又中又英｜Abstinence

Scientific studies have long suggested that moderate drinking, such as two daily glasses of wine, is better for health than abstinence. I have read many studies that said a glass or two of wine is good for the heart. I have religiously followed this advice even though I normally drink more than two glasses. A recent New York Times article said a new analysis of over 40 years of research has debunked conclusions that moderate drinking benefits health. The analysis found that previous conclusions on the benefits of moderate drinking were wrong. The word “abstinence” means not doing something harmful, such as drinking alcohol.

If you religiously follow something, it means you do it regularly and are serious about it. If you debunk something, you expose it as not true. Many drinkers like me are now torn between two beliefs. If you are torn between two things, it means you find it difficult to choose between the two. Do you want to believe the studies that concluded moderate drinking benefits health or the new analysis that said moderate drinking has no health benefits? The new analysis found that women have a higher risk of dying prematurely even if they drink less than two cocktails or glasses of wine daily. Men’s risk of dying prematurely increases if they have a little over three drinks daily.

For me, abstinence is impossible. Having a few drinks with dinner relaxes me. I usually have about three drinks daily, but I believe God decides when a person dies, not alcohol. That doesn’t mean people should follow my belief. They must decide themselves if they want to drink or not.

早有科学研究表明，适量喝酒，例如一天喝两杯葡萄酒，比起完全戒酒（abstinence），对身体健康更好。我读过多份研究，皆说一两杯酒对心脏有益。我笃信地恒常遵守（religiously followed）这个建议，虽然我通常会喝多于两杯酒。最近《纽约时报》一篇文章说，一个最新分析报告分析了超过四十年的研究，驳斥（debunked）了适量喝酒对身体有益的结论。该分析指，之前有关适量喝酒是有益的结论都是错的。Abstinence是指去节制、禁戒做有害的事，例如喝酒。

若你 religiously follow something，意即你会十分认真、有规律地去做某事。若你 debunk某事，意即你去拆穿某事不是真的。许多像我一般的喝酒者现正 torn between two beliefs——若你是 torn between two things，意即你在两个事物之间难于抉择、左右为难。你想相信那些认为适量饮酒对健康有益的研究，抑或那个说适量饮酒没有任何健康裨益的新分析？新分析报告发现，女人即使每天喝少于两杯鸡尾酒或葡萄酒，仍有更高风险会过早死亡；男人若每天喝比三杯酒多一点的分量，过早死亡的风险则会增加。

对我来说，禁戒（abstinence）喝酒、滴酒不沾是不可能的。晚餐时喝几杯酒，有助我松驰神经。我通常每天喝大约三杯酒，但我相信是神去决定一个人何时死亡，而非酒精。那不代表人人都要遵从我所信的。要不要喝酒，还得由人自己决定。