Alcohol - who really needs it?

I've always been a drinker - and it's never been a problem, either socially, or to my own sense of right vs wrong.

Going through school, I drank.

When I joined the Army, I drank (lots!).

Now that I own a business, I drink (daily).

But this all stopped a few days ago, as I joined my business up to a fundraising event called Dry in July, which helps sufferers of Cancer.

This isn't a plug, but you can check out the cause here - Dry in July

I've been shocked by the replies from people - most are saying, "Wow, I couldn't go a month without a drink!".

Which got me thinking ... and then realizing, with much horror, that I probably haven't gone more than a few days, over the last decade, without a drink in hand.

And most people, if they are brutally honest, will probably come to the same realization; alcohol is most peoples constant companions. Alcohol is there through the good, and the bad times ... but what is alcohol really doing for us? And do we really need it?

So, I've done some very basic research, into the negative effects of alcohol in Australia;

Alcohol misuse costs the Australian community 15.3 billion dollars each year when factors such as crime and violence, treatment costs, loss of productivity and premature death were taken into account [1]

51% of alcohol consumed is drunk at levels that pose a risk of short-term harm [2]

Over 3 000 Australians die each year as a result of harmful drinking [3]

Over 450 000 children (13.2%) live in households where they are at risk of exposure to binge drinking by at least one adult [4]



The Australian Bureau of Statistics Alcohol Consumption in Australia: A Snapshot, 2004-05 reports that:

One in eight adults (approximately 2 million people) drink at risky/high risk levels.
The proportion of people drinking at risky/high risk levels has increased from 8.2% in 1995 to 13.4% in 2004-05.
15% of adult males and 12% of adult females drink at risky/high risk levels.
The increase in those drinking at risky/high risk levels since 1995 has been greater for women than men. From the three National Health Surveys since 1995, the proportion of females who drank at risky/high risk levels increased from 6.2% to 11.7%, while for males the increase was from 10.3% to 15.2%, after adjusting for age differences.
25% of those aged 14-19 years drank alcohol on a daily or weekly basis in the last 12 months.

Pretty intense stuff - and pretty damning evidence that alcohol has a staggering negative impact on our society.

And yet, we all drink!

I was curious to hear what others thoughts were?

To me, it appears as though most people are self-medicating at the end of the day, without really realising.

If you ask me, its the Opiate of the masses...

Keeps you dumb and uninterested...

Might as well drink all the fluoride you can, and take every single vaccine also...

Drink up on your Victory Gin(1984 reference for those who dont know what I mean)

I quit drinking about two weeks ago and it has been a tough battle, although I'm only in my 20's, I've been drinking since 13 yrs old. What started out as a way to have fun socially, turned into the only way i would socialize. After having relationships with women I wish I hadn't I realized i did it PURLEY due to being drunk ... This had to change. I quit and have since started meditating more, and I'm attracting more interesting women.A drink here and there isnt bad, if you can control it. I personally can't, so i'm choosing sobriety for awhile.

Good luck on staying sober for a bit, just remember, each day adds up... so if you can go one day without drinking, a month can't be hard either.

Originally posted by morder1
If you ask me, its the Opiate of the masses...

Keeps you dumb and uninterested...

Might as well drink all the fluoride you can, and take every single vaccine also...

Drink up on your Victory Gin(1984 reference for those who dont know what I mean)

Do you drink?

Beer tastes good, and makes you feel good, that's why I drink it. I don't like to get blacked out chunk blowing drunk, which is why I usually stay away from liquor, but for me beer is a great way to chill and wind down from a hard day's work.

reply to post by ExCommando


Nope sure dont... maybe once a year... ive never drank enough to black out either... I dont find any enjoyment in it, and drunk people really piss me off too...

My buddy always said alcohol was what they used to give to slaves to keep them down... sure enough I looked up "Alcohol and Slavery"

Intoxication of slaves however was promoted during harvest and holidays by the provision of large quantities of cheap, concentrated alcohol and via the sponsorship of drinking contests. When a slave was drunk, the slaveholder had no fear that he would plan an insurrection; no fear that he would escape to the north. It was the sober, thinking slave who was dangerous. During this time there are only rare accounts of slaves being treated for alcoholism.

Originally posted by OMsk3ptic
Beer tastes good, and makes you feel good, that's why I drink it. I don't like to get blacked out chunk blowing drunk, which is why I usually stay away from liquor, but for me beer is a great way to chill and wind down from a hard day's work.

Definitely the way I've been looking at it - and it's always been what I've used to "relax" after a hard (14 hour day) at the office (dealing with extremely high stress / high level transactions).

But now that I'm not drinking to relax, I'm finding that I don't need to drink to relax. It's almost as if the action of drinking was a trigger to start relaxing.

Do we need it? No, but it does help one relax. I only drink once every couple of months myself. Alcohol is sometimes used as a crutch in exceptionally bad times or as a way to loosen up. Either way, I don't view it as really bad because people need this once in a while. It's when it's done in excess that it becomes a problem.

reply to post by morder1


That's brilliant - thank you for sharing that link.

Alcohol is a very dangerous substance to consume on a regular basis, just like cigarettes, they both cause death or help aide you to death, but it is also apart of a huge stream of money to the corp. world and most of the public have no idea what really is inside of that pretty bottle of Maker's Mark.

It's one of the reasons I don't drink much. The main reason though is because I have always had a very high tolerance to alcohol, sadly I can drink all night and it doesn't do anything for me, my family is the same way but I am extremely tolerant.

