The way drugs like alcohol are viewed, used, and consumed says a lot about the state of a society. When we look at our current cultures around the world, it is obvious to see that alcohol continues to play a major role in the lives of people. This drug is generously promoted through seductive advertisements, used by everyone from the poor to the rich, and abused by many people every single day.
It is regularly relied on by the overworked employee, the heartbroken lover, the rebellious teen, and the disempowered human being as an intoxicating agent. People in our society use it for many purposes, including drowning their sorrows, shutting off their minds, numbing their emotions, relaxing their bodies, or seeking a feel-good state that makes them forget the reality of their lives. It has been used as a tool for celebration, control, and manipulation. It has been excused and defended by many as a simple, innocent pleasure despite the serious consequences associated with its use.
But what does all this really say about our society’s level of evolution? When we bluntly know that alcohol is a toxic, dangerous, and destructive substance, why are its devastating consequences so frequently glossed over and so rarely addressed?
The answers to these questions can be easily found by following the money trail. If alcohol were not as profitable as it is, we would be hearing a completely different message about it. But as things stand, we live in a deeply selfish and immature society that prioritizes greed and short-term gain over long-term well-being and the common good.
The alcohol industry has deep pockets for marketing and advertising, so it can afford to make itself appear attractive and desirable at any cost. And it isn’t just the alcohol industry that benefits from people drinking, but so many other industries that profit from people’s pain, suffering, numbness, and emptiness, like the pharmaceutical industry, the entertainment industry, etc. Hence, the act of consuming alcohol has become so normalized and depended on that most people won’t speak out about the very thing that is hurting them because they cannot imagine their lives without it. This is an extension of the Stockholm Syndrome where the abused protects and stays loyal to the abuser.
Tragically, as long as we continue to rely on and seek external sources to distort our state of being, we fail to become whole and grasp our immense human potential within. We are basically undermining our true nature, cutting ourselves short, and denying ourselves the fullest expression of our freedom. People think that they should be “free to drink” whatever and whenever they want. But being hooked on, addicted to, or unable to function without a particular substance indicates the opposite of freedom – it indicates a form of slavery. Our bodies follow the state of our mind, and when our mind is a slave to an idea or a substance, we relinquish our freedom to act from the highest, most conscious state of our being.
One clear sign of a mature and more evolved society is where its inhabitants are aware of their true nature, take responsibility for their lives, and protect their well-being from toxic substances. In such states of being, people can consciously create their lives through the thoughts, words, and actions they choose. This is still too much for many people in our society to accept or apply. Therefore, articles like this will not yet be popular with the mainstream. When we grasp the power of our mind and begin to use it to its fullest potential, we start to live life from the most powerful foundation. At this stage, we no longer see the inclusion of mind-altering substances like alcohol as a logical or desirable part of our lives.
Whatever your personal feelings are about alcohol at this point, this topic is part of a personal journey for each person — a journey that takes each one of us to the deepest core of our being. Along this journey, any support or resources you may need are available and abundant in many forms today. One such resource can be this article, the intention of which is to inform and educate readers about alcohol, to strengthen your resolve if you do not consume any alcohol, and to inspire you to reconsider its inclusion in your life if you do. In fact, many people are unaware that they are far from alone in choosing to remove alcohol from their lives completely. According to worldwide data from the WHO, around 50% of people worldwide never drink alcohol. That accounts for half of all the people on Earth! So contrary to popular belief, especially in countries like the US and Canada, no, not “everybody” drinks. Many people already know and recognize all that is covered in this article, and do not wish to participate in consuming the toxic and destructive substance that alcohol is.
12. Alcohol Is A Drug
It may be lovely to see the fancy commercials of sexy people lounging around and enjoying alcohol as if it were some harmless delicacy from which a “good time” is derived, but the hard truth not delivered is that alcohol is a drug, and to add to that, it is a toxic substance. It depresses the central nervous system, like barbiturates, sedatives, and anesthetics. There is no way around denying that. The definition of a drug is any substance that alters normal bodily function, and of course, this does not always need to be negative. However, when it alters your brain function, as well as your entire central nervous system, and comes with toxic effects for your entire body, the picture takes on a clear perspective that, in this case, it very much is negative in nature.
