No Bacon January?

This morning, just as we are beginning another “dry January” season, I saw an article about the Surgeon General now recommending alcohol labels contain a warning about the risks of cancer associated with alcohol consumption. As a producer and purveyor of alcoholic beverages, I have lots of thoughts around this subject, and not just limited to the impact on my business and livelihood.

I’ll start by saying I’m not a doctor and I am a believer in science. Since day one of opening Figurehead, I’ve been a strong advocate for integrating beer into your daily life but doing so in moderation, and according to personal health circumstances which for some may mean no alcohol. To this end, Figurehead brews a lot of lower ABV beers, serves higher ABV beers in smaller glasses, serves NA beer and other NA options, and instructs our servers to cut off customers if needed and make sure they have a way to get home safely.

I’m also a proponent of the more information the better. Scientific studies into the health impacts of the choices we make are critical in empowering each individual to make an informed decision based on their lifestyle, things that are important to them, and any personal health history that may influence their decision.

To this end, I’m happy that the Surgeon General has released additional information on the potential health impacts of consuming alcohol, and I encourage everyone to go read their advisory (you can find it here).

But (you knew there was a but coming), I do feel however that the advisory did not address all aspects of this complex topic. And again, I am not recommending the consumption of alcohol, I’m simply adding a couple of my personal thoughts for consideration during your personal decision on whether to consume alcohol.

Bacon and Beer

I’ll start with an analogy that I like to use whenever this topic comes up, and that’s bacon. Just like alcohol, I think everyone would agree that there is no level of bacon consumption that is beneficial to your health. There might be some nutritional benefit in the form of protein, but for the most part bacon is not good for you. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies processed meats like bacon as a Group 1 carcinogen, which means there is a reasonable certainty that they cause cancer. Yet I have not heard of a movement to create a “no bacon January.” Why is this?

I believe it is because people have made an informed decision on whether to consume bacon, and most that choose to consume bacon do so in a moderate fashion. I can only speak to my personal decision to consume bacon, and I’ve decided that the joy bacon gives me outweighs the health risks of consuming it. I only half-jokingly say that I would rather eat bacon and die three years earlier than live three additional, miserable, bacon-free years. That being said, because I know the health risks of consuming lots of bacon, I don’t eat it all the time.

The Greatest Beverage in the World

I often start discussions about beer by stating it is the greatest beverage in the world, and I’ll fight anyone that disagrees. Before you say I’m biased, I think history backs me up. Beer, in some form, has been brewed on every continent of the world for thousands of years. More importantly though it has been bringing people together and facilitating connections for the same amount of time. It is an egalitarian, everyday beverage that spurs conversation and socializing all over the world. This is not to say other beverages can’t do the same, but nothing has been doing it as long and as widespread as beer.

This is the piece of the puzzle that scientific literature like the advisory from the Surgeon General is missing in my opinion. The value of anything is not just equal to the absolute risk of developing cancer over time. It is a complicated equation unique to every individual and may include things like social connection which has been shown to improve health.

Everyone Is Welcome

I’ll end by saying that Figurehead supports anyone who has made the personal decision to reduce or stop drinking, or has chosen to participate in dry January. In fact, if you’ve read my previous blogs you know that I don’t actually drink myself due to a medical condition. Everyone is welcome at Figurehead and we have lots of non-alcoholic options, including our own non-alcoholic beer.

Our mission at Figurehead is to create connections with and between customers, and while beer is a great facilitator of this, we think the community space we’ve created is really the key. So even if you’re a non-drinker, or just a non-drinker for the month, I encourage you to come out and visit either of our taprooms and make some connections.

I believe one of the legacies of the COVID pandemic up to this point has been a big drop in socializing. I think we’ve forgotten how valuable real, face-to-face, human interaction can be. So again, I encourage you to get back out there, support your local breweries, and create connections, with or without a beer.

Cheers!

Bob