Alcohol is a Hard Drug

[Haiku's Knife]

In most societies, we have this misconception that it's acceptable to consume alcohol as long as it's in "moderation". Except, alcohol has actually been proven to not be safe "in moderation". Even a single beverage is harmful and damages your brain. This is because alcohol is what's referred to as a neurotoxin. It destroys brain matter, even in small amounts:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8625009/
"Taken together, these studies highlight that there is no protective effect of light drinking (e.g., 1–<7 drinks per week) over abstinence and in fact show, similar to alcohol dependence though to a lesser degree, that any level of alcohol consumption can affect brain volume and white matter microstructure."

People regularly make a spectacle of opiates and fentanyl, yet alcohol has caused far more damage cumulatively over human history and will continue to because it is socially acceptable and thus the majority turns a blind eye to it. Alcohol plays a significant role in a significant portion of crimes and accidents and yet the perpetrators are always held in a state of total responsibility while those that produce, distribute and encourage the garbage are free of any blame when they are the ones significantly at fault.

Consuming alcohol is a degenerative activity. It's not classy and it's not cultured. A bar is little better than a crack house or an opium den. Just as nobody says it's OK to hit the crack pipe "in moderation", it should be that we view any amount of recreational alcohol consumption as a crime against the self. I'm not saying alcohol should be illegalized, but it should be viewed at the very least as a hard drug and its usage as unwelcome and degenerative.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/03/31/moderate-drinking-alcohol-wine-risks/
https://www.healthline.com/health/does-alcohol-kill-brain-cells
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3860462/
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2802963?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=033123

[Tsubame ⭐]

Alcohol is a drug, yes.

As for being "classy" and "not cultured", this is a matter of opinion. Want it or not, and independently of the harms it causes, it is still seen in very good light by society.

Even if drinking in moderation but constantly may increase somewhat health risks, there are so many other things we partake in contemporary society that are not exactly 100% healthy either, in one way or another. Junk foods, consumerism leading to pollution, sedentarism - i.e. the fact that we are wasting time writing in this forum when we could be htting the gym instead - etc. etc.

Overall, my opinion for all of these is, I do not have an issue with it as long as it is in moderation and does not put them and others around them in immediate danger. Excessive drinking and then driving is certainly a no no for me.

[Haiku's Knife]

Origineel geplaatst door Morkonan:

I don't drink alcohol anymore. It's really just a choice, since I don't care for it much and only drink it these days if it's wine served with dinner at someone's house. Otherwise, I don't drink. I have, in the past, and certainly in my college days. But, soon after that... I just lost interest in it. I never made alcohol a regular part of anything, certainly not drinking at home or having cocktails at lunch.

I don't think it's a coincidence that you're one of the most intelligent posters here and also abstain from drinking.

Origineel geplaatst door Lithurge:

You're making the mistake of the new convert, a zealot's reaction from 'having finally seen the light'. For how many of those 15 or so years would you have actually listened to anybody telling you how bad it was for you?

I don't know because nobody ever did. It was a constant stream of people around me encouraging me to drink and do drugs.

All you can do is talk about your experience and let people make up their own minds about what that means for them.

That's what I'm doing and it's not necessarily wrong to be a zealot. Being a zealot doesn't invalidate what you're zealous about. If I lived in a large city in a polluted country, I would probably be zealous about improving air quality. Would my zealotry invalidate that concern? People like me get a unique glimpse of the truth because we don't have society and ourselves to delude us into thinking it's fine "in moderation". People think it's fine in moderation because they're progressively giving themselves worsening brain damage and they grow accustomed to the decline in cognition without much awareness.

Origineel geplaatst door Γαῖα:

Its nothing new and has been done with other products over the decades. Welcome to big business controlling the narrative while governments propagate it based on the revenue they stand to make or save.

Yep and now marijuana is crossing that threshold.

[𝙈𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙤]

Origineel geplaatst door BlackBloodRum:

Enjoying my evening, on my hard drugs.

Hell yea brother

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

Prove it to me alcohol is a drug by buying me as much alcohol.