Refusing To Accept Drinking's Benefit

You could fill a fair-sized tavern with all the studies that document the salubrious effects of moderate drinking. But consumers have managed not to get the message, as a Gallup poll makes clear. Women are especially resistant to the idea that a drink a day can help stave off heart attacks and other ills (see the chart). If people were this obdurate about any other aspect of personal health, the media would be swimming in public-service messages aimed at changing their behavior.