this post was submitted on 29 Sep 2024
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The issue is a lot of teetotalers don't drink anything because of their existing health conditions, really bad obesity, hypertension, liver problems, etc. So those that don't drink at all are actually less healthy than the average population, and those that drink in moderation are obviously healthier than those who drink a lot. So the results look like moderate drinking is the most healthy but there's an (or a lot of) omitted variable bias.
There's unsubstantiated and nonsensical assumptions in your comment starting with assuming that anyone who doesn't ingest alcohol does it to avoid exacerbating current health conditions, leading to those that drink moderately being healthier than those who don't drink. That's absurd.
I'll make an assumption of my own. A significant portion of your identify and social life is in "moderate" drinking and you're very keen to justify that as "healthy."