Our society, of course, does a wonderful job at masquerading it as the substance of choice for our parties, barbecues, romantic encounters, holidays, milestones, and other personal and professional moments. It is just a “beverage,” a “drink,” it is claimed, and comes in almost whatever flavor and color you are in the mood for. It is unfortunate that we don’t stop and ask what happened to us as a human race that we cannot have a good time or process life’s diverse moments without a mind-numbing substance, but that is a whole other topic. The point is that even though we continue to deceive ourselves with fancy martini glasses, catchy drink names, or colors, the truth in plain sight is the most inconvenient one to see. Alcohol is a drug with serious physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual side effects.
11. Alcohol is Addictive
Similar to the fact that alcohol is a toxic drug, is the fact that it is addictive. Sure, most people will claim that “they” are not addicted to it by only drinking it sometimes or “moderately”, as most think that one has to be a full-blown alcoholic to be an addict. However, if you feel an urge to keep going back for more, or feel like you “need a drink”, the sad truth is that you are addicted. For many people, coming home at the end of a workday requires a drink. For others, being in the company of other people is unthinkable without consuming alcohol. The examples are many, the conclusion is always the same. Alcohol’s addictive properties permeate far and wide. The regular consumption of this drug has ruined people’s health, finances, relationships, families, quality of life, and, above all, personal potential and sense of self.
10. Alcohol is a Waste of Money
We regularly hear about the financial struggles of everyday people, challenges of the economy, how many people are out of work, and how prices and our expenses keep rising. We are all looking for ways to save money. And when it comes to alcohol, this should be one of the first things to be removed from our expenditures if we want to save money and improve our financial stability. It brings no value to our health or happiness; on the contrary, it causes more costly problems. From health to relationship problems, the actual cost of an alcohol drink is just the tip of the iceberg. It also never ceases to amaze me how many people will claim they cannot afford to eat in a healthier manner, or buy more produce, or buy organic food, yet have no problem putting money towards a toxic substance week after week. So when it comes to spending money on alcohol, we really need to get our priorities straight so that what we say we want matches the actions we take.
It also goes without saying that many people defend needing alcohol as a way of “coping” with hard times. It is precisely because of poverty or financial struggles that they say they drink. However, it does not take much to see the destructive cycle that this sets up. One has to be willing to help themselves in different ways and break this sabotaging pattern. The field of self-help, online and offline, offers an infinite number of free resources to help us with whatever issues we may be facing. There are community programs, church programs, and social support we can tap into, but only if we are willing to help ourselves. We can continue to apply band-aid approaches, pretending the wounds don’t exist, or we can start to address the real issues in our lives to experience true happiness, joy, purpose, and meaning along the way. It simply takes us being really honest, having some courage, and taking responsibility for our lives. Everything we have in our lives is created by us, whether we are conscious of that or not, and this is a tough pill to swallow for many people, which forces them to resort to alcohol or even other drugs.
9. Alcohol Causes Weight Gain
While this is not the case for all people, most will experience some weight gain from alcohol consumption due to the heavy load of unnecessary extra calories. Did you know that alcohol provides 7 calories per gram and that those are completely toxic calories? The only thing higher is fat, at 9 calories per gram, while carbohydrates and proteins provide only 4 calories per gram. So going on a “diet” while consuming alcohol is counterproductive, to say the least. Likewise, excess weight is directly correlated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, strokes, cancer, and other inflammatory diseases. Everything is connected, and none of our actions comes without numerous consequences.
To add to that, the consumption of alcohol causes you to burn fat more slowly than usual, which results not just in extra weight but also often in the infamous “beer belly”. Researchers have also found that people who binge drink, that is, have 4-5 drinks in a row, such as is the norm at many social gatherings, are more likely to develop a beer belly than those whose alcohol consumption is low or spread out. Excess weight, especially in the abdominal region where it accumulates visceral fat, even if it is only a few extra pounds, causes various levels of stress and strain to your body that lead to numerous acute and chronic diseases.
