If all be true that I do think,
There are five reasons we should drink;
Good wine--a friend--or being dry--
Or lest we should be by and by--
Or any other reason why.

That wry commentary on the human love affair with alcohol seems to have come down to us from the 17th century, attributed variously to Brit churchman Henry Aldrich and French poet Jean Sirmond. You may not know--or care--why you or someone you love drinks, but perhaps you're worried that the drinking is excessive.

If so, here's a new free US government site that wants to help. Rethinking Drinking tries be everything you ever wanted to know about booze and more. What counts as a drink? Is a particular person's drinking pattern risky? Is that "lite" beer lite in alcohol as well as calories? How strong is that mixed drink?

The Rethinking Drinking site is also full of tools, like calculators to figure out a person's drinking pattern, drink sizes, and alcohol calories, plus tips to help handle urges to drink, cutting down, even quitting. There are also links to other resources and free publications. Raise a glass to the taxpayers for this helpful free service!