The article "8 reasons to love red wine" (Nov. 20) indeed offered eight healthful reasons to drink a glass of red wine. The problem is that the writer prefaced these reasons with the idea of drinking wine as a means to "wind down" and "de-stress."
Drinking alcohol to deal with stress is problematic and, by definition, is abusing alcohol. Drinking one glass of wine will turn into two or more drinks, as one glass isn't enough to deal with life. If drinking is a means to cope with stress, it's a red flag.
Save the wine for when you aren't stressed out. Find sober ways of winding down.
Enjoy one glass of wine and its great one-glass health benefits, but don't drink as a coping mechanism. Don't kid yourself, and don't let articles such as "8 reasons to love red wine" enable you.
LINNEA CARLSON, MINNEAPOLIS
