Based on some chatter on CNN just now, I should consider changing my ways.

According to their little report from Nature or wherever they get their science news, my chances of developing dementia will be about 40% less if I have a drink or two every day. Not just red wine, but beer, liquor, or other alcohol of choice.

As it happens, I’m pretty much a teetotaler. Mostly because I’m a cheap drunk. And also because I don’t like the taste of most alcohol. A couple of sips of almost anything gives me a buzz and makes me flush. And I learned back in college that I’d get sick long before I’d get happy. These days, some of the meds I’m on warn against drinking, and then there’s all the bad stuff I’ve heard about drinking alone, etc. So there’s just no payoff for drinking. Still, dementia is one of my great fears. Maybe I should buy a bottle of Bailey’s or something …

The other study said test subjects could endure pain (hands in ice water) longer when they cursed. I’ve never been much on swearing either. A very strict upbringing forbade the utterance of “hell” or “damn” when I was growing up. And besides, I was taught, it isn’t “ladylike.” These days, in private, with no kids around, I may let a word or two fly if I’m provoked. But I’m certainly no Samuel L.

Anyway, I made a note of these studies, in case I need an excuse to drink or curse. I’m no bigger on pain than I am on dementia.