In a recent study in BMJ of over 3,500 men and women, Doty, Harvard's Gang Liu and their colleagues found that many heavy
drinkers had impaired taste but not smell,
while most light to
moderate drinkers were left unscathed and even fared better on smell tests than people who didn't drink.
Those who reported having more than three drinks a week were considered at least
moderate drinkers,
while women who had more than seven drinks a week, and men who had more than 14 drinks a week, were considered heavy
drinkers.