To Drink or Not to Drink?

To the Editor: I am a moderate drinker but must nevertheless take issue with the editorial by Lieber in the March 29 issue.* Although the study he cites suggests that moderate alcohol intake may protect against coronary-artery disease through elevations in the level of high-density lipoproteine (HDL 3 ), I think that in our society even suggesting that possibility is fraught with danger. ... I fear that an editorial such as Lieber's raises the risk of increasing alcohol intake in an uncontrolled way in the population at large, and I believe that the associated risks far outweigh the potential benefits. . . . No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.