Why is Alcohol an Accepted Part of Society?
I don’t understand its appeal
This is in response to The Inconvenient Truth About Alcohol by Robert Roy Britt.
I’ve never particularly liked alcohol, and I don’t get why it’s a normal part of life. I tried drinking alcohol a bit when I was younger, but quickly grew out of that phase, and since then I’ve mostly not liked it. These are my reasons why.
I didn’t like how it made me feel
Okay, so a small amount of alcohol relaxes you and makes you more sociable. The problem is, it’s so easy to accidentally go too far and then end up feeling like crap. I used to hate feeling like the room was moving and that I couldn’t properly control myself.
I don’t like how it makes people behave
After more than a couple of drinks, people start to become annoying. They get too loud and boisterous. They do stupid things they later regret. And if they have any suppressed anger, they become aggressive and start fighting.
I don’t like binge drinking culture
If you go out deliberately to get drunk, there is something wrong with you. There is just as much wrong with you as someone who deliberately punches themselves in the face, rides a bike with their eyes closed, or sets fire to their feet. You’re looking for trouble. It is a serious problem.
I don’t like the health problems it causes
Short term, if you drink too much alcohol, you’re likely to:
- Engage in unprotected casual sex
- Get injured in fights
- Fall over
- Vomit
- Lose consciousness
- Get robbed or raped
Long term, you have an increased risk of:
- High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems.
- Cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, voice box, liver, colon, and rectum.
- Weakening of the immune system, increasing the chances of getting sick.
- Learning and memory problems, including dementia and poor school performance.
- Mental health problems, including depression and anxiety.
- Social problems, including family problems, job-related problems, and unemployment.
- Alcohol use disorders, or alcohol dependence.
(Taken from CDC website)
Drunk driving is manslaughter waiting to happen
If you regularly drive while intoxicated, it’s only a matter of time before you’re involved in a fatal crash. And even a small amount of alcohol reduces your driving ability, so it’s best to not drink any alcohol at all before driving.
In 2019, there were 10,142 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in the United States.
Alcohol abuse causes more deaths than hate crimes
Even though hate crime deaths have increased, it’s still a relatively small number. In 2019, 51 people were murdered in the United States as a result of hate crimes.
This is tiny compared to the 95,000 in the US who died from alcohol-related deaths.
So, although hate crime is a problem, and any preventable death is a tragedy, aren’t we focusing on the wrong things? All this fear about offending people and having the wrong opinions. Shouldn't we be focusing more on the alcohol problem?
If you or someone you know is an alcoholic, or struggles with alcohol use/overuse, help is available.
