Few people dispute that alcohol abuse can be dangerous or that regular drinking poses the risk of developing alcoholism. Yet some believe that warnings about these problems too often overshadow the positive aspects of drinking. These two views of alcohol are apparent in the recent controversy over the health benefits of moderate drinking.

The traditional medical wisdom regarding alcohol—that abstinence was the best policy—began to be questioned in 1991 after 60 Minutes aired “The French Paradox,” a segment which suggested that the French may have a lower incidence of heart disease, even though they eat more fat than Americans, because of their high per capita consumption of wine. Since then, numerous studies have confirmed that moderate alcohol consumption—no more than one drink a day for women, two for men—reduces...