While the Daughters of the American Revolution sing in the background: I must admit that my high blood pressure dropped quite a bit when I abstained from alcohol. My high BP was not totally because of the alcohol, but in concert with stress from work, and medical history such as high cholesterol. On the other hand, my high BP was not totally because of the high cholesterol, but in concert with alcohol and stress from work.
My physician's advice to abstain from alcohol preceded his eventual warning to begin a (lifetime?) prescription for high BP medicine. Long story short, abstaining from alcohol has lowered my BP. Perhaps coincedentally, my physician has taken me off of Pravachol (cholesterol medicine) about a year after I began abstaining from alcohol.
Motorad's work done, he stepped off the soap box, and rode off on his Saluki.