8. Alcohol Sets a Poor Example for Others
One of the most common factors that continues to be overlooked time and time again is how the popularity of alcohol is portrayed and spread to others. This is an especially critical fact for parents, who hope that their kids don’t drink or abuse alcohol. Yet, it is common knowledge that kids who come from households where there is no use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs are much less likely to engage in these themselves. The opposite side of that coin is also true; kids who grow up with parents who they see consuming alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs are more likely to engage in these substances themselves, continuing vicious family cycles.
When it comes to parents, some try to defend their habits by saying that they are teaching their children “how” to drink responsibly by drinking themselves. However, the truth of the matter is that there is a very small grey area of what is responsible when it comes to the consumption of alcohol, and in the end, it is an oxymoron to consider that any alcohol consumption is “responsible”. If your kids see you needing a drink to celebrate, unwind, or for any other reason, it sends a clear message to them about what is normal and acceptable behavior. Secondly, more often than not, parents underestimate how quickly children as young as 2 years old imprint on their habits that they will take with them for life. And as they grow up, if there is one thing that children are ultra-sensitive to, it is hypocrisy and double standards that parents illustrate to them through their unhealthy habits. If you don’t want your kids to drink, start by setting the example yourself.
If we want to help our families, our community, and society as a whole become healthier, safer, and more cohesive, we must stop being followers and start being leaders. Contrary to the belief held by many, it is realistic for people to never drink, whether in their teens or as adults. So be the change you wish to see and step up to the plate, setting a positive example for other adults, teens, and kids alike everywhere.
Alcohol ruins one physically, morally, intellectually, and economically. Alcohol makes a man forget himself; and while its effects last, he becomes utterly incapable of doing anything useful.
Mahatma Gandhi
7. Alcohol Eats Away Your Muscles
The negative impacts of alcohol on our muscular health are a fact that many who consume alcohol do not realize. The biochemistry of how and why this happens is multi-fold. Maintaining a healthy muscle mass is important for overall health and reducing the risk of disease. It is not just something important for bodybuilders. A healthy amount of muscle mass helps maintain other aspects of our health, such as proper hormone levels, fat stores, and bone mass.
And of course, if personal training is of prime importance to you, this alone should be motivating enough to keep alcohol out of your life. It is unfortunate that many go to the gym for hours, only to have the effects diminished by then drinking for hours. Also, the more muscle we lose, the more fat we gain, and so this vicious cycle perpetuates a downward spiral where alcohol and our health are concerned. Finally, the loss of muscle mass is tied to a decrease in testosterone, which perpetuates the destructive health cycle. For men specifically, this can greatly impact their overall health, leading to anything from increased hair loss to a decreased sex drive.
6. Alcohol Depletes Your Nutrients
To this day, many people believe that alcohol is “natural” and healthy in moderation. Yet when we dissect the details, we come to understand that there are no benefits from alcohol that we cannot get in other, harm-free ways. For example, people who drink wine convince themselves they are doing it for the benefits of resveratrol. However, this is completely counterintuitive. You cannot be seeking health and wanting something healthy from a substance that your body considers a toxin and has to detoxify, when the original source – the red grapes, are much richer in it, without any of the harmful side effects.
Secondly, most people who consume alcohol do not realize how much alcohol depletes valuable vitamin and mineral reserves. In fact, heavy or regular consumption of alcohol can make us deficient in various nutrients. It depletes the body of many essential nutrients, namely all the B vitamins, like B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, and folic acid, which are all required for proper brain health and nervous system function. It also depletes vitamins C and K, as well as zinc, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Such losses over time can lead to mood disruptions, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues, as well as neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Multiple Sclerosis. Therefore, anyone who drinks alcohol on a regular basis should pay even more attention to the quality of their diet, ensuring a rich, nutrient-dense intake daily. The irony is that most who drink alcohol pay even less attention to their diet, with heavy drinkers often having some of the worst diets.
