Is alcohol bad for arthritis

There is a lot of argument on this subject. the first thing that we should remember is that there are more then 100 different forms of arthritis which are the result of different conditions in the body. every thing from wear and tear to chemical buildups such as gout (which is affected adversely by alcohol consumption) to auto immune system problems. However there are many sufferer of arthritis that will swear on a stack of bibles that wines, especially red wines make Arthritis symptoms appear worse. So it stands to reason that there may be something in the claim that wine is bad for arthritis. At present aside from gout, there is no real evidence that arthritis is affected by wine one way or the other. I have Rheumatoid arthritis and once thought that wine was bad for arthritis, however these days I drink wine within reason and have no more or less problems then I had when I was not drinking it. It may very well be a case of different reactions apply to different people. I personally think that an over simplistic connection between wine and arthritis was made because wine is acidic and people know that bones are made of calcium. acid eats away calcium, so it stands to reason that wine causes damage to joints. What they forget is that cartilage is not made of calcium and that the initial cause for the symptoms of arthritis is damaged or worn cartilage.