--- title: Research Results: 5 Things You Should Know About Alcohol and Drinking description: It's the most harmful drug canonical: https://time.com/3923378/alcohol-research-findings/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-18T04:01:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:49:34.173Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 5 Things You Need to Know About Alcohol, Backed By Research og:description: It's the most harmful drug og:url: https://time.com/3923378/alcohol-research-findings/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt94fce2a18b13c063/698854c00b72e364446e47f1/529171439-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=367&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 367 og:image:height: 206 og:image:alt: beer-cup og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 5 Things You Need to Know About Alcohol, Backed By Research twitter:description: It's the most harmful drug twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt94fce2a18b13c063/698854c00b72e364446e47f1/529171439-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=367&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 5 Things You Need to Know About Alcohol, Backed By Research > Sponsored content. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: Should I Drink Red Wine? [Watch (HLS stream): Should I Drink Red Wine?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/JLVLyuEq.m3u8) (1:35)  _Published 2015-03-12. Cheers to your health! All five of our experts give red wine a purple-stained smile._ by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Jun 18, 2015 4:01 AM UTC  Beer with drops Beer with drops Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Jun 18, 2015 4:01 AM UTC * If you want to crack someone’s skull, [use an empty beer bottle](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/if-you-want-to-crack-someones-skull-should-yo), not a full one. Are you a mean drunk but don’t want to get into fights? Take [Prozac](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-should-you-do-if-youre-a-mean-drunk-but). Just [thinking about alcohol](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-merely-thinking-about-alcohol-increase-a) can increase aggressiveness. People who [suppress their anger](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whos-most-likely-to-get-violent-after-drinkin) are most likely to get violent when drinking. Force bars to close early and [violent crime goes down](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-happens-when-you-force-bars-to-close-ear). Ban liquor and [the homicide rate goes up](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-drug-and-alcohol-prohibition-increase-th). Alcohol increases aggression because intoxicated people [are more likely to interpret things as deliberate vs accidental](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/why-does-alcohol-increase-aggression). Booze [reduces anxiety but not fear](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-booze-reduce-anxiety-and-fear). Yes, that big drunk guy at the bar [is as dangerous as you thought](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-dangerous-is-that-big-drunk-guy-at-the-ba). You can predict the level of violence in an area [just by looking at alcohol sales](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-you-predict-violence-in-an-area-just-by-l). Vodka is [more associated with homicide](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-some-alcoholic-beverages-more-associated) than beer or wine. * You drastically underestimate how much alcohol it would take for you to [vomit or blackout](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-much-alcohol-would-you-guess-it-takes-for). Alcohol is [the most harmful drug](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-is-the-most-harmful-drug). You’ll act drunk whether you’ve had real alcohol or [a placebo](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-a-placebo-just-as-effective-as-a-heineken). Letting your teenager drink at home while supervised [is a terrible idea](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-letting-your-teenager-drink-at-home-make). Ban smoking and you [get more drunk driving](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-is-banning-smoking-related-to-drunk-drivi). Yes, [the Irish drink as much as you think](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-the-irish-really-drink-that-much) but they also have a very high number of abstainers. Drink too much and want to clean up your act? [Have a daughter, not a son](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/drink-too-much-smoke-too-much-wanna-clean-up). 31% of rock star deaths are [related to drugs or alcohol](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-rockstars-really-live-fast-and-die-young). You don’t function better after when you add Red Bull to your Vodka — [you just think you do](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-you-function-better-after-a-red-bull-and-v). * Drinking makes you [wealthier](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-drinking-and-smoking-make-you-wealthier), can [stave off dementia](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-alcohol-be-good-for-your-brain) and help you [live a long life](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/if-you-want-to-live-longer-should-you-give-al). Have the bartender [use a tall, thin glass](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-the-size-or-shape-of-the-glass-affect-ho), not a short, fat one. Bar owners get you to drink more by [turning up the music](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-do-bar-owners-get-you-to-drink-more). You’re [more creative when you’re drunk](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-you-more-creative-when-youre-drunk). [These](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/which-drugs-produced-which-classic-works-of-l) great works of literature were created thanks to drinking. Mild drinking during pregnancy [can lead to smarter and healthier kids](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-pregnant-women-who-drink-alcohol-have-smar). Alcohol may help you [achieve your goals](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-drinking-more-beer-help-you-achieve-your). * Smart people are [more likely to binge drink](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-smart-people-more-likely-to-binge-drink). Binge drinking the night before a test [doesn’t negatively affect grades](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/should-you-get-wasted-the-night-before-a-big) but overall [drinking does hurt academic performance](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/did-all-that-drinking-you-did-in-college-real). Drunk people are [just as effective an eyewitness](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-drunk-people-or-sober-people-better-eyewi) as sober people. Getting drunk makes you more [think more politically conservative](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-getting-drunk-make-you-more-politically). 1 in 5 country music songs [refers to alcohol](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/1-in-5-country-music-songs-refers-to-alcohol), 1 in 3 to tears, 1 in 7 to mama. It’s [not the booze talking](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/its-not-the-booze-talking). You know what you’re doing when you’re drunk, alcohol just [makes you care less about the consequences](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-drunk-people-responsible-for-their-behavi). We [crave alcohol](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-do-we-desire-most-frequently) slightly less than coffee but more than sports or shopping. It’s easier to resist booze [than checking email](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/which-is-hardest-to-resist-alcohol-cigarettes). Women [like wine better when they think it’s expensive](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-women-like-things-better-if-theyre-expensi). [These](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/which-countries-drink-the-most) countries drink the most. * One of the best predictors of how sexual a woman is is how much she drinks. Yes, [drinking leads to sex](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-drinking-lead-to-sex). No, alcohol [doesn’t make it much harder](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-alcohol-really-affect-mens-sexual-functi) for a guy to perform sexually. Men get more sexually aggressive when they drink because alcohol [makes it hard for them to distinguish when women are being flirty vs friendly](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/why-do-men-get-so-sexually-aggressive-when-th). Drinking (or just thinking you’re drinking) can [make you feel more attractive](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-quickest-way-to-feel-more-attractiv). Beer goggles [are real](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-beer-goggles-really-make-people-seem-mor) but it’s not just the beer causing [goggles](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-it-really-beer-that-causes-beer-goggles). Women [probably get beer goggles worse](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/which-sex-gets-beer-goggles-worse-men-or-wome) than men. The answer to whether people like the taste of beer [can predict if they have sex on the first date](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-can-predict-who-will-have-sex-on-the-fir). **Join over 190,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**.** **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/06/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-alcohol/)**_._** Related posts: [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/) [How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior Expert](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/10/how-to-get-people-to-like-you/) [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/) ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Should you drink red wine? It's your lucky day. All five of our experts give red wine a purple stained smile. A standard pour has 125 calories, so it's lighter than beer and mixed drinks, says Julia Zunpano. And of course it's packed with antioxidants. Alcohol is actually good for you if you drink it moderately. Drinking alcohol is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality compared to drinking too much or drinking not at all says Luigi Ferrucci. Ferrucci. Red wine might be particularly beneficial, but some recent studies suggest that we shouldn't give the famous compound resveratrol all the credit. There's likely not enough of it to make a difference, says resveratrol researcher Juan Carlos Espin. But we do know is that David Katz. Is that drinking habitually but moderately is part of the Mediterranean diet and linked to a long life. Just ask cardiologist James O'Keefe who loves red wine for its ability to lower the risk of coronary artery disease, diabetes, congestive heart failure and stroke. His grandmother Dorothy lived to be be 103, and she enjoyed the happy hour drink every night. The key to a long healthy life, Dorothy O'Keefe used to say, is to not drink too much. 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