Plenty of Americans like an adult beverage now and then. Whether it be a martini, a tot of gin, a glass of wine with dinner, a cold beer in the afternoon, or a shot of good sipping whiskey, there are as many choices for imbibing as there are imbibers, likely. And America has always held the production and delivery of our booze in some esteem.

Why, New Yorkers even elected a bartender to Congress!

Of course, there are health risks involved, and some people end up with problems; I know, my best friend in the world outside my family struggled with alcoholism and has now been sober for nearly 20 years. But a Florida neurosurgeon is presently issuing some warnings that I think go a bit too far.

Dr. Brett Osborn, who also runs a longevity practice, applauded the new guidance, stating that alcohol is a toxin.

“We’ve known this for eons — this is nothing new,” Osborn told Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview.

And: 

In particular, Murthy warned that alcohol can increase the risk of throat, liver, esophageal, mouth, larynx (voice box), colon and rectal cancers.

“I know the age-old adage that you can have a drink or two a day and it’s good for your heart — no, it’s not,” Osborn said.

I’ve seen studies to the contrary, but that’s not really the point. The point is this: Dr. Osborn is free to dispense medical advice until the cows come home; that is, after all, his job. But I’m a bit skeptical about the overly serious tone he takes. Everything is in moderation, as they say – and when anyone, a doc or anyone else, starts casually tossing around the word “toxins,” it starts to fire up my BS-O-Meter. It’s not always the case that warnings of “toxins” are horse squeeze – but a lot of people dispensing said horse squeeze like to shout about “OMG TOXINS!”