Illustration by Ali Bachmann
Alcohol grave
America is a booze culture. This psychoactive drug is so enmeshed in our society that it influences most aspects of our lives, including economics, population health, relationships, family ties, mental well-being and more. We’re hard pressed to watch TV, flip through a magazine or surf the net without encountering slick ads encouraging us to imbibe. Go to a party or other social event and the chances are the drinks will flow.
The purveyors of alcohol can encourage us to “drink responsibly” all they want, be that a sincere appeal or just CYA, but the nature of booze makes that tougher than it sounds. For many, rather than supporting responsible behavior, by virtue of its impact on the brain, alcohol fuels the opposite. It undermines one’s ability to self-regulate emotions and actions, often leading to impulsivity. Sure, there are many who drink without morphing from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde, but even their quiet, sensible consumption comes with long-term risks.
First, some facts, unpopular as they may be for some. Roughly 70% of us used alcohol in the last year, and over 56% drink regularly. What’s more, just over 25% of adults report at least one episode of binge drinking (five or more drinks in less than two hours) every month. So what? According to the CDC, approximately 140,000 Americans die prematurely every year from alcohol consumption (that’s about 380 deaths daily). On average, these folks perish a whopping 26 years earlier than their projected life spans.
So, how does booze kill these folks? Most succumb to the chronic health effects of drinking, most notably liver dysfunction, cardiovascular disease and cancer. While perhaps unintentional, this constitutes slow motion suicide. For those who die from short-term effects (an acute intoxication episode), most suffer alcohol poisoning, vehicular accidents or outright suicide. The bottom line? Alcohol consumption is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States.
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No Safe Drinking
Even among moderate drinkers (two drinks per day for men, one for women), alcohol’s impacts on physical well-being are significant. You’ve probably seen the dueling studies about this, some claiming moderate use can be good for your health with others asserting there is no such thing as an entirely safe level of consumption. The bulk of research supports the latter conclusion. I suspect some of you are thinking, hey, I’m a responsible, moderate drinker who doesn’t drive under the influence and keeps their cool.
Great, but you’re not immune from the long-term health risks. The major ones include hypertension, heart disease, stroke, liver damage, a slew of cancers, GI disorders and dementia. However, even if you skirt these physical landmines, there are the mental and social ones to consider. Due to alcohol, more than a few lose their jobs, run afoul of the law, stir up family dysfunction and undermine their overall mental health.
Speaking of the latter, a lot of folks drink in a failed effort to self-medicate for their psychological issues. Some clients tell me they use booze to fall asleep (actually disrupts restorative sleep), lift their mood (alcohol is a depressant), lower their anxiety (it rebounds stronger) or salve social awkwardness. Even when these efforts help in the short-term, over time, the palliative impacts erode.
In conversation with a colleague who is a moderate drinker, I was chastised for being “too rigid.” After all, he reminded me, most of us engage in risky behaviors, such as driving, contact sports, junk food and countless others. His mantras (“You can’t live forever, so enjoy yourself” and “All things in moderation”) are common refrains among regular drinkers. Fair enough, but the societal cost of our cultural affinity for booze affects us all, including tee-totalers, and it ain’t pretty. Misuse of alcohol is directly linked to criminal behavior, including robbery, sexual assault, domestic partner violence, child abuse and homicide, and over 40% of violent felons committed their crimes while under the influence. Ours is a violent society so, collectively, when you combine our gun problem with our drinking one, you get a toxic social cocktail that wreaks havoc on many lives and families.
Sure, those who imbibe occasionally and in moderation may skate through the booze gauntlet relatively unscathed. However, whatever your relationship with alcohol, it’s important to remember one thing. It’s not your friend. It’s a thief. Given sufficient time and exposure, it will steal your well-being if not your life altogether.
For more, visit philipchard.com.
