Alcoholism And Human Nature

Alcohol has been deeply entrenched in human society for a very long time

. In medieval times, beer was safer to drink than water due to the prevalence of waterborne viruses and bacteria in the water supplies. Traditionally, every culture has traditions surrounding alcohol in similar ways as part of social ceremonies and celebrations, whether they be religious, ceremonial or merely recreational.

Unlike many ancient practices though, alcohol has pervaded well into the modern day, despite numerous attempts by numerous cultures to prohibit the sale, production or consumption of the drug. In terms of Intoxicating effectiveness, were it introduced today for the first time, most cultures would probably rank it alongside heroin, cocaine or ecstasy. In actuality, the argument could be made that alcohol is a more powerful, addictive and dangerous intoxicant than many controlled substances, and remains legal and socially accepted simply through tradition and historical acceptance.

The argument of course, is that when enjoyed responsibly, alcohol can be enjoyed safely. The cornerstone of alcohol advice distributed to teenagers, this is not a falsehood, but the same principle can be applied to the majority of the controlled substances prohibited across the western world, yet isnt. In fact it is this legality, social acceptability and even cultural veneration of alcohol that makes it so dangerous. Alcohol consumption, particularly excessive alcohol consumption is romanticised, glamourized and implicitly encouraged through cinema, music and tradition. In the UK it is traditional to take young adults for their first legal pint on their 18th birthday and first drinking experiences are considered to be a rite of passage. When saturated in a culture where regular, excessive alcohol consumption is not merely accepted, but the norm, it can be very easy for the youth to become indoctrinated with this mind-set early, given that they internalise the social and cultural conventions of their surroundings.

The result of this delicate social balance is a culture where attempts at prohibition are opposed with fervour, despite alcohol misuse claiming lives at a greater rate than any illegal drug. In Russia for example, where alcoholism is an even greater problem than the rest of the world, researchers discovered that in a number of Siberian towns, alcohol accounted for 52% of all the deaths between 1990 and 2001. Russian males born in 2006 have a life expectancy of 60 years given the current level of alcohol proliferation. Increased alcohol consumption worldwide has claimed 3 million additional deaths since 1987. This is not accounting for the deaths attributed to drunk driving, domestic abuse or violent crimes attributed to alcohol.

by: John Text

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