5. Alcohol is the Number One Gateway Drug to Further Drug Abuse
A lot of health and wellness research points to the fact that alcohol is a gateway drug. This means that it is the starting point that leads to further or other drug use and abuse. This again goes back to some of the previous points where we tie in alcohol’s addictive qualities and the examples set by society promoting this substance readily for social functions of all kinds. For many people, alcohol use is just the tip of the iceberg, which opens a path to other mind and body-altering substances.
In 2010, a study published in the Lancet journal found that alcohol was the most harmful drug overall61462-6/fulltext). A 2012 study published in the Journal of School Health that studied high school students found that alcohol represented the “gateway” drug, leading to the use of tobacco, marijuana, and other illicit substances. Numerous other studies have pointed to a similar conclusion, showing that we have more than enough proof to take education about alcohol seriously, not just in school and drug programs, but in society as a whole.
Overall, alcohol is the most harmful drug because it’s so widely used.
David Nutt, Professor
4. Alcohol Puts Stress On Your Organs – Every Time
Chronic alcohol use not only displaces calories from needed nutrients but also interferes with the body’s metabolism of nutrients and leads to organ damage. The brain, liver, heart, pancreas, lungs, kidneys, and every other organ and tissue system are impacted by alcohol within minutes after it passes into the bloodstream. Here are some main consequences of alcohol consumption on two of the organs most affected:
Brain – The brain is the organ that is most affected by alcohol. Three noticeable effects of alcohol injury to the brain include memory loss, confusion, and augmentation. Many incorrectly believe that alcohol is a stimulant; however, it is a depressant in nature and not only interferes with proper organ function, but also interferes with our mental and emotional states. Normally, those who drink during times of depression end up spiraling into ever deeper negative states of being. To add to this, alcohol is neurotoxic, meaning that it kills brain cells.
Liver – Whether you are drinking hard liquors or fancy wines, your liver needs to detoxify the alcohol every single time, regardless of the dose. Sure, it has an easier time handling small amounts, dispersed over time, but the unnecessary stress to detoxify is still there. And while a bit of alcohol here and there may seem like no big deal where your liver is concerned, today it is more of an issue than ever before, as our liver has to detoxify chemicals constantly from our water, air, food, personal care products, and other sources found in our modern polluted environments.
For a detailed understanding, one needs to read further about how the body metabolizes alcohol and its damaging effects. Regular, prolonged, or heavy ingestion of alcohol has been linked with an increased risk of cancer, especially of the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, larynx, stomach, colon, rectum, liver, female breast, and ovaries.
3. Alcohol Directly Interferes With Appetite Control in Your Brain
As if it wasn’t bad enough that alcohol comes with an abundant amount of calories, researchers have engaged in studying why people who drink also seem to eat more. With average drinks containing 200 to 300 calories per serving, one would think our appetite would go down, not up. However, the opposite appears to be true.
In a 2003 study published in the Journal of Physiology & Behavior, researchers found that alcohol appears to stimulate appetite, in part by elevating levels of subjective hunger. Meals appear tastier and more appetizing when alcohol is involved, and people also get hungrier more after drinking alcohol. Part of the reason for the increase in appetite is that alcohol directly affects the brain’s processing of hunger signals, interfering with this process. Research has also found that alcohol and fatty foods share the same brain chemical trigger, thereby increasing their association. The resulting scenario increases our risk for weight gain and all chronic diseases.
2. Alcohol is Destructive To Your Self, Community, and Society
Alcohol consumption causes harm far beyond the physical and psychological health of the drinker. It also causes harm to the well-being and health of others. In 2010, British Prof. David Nutt, the one-time chief drugs adviser to the government, co-authored a report that said alcohol use and abuse in England was more harmful than crack or heroin, when the overall damage they all cause to society is measured. From automobile accidents and suicides to violent behavior and destruction of the human potential, the effects of choosing to purchase, consume, and support the use of alcohol run far and wide.
