My intake was not heavier than I claimed. If you read my post again you'll see that I went for complete abstinence only after drinking became an occasional thing for me. When you drink a few pints of beer once after a month or more of no drinking it has a massive effect.

People disputing this have probably never gone more than a week without alcohol. I'm not prepared to maintain a tolerance to alcohol and it makes me feel bad when I drink occasionally.

All I'm claiming is that a literal poison has a negative effect on me that far outweighs any positive I get from the enjoyment of drinking. Yet people are jumping up in arms saying there must be something wrong with me because they drink regularly and feel fine. I think people could do with some careful introspection and maybe to reconsider what "fine" is.