They're doing their darnedest to declare any amount of booze harmful, despite decades of of evidence showing that moderate drinking is associated with lower mortality from all causes. And I'm sure they'll eventually succeed. It might even be true -- who knows.

Meanwhile, there are those of us who recognize that — when it comes to your own body — "good" is what you make it. There are some folks out there willing to sacrifice any corporeal pleasures for a small gain in mental acuity or longevity, and then there are others prepared to give up a certain amount of those for the enjoyment of a drink every now and then.

Prescribing one preference function for the entire population (as tempting as this is for control freaks) misses the point. It's about choice.