Many organizations, including the alcohol producers and retailers themselves in our society, are involved in education about responsible alcohol consumption. However, to buy into this initiative, you have to believe that the concepts of “alcohol” and “responsible” go hand in hand. This is difficult to justify when you consider the destructive, toxic, and negative consequences of alcohol on our individual and collective health, and that of our societies. This does not mean that people are unable to drink “responsibly”. Not at all. Many adults and even teens worldwide are responsible enough to call it quits after a small alcohol intake and consume alcohol infrequently. While this does not protect them from alcohol’s toxic effects, it tends to protect others from their harmful behaviors that would be associated with heavier or regular alcohol use. The biggest issue is that when examined from all angles, alcohol is destructive to the individual, their families, the community, and society as a whole. This negates the concept of alcohol consumption being “responsible” in any form or amount. Moderation doesn’t cut it here either for numerous reasons, as explained throughout this article. This brings us back to the initial point about our society being ready for its next evolutionary step, where we start to create our lives from a high degree of conscious awareness and personal accountability, rather than continuing to rely on substances that numb and destroy our potential.
1. Alcohol Distorts Your Perception Of Reality
The very reason that most people choose to drink should be the number one reason that we choose not to drink. It is no surprise that many people on Earth are not happy and, at one time or another, wish to remove themselves from the reality we share collectively and from the one they have created for themselves. Alcohol allows people to experience that numb and detached state, which diminishes the inner emotional pain or turmoil most people feel. It allows one to release oneself from who they are or have become, to feel the sensation of being someone different, to forget, to relax, and to distort what is. What we do not realize, however, is that we keep hurting and harming ourselves more through this process, as we are not dealing with the root issues. Instead, we are placing band-aid after band-aid on the same unhealed wounds we refuse to acknowledge and address.
If we want a real solution, we have to understand how and why we get ourselves into the predicaments we do in the first place. These always come down to a lack of conscious awareness, personal control, and discipline, as well as personal and family traumas. Alcohol, unfortunately, further degrades our conscious awareness, digging us deeper into our own problem holes. The issue lies in the fact that, as a human race, we create our lives unconsciously 99% of the time through chance, conditioned programming, and default behaviors. Sometimes things work out, and sometimes they don’t. And until we understand the process of conscious life creation, we will continue to place blame outside of ourselves and feel like victims. If and when we finally wake up to understanding how we create our reality, we will no longer need to resort to drugs and drug-like substances to give us a break from the reality we have created unknowingly.
Along with destroying our perception of reality, alcohol also affects those portions of the brain that control judgment. So being stimulated by alcohol actually translates into suppression of self-control. This is another way that alcohol distorts our perception of reality and can get us into all sorts of trouble, from minor to major problems. However, at the end of the day, IF we have the courage to take an honest look in the mirror, no excuse is good enough to justify poisoning our body and mind in any amount, while numbing our conscious awareness and destroying our infinite potential.
Taking drugs, gambling and alcohol is lack of inner realization of our inner potential – inner value.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Conclusion
As always, you get to decide what role, if any, alcohol plays in your life. If you want to improve your life, your happiness, your mental health, and your wellbeing, you cannot rely on something that does the very opposite. Whether it is your physical, mental, emotional, social, or spiritual health, the truth that many people don’t want to hear is that alcohol is a neurotoxin, depressant, and carcinogen, which alters our state of being, consciousness, and sense of reality, via every dose. The good news is that more people are increasingly choosing to call it quits and abstain from this substance entirely. And when we release one of the biggest myths about alcohol - that some alcohol is healthy for us - it makes giving up this toxic substance common sense.
And so I invite you to free yourself from the spell of this addictive and harmful substance. Stop seeking happiness outside yourself and take steps to find it within. Stop being a slave to an external substance that is destroying your mental capabilities and your creative potential. Listen to your inner being more and work on healing your emotions. Start being proactive about your life. Do your best to create what you want to experience, and learn to deal with loss and disappointment in healthy, constructive ways, rather than continuing to rely on toxic, numbing mechanisms whenever things don’t go the way you wish. The nature of life includes suffering; we cannot escape it. The key is to learn how to deal with all the ups and downs of life in a mature, healthy, and constructive way. Learn to become the best version of yourself that you can be for yourself and all those in your life and our world without any chemical intervention.