There's no doubt that drinking, especially in significant quantities, has a negative impact on one's health, though that of course is easier to say over very large population and time ranges. What I push back on are two elements: the first, that there's anything like enough scientific evidence to put out a precise number of drinks per week that is safe, especially as a universal statement.
The second is that I find the idea of looking at this solely through the lens of economic impact (again, to the extent that this can even be measured) to be deeply weird and kind of strange for you - our lives and the way we live them matter a lot more than the amount of money we cost our employers when we get sick or whatever.
It's certainly within the purview of a federal agency to investigate this, and maybe even to issue some sort of finding. It's incumbent on us to recognize their necessary limitations, the narrowness of their point of view, and the fact that our lives and existences can't really be reduced to economic impact.
There's no doubt that drinking, especially in significant quantities, has a negative impact on one's health, though that of course is easier to say over very large population and time ranges. What I push back on are two elements: the first, that there's anything like enough scientific evidence to put out a precise number of drinks per week that is safe, especially as a universal statement.
The second is that I find the idea of looking at this solely through the lens of economic impact (again, to the extent that this can even be measured) to be deeply weird and kind of strange for you - our lives and the way we live them matter a lot more than the amount of money we cost our employers when we get sick or whatever.
It's certainly within the purview of a federal agency to investigate this, and maybe even to issue some sort of finding. It's incumbent on us to recognize their necessary limitations, the narrowness of their point of view, and the fact that our lives and existences can't really be reduced to economic impact.
Hey Dave, I don't know that I agree with Wilt/you on this one - I find this Twitter thread pretty persuasive: https://twitter.com/DanMalleck/status/1615701572826038275