country and we give them wine, another one where we don’t give them wine and see how long they all live.

David broadcasts widely to the general public both on radio and television including BBC science and public affairs programmes on therapeutic as well as illicit drugs, their harms and their classification.My continuing trend of reading health, brain/body, or psych types book lead me to this one, which outlines the relationship of alcohol to an individual. If you are not a regular reader, this book is a great summary of the effects of alcohol on the body - but there is nothing new it it. In particular, his note that horse riding is more dangerous to health than taking ecstasy was deemed too controversial. He examines what the future holds for this normalised drug that governs our society and lives but is becoming increasingly unpopular due to its detrimental impact on our well-being.

These were the places I expected to see citations, like throughout the rest of the book, but where documentation for an assertion was lacking. Mixing factual and anecdotal evidence, Nutt discusses the UK response to alcohol, and the struggles he faced whilst attempting to advise the government on alcohol policy.There is one thing that’s important to say here: drinking to intoxication is more dangerous, particularly for the heart and for the brain. As David Nutt states, if you want to drink less here in the UK it's as if you've decided to stop gambling yet have to live in a Las Vegas hotel.