3 News: Heavy drinkers live longer?

Dan Satherley reports for 3 News on recent research showing that heavy drinkers are less likely to die than teetotallers.

While the reasons for this are unclear, scientists posit that it could be that drinkers are more relaxed and social than their non-drinking counterparts.

An excerpt: (read in full here)

“Former heavy drinkers were excluded from the study, so the comparatively high death rate for non-drinkers could not be blamed on health problems brought on by heavy drinking earlier in life.

“A definite cause of the unexpected result wasn’t pinpointed, but it has been suggested that drinkers tend to be less stressed and more social than non-drinkers.

“”Non-drinkers show greater signs of depression than those who allow themselves to join the party.””