A new study brings bad news for those who enjoy a glass of wine at night.
The report, published in The Lancet, found a revision is needed on the view that alcohol has health benefit. It said no amount of alcohol is good for people.
Moderate drinking may protect people against heart disease, according to the report, but the risk of cancer and other diseases from alcohol consumption outweighs those benefits.
The Global Burden of Disease study drew information from 195 countries, making it the most comprehensive study into alcohol consumption yet.
- New Zealand reaches crisis point with drinking
- Challenging New Zealand's harmful drinking culture
- Revealed: New Zealand regions with the most alcohol deaths
While the study is a conversation starter, the findings have also garnered a mixed reaction from people - particularly in New Zealand, where enjoying a drink is widely accepted.
It's no secret that Kiwis love the stuff. When Newshub spoke to people about their drinking habits, despite being told even one is too many, the general consensus is that Kiwis couldn't care less.
"[The research] is probably a bit of rubbish actually," one punter told Newshub.
Some say having a drink goes a long way in reducing stress after a day of work, and argue it could be good for mental health.
"There's many things that are probably bad for us on a day to day perspective... You could live your life absolutely purely and live another 10 years, maybe I prefer to have fun, enjoy myself and keep fit," one person said.
But alcohol consumption comes at a cost. More than $1 billion a year is spent on health costs caused by alcohol.
"It's easy when you're sitting in a bar to say you don't care," Health Canterbury medical officer Alistair Humphries told Newshub.
"Of course you're there to enjoy yourself, why would you think about the consequences of it?
"But actually if they cared about their taxes, they'd probably care about it. If they cared about their mother or grandmother who couldn't get a hip operation because we're spending a $100 million on alcohol preventable diseases, then probably they would care."
Up to 2.8 million people die a year as a result of consuming alcohol - almost half the amount of people who die from tobacco.
Newshub.
