Drinking within recommended limits is not risk-free. A 2026 study combined US drinking surveys with mortality data and research on diseases and injuries linked to alcohol, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver disease and injuries, to estimate lifetime risk of death from alcohol. At around seven US standard drinks a week the risk rose above one in 1,000, above eight and a half drinks a week it exceeded one in 100, and at 14 drinks a week it was roughly one in 25. A US drink holds 13.6g of alcohol and a UK unit 8g, so 14 US drinks is nearly 24 UK units, and 8.5 US drinks about 14.5 units, the UK weekly guideline. These are population estimates that rest on modelling assumptions, not predictions for an individual. Earlier studies suggesting moderate drinking was protective are now questioned.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.