Life is too short.
Exactly, so why ingest crap that may only make it shorter?
One or two drinks a week won't make it shorter. Ten or twenty will.
Shrek said:
A toxin is a toxin regardless of how much you ingest, the level of toxicity may be reduced that's all.
It's not that simple. Some things are good for you in small doses, deadly in high doses. Vitamin A for example. Or water.
Each person has to judge for themselves about their drinking, but it has to be an
educated judgment. A person should look at what they want to achieve, will the drink help it, hinder it, or make no difference.
And of course, not everyone's priority is physical, there is mental and emotional, too. For example many of us might choose a shorter happier life over a longer less happy one. Is everyone happier with alcohol or tobacco or whatever? Of course not. But many are, especially since a little alcohol can help the social life. Remember that for many young blokes, if you ask them to give up the grog you are asking them to give up their mates, too. Easy to say, "well no loss," but not so easy to do.
One or two drinks with friends can help the friendship just as any social activity can, lots of good friendships makes your mind strong, when your mind is strong it helps your body get strong.
But you might be a person who if you go against the flow, that makes you stronger - so then you're better with no drinks at all.
And then some people are very sensitive to alcohol, others less so.
You have to judge for yourself, but base the judgment on knowledge not just "yeah, whatever, mate." Follow your instincts. To
birch I would say like Deniro in
Ronin, "where there is any doubt, there is no doubt." You are telling us you feel doubt about drinking, so...