Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that - for reasons that aren't entirely clear - abstaining from alcohol does tend to increase one's risk of dying, even when you exclude former problem drinkers. The most shocking part is abstainers' mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers.
为何酒鬼比不喝酒者活得长？最新一期《酒精中毒临床与实验研究》刊登的文章指出，尽管原因不明，不喝酒确实会导致死亡率升高，即使不算那些之前喝酒后来戒酒的人。最让人震惊的是文章称不喝酒的人比酗酒的人早死的几率要高。

Moderate drinking, which is defined as one to three drinks per day, is associated with the lowest mortality rates in alcohol studies. Moderate alcohol use (especially when the beverage of choice is red wine) is thought to improve heart health.
研究显示，适量饮酒，如每日饮酒一到三杯，可降低死亡率。适当饮酒（特别是红酒）有利于增进心脏健康。

But why would abstaining from alcohol lead to a shorter life? Even after controlling for nearly all imaginable variables - socioeconomic status, level of physical activity, number of close friends, quality of social support and so on - the researchers (a six-member team led by psychologist Charles Holahan of the University of Texas at Austin) found that over a 20-year period, mortality rates were highest for those who were not current drinkers, regardless of whether they used to be alcoholics, second highest for heavy drinkers and lowest for moderate drinkers.
但为什么滴酒不沾的人反倒活得短呢？即便抛开所有想得到的可变因素，如社会经济地位、身体状况、好友数目、社会支持等，研究人员（由德克萨斯大学心理学家查理斯-霍拉汉带领的六人研究小组）历时20年的研究发现，不管他们以前有没有饮过酒，滴酒不沾的人死亡率是最高的，第二高时酗酒者，死亡率最低的是适度饮酒者。

One important reason is that alcohol lubricates so many social interactions, and social interactions are vital for maintaining mental and physical health.
一个重要的原因是，饮酒有助于人际交往，而人际交往时保持身心健康的重要因素。