Refusing to drink any beverage that contains alcohol, including medicinal preparations.
Alcohol irretrievably damages brain cells and, if taken in sufficient quantity, the liver. Even moderate consumption leads to loss of control and the danger of mortal accidents, as in driving.
In different cultures drinking alcohol provides extremely important social functions including releasing tensions, providing times for socializing with social superiors or inferiors and symbolizing important religious beliefs.
Moderate alcohol consumption has a beneficial effect on atheroma (thickening of the artery walls by formation of plaques containing lipids and blood products), reducing the risk of coronary insufficiency (angina) and myocardial infarction (heart attack) in non-coronary subjects.