Alcohol has played a central role in almost all human cultures since Neolithic times (about

4000 BC). Alcoholic beverages have been used by virtually all cultures through most of their
recorded history.
From the earliest recorded use of alcohol, drinking has been a social activity, and both
consumption and behaviour have been subject to self-imposed social controls.

But drunk in moderation, beer can be beneficial. It can lower the risk of getting
cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. These positive health effects are mainly due to
the alcohol, and therefore apply not only to beer but also to wine and spirits. Adequate
intake of calcium and vitamin D contributes to good bone health. In addition, recent studies
show a linear relationship between silicon intake and bone density. Beer is a source of
silicon, which the body can also easily absorb. - Aafje Sierksma

Some know-it-alls will tell you that beer is loaded with additives and preservatives. Beer
doesn't need preservatives because it has alcohol and hops, both of which are natural
preservatives. The truth is that beer is as all-natural as orange juice or milk. Beer has high
levels of B vitamins, particularly folic acid, which is believed to help prevent heart attacks.

There is enormous cross-cultural variation in the way people behave when they drink. In
some societies (such as the UK, Scandinavia, US and Australia), alcohol is associated with violent
and anti-social behaviour, while in others (such as Mediterranean and some South American
cultures) drinking behaviour is largely peaceful and harmonious. The findings of both crosscultural research and controlled experiments indicate that the effects of alcohol on behaviour
are primarily determined by social and cultural factors, rather than the chemical actions of
ethanol.

The social aspects of moderate drinking are solidly beneficial to your health. In other words,
to get out every now and then and relax with your buddies over a couple of beers. At the end
of a long night of drinking, alcohol and emotion tend to flow in equal measure. A newstudy gives
experimental backing to the phenomenon, as middle-aged men a group too often isolated
from much socialization were found to have better mental health when they drank in pubs
with their friends. A wealth of studies have shown that men routinely feel compelled to suppress
emotion, fearing embarrassment that theyll be seen as unmanly or weak. But emotional
expression is important to ones mental health, and a pub (or bar, for the Yank) serves as a
setting for that expression. Men who drink with their friends see the space as safe. medical
daily