Time for another round! According to Self Magazine, researchers have found that moderate alcohol use does offer the body significant health benefits. Note: "Moderate" means one drink a day, or seven per week, so put the tray of Jell-O shots down, hotshot. One drink refers to 1 1/2 ounces of 80-proof liquor, five ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer.

"The healthiest people do include moderate drinking in their lifestyle," says Eric Rimm, Sc.D., associate professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

So what are these benefits?

Firstly, alcohol can increase the body's "good" HDL cholesterol rates, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease, says a study from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Scientists studying rheumatoid arthritis also found that three or more drinks per week reduce the risk of developing the ailment. A drink a day can also help prevent Type 2 diabetes by reducing blood sugar levels and regulating insulin.

The last finding may not come as much of a shocker: Alcohol makes us feel good. The University of Miami in Coral Gables found that women who drink are "twice as likely to report better-than-average health than women who don't drink at all," Self says. That may be because drinking tends to reduce stress and make people more social.

Before you reach for that six-pack, though, take heed: Women with a high risk of breast cancer, and anyone with a family history of alcoholism, are advised against alcohol use.