Shattering the Stigma of Addiction
and Dissolving the Brainwashing of a Booze-Soaked Society
In the era of alcohol, it’s crazy to imagine a 25-year-old, at the start of her career an ‘alcoholic’. That’s because everything we’ve come to believe about alcohol and addiction is a lie, and we ate it up.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) states that twenty-two is the mean age for alcohol dependence. Alcohol is the most widely used substance among Americans under twenty, a problem that is only increasing as the years go on. How old were you when you tried alcohol for the first time? What about when you first got drunk?
From the start of 2020, while stressed and isolated at home, heavy drinking among women increased 41%. Compared to years prior, liquor stores sold 54% more alcohol in late March. Some states even opted to loosen restrictions to expand alcohol delivery.
There is stigma looming over addiction, especially towards alcohol, and it needs to be addressed as Americans are drinking more than ever before; We are becoming a nation addicted.
The Disease Debate
The American Society of Addiction Medicine and the National Institute on Drug Abuse both agree that addiction is a disease, and its target organ is the brain.
When we drink alcohol, dopamine is released, and our frontal lobe — the part of our brains that is responsible for gathering information, processing memories, and making decisions — takes a big hit. This begins to disrupt the development of our brains, and when the frontal lob is damaged so is our ability to control impulses. After repeated use, the brain becomes flooded with dopamine from alcohol, it stops self-producing it; Therefore, when we are not drinking we experience distress and our brains begin to crave what produced this heavy rush of chemicals in the first place- the drink.
Drinking alcohol is like pouring gasoline on your anxiety. Those with existing mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression pose a higher risk of becoming addicted. When the brain stops producing dopamine and serotonin, they are more likely to reach for the bottle only ensuring problems worsen as alcohol is a known depressant.
Some believe that addiction is a choice because we choose to have that first drink, but after the subconscious chemical changes occur in our brain, the choice is essentially no longer an option.
The Blame-Game
Society often teaches us that it is the drinker who is at fault for becoming addicted. We set the blame on the victim, rather than the perpetrator; and as a side effect, we dissociate ourselves from addicts because we couldn’t dare become that. Every person who drinks has a chance at developing a dependence or addiction to alcohol.
We have thrown the terms “alcoholic” or “alcoholism” around for decades, as a way for us to draw an imaginary line that separates “problem drinkers” from “normal drinkers”. Because alcohol use is on a spectrum that at least 80% of the U.S. population falls on, there are only drinkers and non-drinkers. Imagine thinking, there are normal heroin users and problematic ones. There’s not! Any amount of drug use is still drug use.
Alcohol is a highly addictive substance. We are oblivious to think “It will only happen to some people. It is they who cannot control themselves.” Under the myth of moderation, we think we are safe until we realize we have little to no control over our consumption, and at that point, it may be too late.
People do not simply become addicted to a substance because they are weak-willed or degenerates. We have created a stigma around alcohol addiction because it is easier to bear than the truth that we were raised…
A Brainwashed Population
(Stay with me here, I realize this is a tough pill to swallow.)
We have been conditioned (subconsciously) from a young age to drink. Alcohol is made out to be some sort of elixir of life- a necessity at celebrations, a tool to help us relax after a long day, a perfect (or healthy) meal pairing, a shot of liquid courage, a cure to boredom. In reality, alcohol is none of these.
Alcohol is a drug, and a more dangerous drug than heroin might I add. However, when I tell unfamiliar faces I don’t drink, they turn their heads sideways, much like a confused puppy. I understand this look because not long ago, I was also deeply baffled by the thought of not drinking. Alcohol is the only drug you have to explain not using.
“I Drink to Have Fun”
There is a cooler, table, or full-bar at nearly every celebration — whether it be high school or college graduation parties, birthdays, weddings, or celebrations of life such as funerals — stocked with your favorite boozy beverages. This leads us to believe alcohol equals fun; or worse, that we can use alcohol to cope with sad feelings of loss, but mostly fun.
Dually, drinking is thought to be a way to relieve uncomfortable nervousness at social gatherings. We search for our little friend to hold on to while we engage in small talk, waiting for the effects to set in. This conditions us to believe that we need alcohol to socialize. However, what’s actually happening is your brain is getting hijacked by a rush of chemicals, and your inhibitions become lowered (also known as getting drunk); As this continues, you’re all out of fucks to give. Ever wake up the morning-after feeling regretful of the embarrassing things you said the night before?
Believe it or not, the beginning of an event is a little awkward for most everyone. Rest assured, as you become familiar with your company and surroundings, you will naturally start to ease up and have a good time… so long as you’re not desperate for a drink.
“I Drink to Relieve Stress”
You’ve likely heard people say they need a drink after a long day at work to relieve stress or wind down. I want to be perfectly clear about this: Alcohol does not relieve stress, it creates (and feeds) stress; This is why millions of people isolated in their homes drinking more is a problem to be terrified about. To be relaxed or stress-free is to be unbound from worry, annoyances, or tension whether physically or mentally.