Don't get me wrong I drink about 1-3x's a month, but I don't really do anything else,[snip]
So why pound shot after shot just to get to a desired level and awake feeling like crap when all I have to do is puff puff pass?

I've heard that red wine is actually good for you. So drinking alcohol is not bad when you use it wisely

I find It odd that one of the most harmful substances in society is by far the most legal and socially acceptable while other much less harmless are vilified.

Seems like a conspiracy

Nah... Couldn't be.

interesting post..alcohol the most commonly used depressant ever known to mankind..luckily for me i have been near death because of alcohol a few times and then i finally realized alcohol was just another excuse for stupidity, loss of morals, harm to internal organs and sometimes the outer body parts..

this is all of course in my own experience of only binge drinking..but that is the only way i learned how to drink from studying my father growing up

thank you for the post starNflag

I personally believe alcohol is the worst drug available or equal to Prescription drugs. I have known and I currently know a fair number of alcoholics. I dont blame anyone for falling into the trap but I pray that anyone who wants free can find it. Medatation is a great tool to help destroy the cravings. I recently got off what I think is just as bad and that is precription pills by the handful. Doctors love to pass them out but they dont tell you how your life will spiral out of control. The great man made drug commercials show life as being happy while popping the poison. Life was far from happy but with changing my diet, using natural herbs and vitamins and meditation, I am starting to feel normal for the first time in a decade.

Whatever you guys do please dont rush it. Most fall off the wagon if they rush the sobority or at least the ones I know. Try a slow taper if the problem is too hard to handle. Cold Turkey can kill someone suffering from alcoholism.

Peace to all.

Originally posted by starwarsisreal
I've heard that red wine is actually good for you. So drinking alcohol is not bad when you use it wisely

There are two sides to this coin;


On one hand, a glass of red has potentially heart healthy, and possibly anti-cancer, chemicals called polyphenols.

Like any alcohol, it also contains ethanol which, in low doses, may also be heart-friendly because it helps keep blood vessels relaxed. But – and here's the bad news – ethanol also promotes some cancers.

Read more: www.smh.com.au...

reply to post by VitalAnnunaki


Thanks for your post - binge drinking is one of the fastest growing trends in Australia at the moment (at the hands of women), and it's shocking to see how much damage it can do.

Alcohol is deadly...

...and yet I don't have the self control to not have a drink when I'm out at a club.
And I know there is totally something wrong with that.

I actually just got back from one of those themed dance parties at a Boston club and was dealing with this very issue tonight... I was sick the past three weeks with a viral infection which turned into tonsillitis and then the antibiotics gave me tendonitis in my ribcage and my shoulder.
It's only been a few days that I've been feeling better and before I arrived at the club I thought, "I shouldn't really drink tonight.... since I'm just getting over a sickness."
But of course, when I got there... I went to the bar, first thing. Maybe it's a peer pressure thing: everyone had a drink in their hand, so why not me?
Or maybe it's an anxiety thing: I have to loosen up in order to dance, so why not have a drink or two?

Perhaps it's a little of both.

Either way, no one really needs alcohol. It's rather interesting how it is so ingrained in our society, despite how deadly it is.

Even though I know how bad alcohol is for me, I'll still have a drink or two when I'm out with people. And maybe my lack of self control is the fundamental problem (but then again, I don't consider having one or two drinks to be extreme).


And now I'm rambling...

Originally posted by Buford2
I personally believe alcohol is the worst drug available or equal to Prescription drugs.

You're talking legal drugs, right? Because alcohol is nowhere near as bad as meth or heroine or drugs of that ilk.

Originally posted by xFloggingMaryx
Alcohol is deadly...

...and yet I don't have the self control to not have a drink when I'm out at a club.
And I know there is totally something wrong with that.

I actually just got back from one of those themed dance parties at a Boston club and was dealing with this very issue tonight... I was sick the past three weeks with a viral infection which turned into tonsillitis and then the antibiotics gave me tendonitis in my ribcage and my shoulder.
It's only been a few days that I've been feeling better and before I arrived at the club I thought, "I shouldn't really drink tonight.... since I'm just getting over a sickness."
But of course, when I got there... I went to the bar, first thing. Maybe it's a peer pressure thing: everyone had a drink in their hand, so why not me?
Or maybe it's an anxiety thing: I have to loosen up in order to dance, so why not have a drink or two?

Perhaps it's a little of both.

Either way, no one really needs alcohol. It's rather interesting how it is so ingrained in our society, despite how deadly it is.

Even though I know how bad alcohol is for me, I'll still have a drink or two when I'm out with people. And maybe my lack of self control is the fundamental problem (but then again, I don't consider having one or two drinks to be extreme).


And now I'm rambling...

Hey, thanks for your post.

I'm in the same boat as you - I've always drunk, and it's always been either in social situations (which for me is every single day), or at home relaxing.

I guess researching the ramifications of drinking what is, in effect, a toxin, over a long period of time, has made me wake up and question things.

Do we really need alcohol to loosen up and relax at a club? If so, what is this saying about ourselves, that we need the numbing effect of alcohol to be able to relax?

It concerns me that we never really question the way we interact with alcohol

the issue here boils down to, as with every other substance or drug(legal or not) know to man, that everything consumed in excess is harmfull.

there are studies showing the benefit of a daily glass of red wine, or beer.

the problem here is that we as a society always been provided with enough alcohol to be able to abuse it, and let's also say it's a cash cow.

so it's not about the substance itself, just the way it's presented to us, and the way we use it.