Addiction - Alcohol a Socially Acceptable Drug

I think I have been addicted to some kind of substance since my early teens.

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It is an interesting observation that in various ways, most of us are addicted to something. Addiction can manifest in different forms and affect various aspects of our lives. While we often associate addiction with drugs or alcohol, it is important to recognize that addictions can extend beyond these substances, and include behaviours, activities, or even emotions. With addiction being so prevalent, it makes you wonder: Why are we so prone to it?

I think I have been addicted to some kind of substance since my early teens. Tobacco, alcohol, weed, cocaine, etc… Yes, I had my young wild and crazy time period. But I never saw myself as getting hooked. For many years I actually saw the typical addict kind of like how they are in the movies, losing everything around them, including work, family and friends and living in the streets, looking like shit. It helped me a little when I worked for 5 years as a Yoga teacher in a rehab centre for drug addicts. There I saw many different types of people, from all parts of life and class, dealing with their addictions. But even the staff, myself included, had some sort of addiction. The legal kind of course, like smoking or drinking, still an addiction though.

As I have currently decided to not drink alcohol, I see it much clearer. Before it was all blurry, naah I’m kidding. I’ve never been a big drinker, more a 2 glass of wine almost daily kind of girl. It’s the Mediterranean way, I have talked myself into believing, after living in Spain for 20 years. So stepping into a new territory for me, has been a little challenging. Luckily I’m super stubborn when I set my mind to something, and this feels important to do at the moment, after many, many years of having my daily wine.

I even went to AA-meetings for a month last year. I felt like I needed support and thought that maybe I was an alcoholic. But after hearing others in the meetings, I soon realized that that was not the case. My husband, sister and close ones said the same thing. I drink, but not to the extent that I am alcoholic, I just have an addictive mindset. The AA-program is also pretty rigid for my taste and could do with a fresh update, I think. But hey, it’s helping thousands of addicts, so I’m not knocking it. It just wasn’t for me.

This legal drug that we call alcohol, is socially accepted almost everywhere. Alcohol and socialising have gone hand in hand for hundreds of years. In modern day society alcohol consumption is accepted as part of celebrations, special occasions, romance or simply just to take the edge off a hard day’s work. The thought “‘cause I’m worth” it comes to mind.

When does social drinking turn troublesome?

Indicators that a person has transitioned from casual social drinking to a more worrisome pattern, emerge when alcohol intake escalates in frequency and quantity. These signs could be:

·         Drinking at home

·         Drinking on their own

·         Justifying reasons to drink

·         Drinking while on medication

·         Lying about drinking

·         Hiding alcohol

·         Deceiving others

Is it too socially acceptable?

Drinking has seamlessly integrated into social norms, as it's deemed acceptable within society. Unlike marijuana or cocaine, which carry more stigma, alcohol's legal status gives it an aura of being "okay." Surprisingly, it outranks even heroin, crack, and meth in terms of harm. Nonetheless, it remains normalized due to its omnipresence in various aspects of our lives. From parties and celebrations to sporting events and social gatherings, alcohol tends to play a role in many of our chosen engagements.

The media tells us that alcohol is fun and should be used to help us relax. And we have all had the peer pressure to drink, like ‘go on, one more won’t hurt’ or ‘just have one more for the road’. But why do social gatherings have to involve alcohol at all? Is it because we can’t be ourselves without a drink? Is it due to the fact we are labelled as boring if we remain sober?

I’m in the process of figuring out and contemplating this. Social acceptance of alcohol is deeply ingrained within me, including my programming from childhood. It appears that nowadays life revolves around alcohol to be able to feel part of any social occasion. It’s just the done thing, so deeply ingrained in fact that if we don’t drink, then we stand out like a sore thumb, and sometimes even become labelled in some form.

Things are changing though, numbers suggest that the proportion of 16 – 24 year olds who say that they never drink alcohol, have been rising lately. Binge drinking rates are also falling. ‘Sober’ even appears to becoming the new cool. Is it that drinking to excess is becoming less acceptable, or is remaining sober becoming more acceptable? Either way, it would appear that the younger generation of today are drinking less and that is great news.

How long?

I’m not sure for how long I will not drink. I will give myself a couple of months to see how I feel. Honestly, it’s kind of boring at times, but my mind is clearer and my patience is better. So something good is going on.

Your Turn

So why is alcohol such a socially acceptable drug? What are your thoughts? I would love to hear a piece of your mind.

Until next week. Stay curious and grateful.

Much love,

Kim