How could alcohol magically solve the problems you’re plagued with? It doesn’t, it only puts a thin-blanket over them for the time being. When the drink wears off, your problems will still be there, eagerly waiting for you. Drinking after a long day at work is a thin line to walk because as you build a tolerance the effects of alcohol decrease and your desire increases. The scary truth, if you are a frequent drinker like I was, the relief you feel from a drink could be the alleviation of being in withdrawal.
“I Drink for the Taste”
Remember the first time you tried alcohol, whether it be wine, beer, or hard liquor? I do. I could fucking puke thinking about the blistering burn of the room-temp vodka I drank thinking it was a Screwdriver. Or the bitterly hoppy-aftertaste of my first beer. And the dried-out chalky sensation in my mouth after my first glass of red wine. Unless your first drink was Malibu or maybe Mike’s Hard Lemonade, you probably had the same experience. We go on to finish off the drink in our hands and maybe then some, convincing ourselves we could never become addicted to something so foul. Trap set.
Often, people would give me shit for drinking Angry Orchard, an overly-sweetened hard cider. But it was my favorite, so I could care less… Until I needed to mentally justify my drinking. No one in their right mind could drink liquid candied-apples if they didn’t have a problem, I thought. So I changed it up. My own conditioning kicked in and steadily, I moved on from drinking girly, sugary ciders to Indian Pale Ales (IPAs) the beer for cool, hipster dudes. A beverage with a significantly higher percentage of alcohol-by-volume allowing me to get just as drunk with fewer drinks. At the end of the day, that’s really all I cared about anyway.
Wine enthusiasts are highly guilty of sipping for the pleasurable taste, where knowing your wine trivia makes you a classy bitch. There is an entire culture around wine-drinking; Different glassware designed specifically for different types of wine, thought-out dinner selections to pair your food perfectly to your drink, and professional job titles like Sommelier — in which prospects are rigorously tested on wine using all five of their senses. However, in a taste test for oenology (wine science) students, the results came to show they could not differentiate a red wine from a white. Further, when they sampled a five-dollar wine from a bottle that was made to look expensive, they preferred it over the wine that actually came from the elegant packaging; Proving that it is not the taste that influences us, rather the expectation or experience.
“But What about Its Health Benefits?”
I’m sure we’ve all seen the articles being shared that “Drinking one glass of red wine per night is good for your heart”. The headline is serious click-bait, with the only information we take away from it being that red wine is good for you. However, resveratrol — an ingredient found in grapes that is most commonly used as medicine for high cholesterol, cancer, and heart disease — is the key component that we can credit with health benefits, not alcohol.
Alcohol, without additives, is ethanol — yup, the same shit we pump into our cars. Just a small amount of ethanol will kill us; Even after it’s extensively processed, smothered in sugar, and topped with your favorite garnish, we are still poisoning ourselves.
Alcohol is a known carcinogen, that increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer by 15% even for mild drinkers. It deadens our senses as we become accustomed to its pungent taste. Our livers — whose sole job is to neutralize toxins — are subjected to abuse whether we drink seldom or often. We manipulate our brains’ natural chemistry for the instant gratification of a heavy dopamine hit. Not to mention the more short-term risks such as; impaired coordination causing accidents; alcohol-fueled aggression such as suicide, homicide, sexual assault, or the Drunk Dad who abuses his wife and/or kids; and alcohol-poisoning or drunken accidents after a hazing-gone-wrong at plenty of college fraternity parties.
We Can Dismantle The Stigma… BOARD BY BOARD
Overcoming the stigmas of addiction will not be an easy feat, as we have been culturally conditioned to encourage drinking while simultaneously turning a blind eye to someone struggling.
When we deduce addiction down to lack of self-control and social standing, we cut off hope for the twenty-million Americans struggling. As a result of the alienation and discrimination against addicts, we have created a scenario where someone resists help because that means admitting they are broken; They are no longer a person who can partake in the fun everyone else seems to be having, they have convinced themselves they are alone in this fight.
With more teenagers and young adults vulnerable to drinking than their older, wiser peers harm reduction and proper education pertaining to substance use and addiction may be the first stone we lay on the foundation to recovering. I’m not talking about the bullshit “Say No” campaign that Nancy Reagan led in the 1980s; I mean factual, empathetic, and raw information about addiction. How our brain chemistry changes even upon our first try and continuing to engage in risky behavior is a slippery slope into the inevitable; I want to see alcohol advertised the way we now see cigarettes or nicotine vapes — a life-threatening indulgence that will lead you nowhere pleasant.
Between the influence of cultural-conditioning and our minds being our own worst enemy, becoming a victim to addiction can feel like the most isolating event. By my being open about my own struggles, I aim to start a conversation and shine a light on the darkest times of my life in hopes that someone may relate. We’ve likely all heard the cliche that talking about your shit, will help you deal with it.
As the epidemic of addiction rages on, slowly, we will watch our loved ones succumb to the power of the subconscious mind. Who will you be when your sister, brother, best friend, or parent needs you? Will you be their helping hand as they prepare to fight this battle, or will you roll your eyes thinking they are the ones who made the mess in the first place?
