I understand that, being straight edge, you probably want to believe that alcohol is all bad.

Nobody, least of all me, is saying alcohol is some kind of magic elixir for health. However, as part of a healthy lifestyle, it can, in moderation, contribute to good health. And, truthfully, in at least one study, older non-drinkers who started drinking one to two drinks per day showed lower rates of heart disease and some cancers than those that did not drink.

We're not talking about getting loaded here. 1 to 2 drinks daily is not going to get you drunk. Furthermore, drinking heavily will not only offset the positive effects of drinking, but can cause all kinds of health problems (obviously).