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If alcohol came out today, it would be illegal. It kills more people than all drugs combined. It's terrible for you and 10% of drinkers account for 90% of all alcohol sales. I just wish I could stop.

I was just reading a thing about this the other day.

For decades, scientists told people that 1 to 2 drinks per day is better for your health than 0 drinks per day. They determined this by asking a ton of people how much they drank, and then asking about their health repeatedly over a long period of time. And they found what they called a J-curve. Basically when they plotted drinks per day vs health over time, people who had 0 drinks per day actually had slightly worse health outcomes than the 1-2 crowd.

So everybody agreed that light drinking was better than no drinking. This became guidance from governments, it got repeated on the news all the time, and it was a huge boon for the alcohol industry.

However, in recent years, scientists went back to take a closer look at this J-curve, and they noticed an obvious thing that wasn't accounted for initially: some people who don't drink have existing health conditions that prevent them from drinking. And some people that don't drink are in recovery: they'd spent decades being heavy drinkers and just didn't drink now. But damage had been done, and worse health outcomes were to be expected.

Once scientists started to correct for these cases, the J-curve disappeared. Not drinking at all was suddenly clearly the safest thing for longterm health outcomes. So that's been the new guidance coming down from agencies and health organizations.

That said, the difference in risk between 0 drinks per day and 2 drinks per day is significantly less than the difference between 2 drinks per day and 5 drinks per day. It's riskier than not drinking, but we do plenty of risky shit because it's fun or easy or convenient. See: driving, flying, eating fast food, etc. So, yes, a complete ascetic chasing immortality may not want to drink, but for most people occasional light drinking is an acceptable risk.

Edit: Autocorrect-induced typo

Weed is legal in more places than ever. People are aware of cycles of abuse and trauma, we don't want to keep repeating the sins of our alcoholic parents. And now recovery is out in the open like never before, regular folks and celebs both openly talking about their journeys.

There's a big class of folks like myself who don't do hard drugs, don't drink, but will use cannabis and hallucinogens, maybe dissociatives. This is pretty reflective of our times - we're disconnected, our journeys are isolated, our experiences tend to be isolated. So these drugs work well for that, without being destructive like drinking alone is.

I still enjoy drinking, but I’ve greatly reduced it over the last few months. I’ll drink on date night with my wife, or at a get together or event, but have stopped drinking at home. Just felt like doing it. Overall it does feel better to drink less, but the occasional drinking is still fun

IT'S FUCKING EXPENSIVE AND LETTUCE MAKES YOU SHIT TO DEATH NOW.

Why drink, make bad choices, and feel like shit the next day? I can just get fucked up on weed for a fraction of the price and stay well in control of myself while feeling fine the next day. Alcohol just kinda sucks.

My docs have all begrudgingly accepted that I value enjoying my life more than I value longevity. I'm sure it makes them sad. But I don't see this world / humanity suddenly growing a conscience during my time on this planet, so if I shorten my life a bit, I really don't care. If anything, people will likely get dumber and make me not care harder and faster.

I drank hard liquor pretty much daily for a few years up until I started having health problems. while at work one day I felt nauseous and delirious, and could only lay on the floor of the bathroom for a while in order to barely function the rest of the day. That day, valentines day 2024 I swore off the stuff for good.

From what I understand what i went through was just considered a long hangover or something, but it was the worst I'd felt in a long time and I didn't want to feel that way again.

Most beer tastes like garbage to me so it’s easy to not buy it.

By the time I quit alcohol, I was developing peripheral neuropathy and fatty liver from all the drinking. I ended up in urgent care after a particularly bad night. The intake staff treated me like shit because they didn't understand why someone would drink like that; I was taking up space that someone with an "actual" problem could've used. I was laid up in the hospital for three days having auditory hallucinations while I detoxed.

I was lucky enough to have enough time and space to introspect about how my life had gotten so fucked up. Turned out I was coping with massive amounts of unrealized trauma. I came out as queer, I transitioned, and I ditched my unhealthy "friends" and "family".

5+ years sober, my nerves are better and my liver is back to normal. I shed 40 pounds of alcohol weight. I finally have a healthy relationship with myself.

To anyone who's struggling... don't give up. You are capable of winning your fight.

I was shocked when I visited a moderately sized to maybe small US city and had a drink with a friend to find out the bill with tip was $45. No wonder Americans aren't drinking.

I like a drink (obviously, as mod of the cocktail community) but would not consider one or two a day moderate, everyday drinking is heavy drinking, or at least habitual drinking.

Two or three a week is the way I drink. Sometimes one or none, and I take a month off at least once a year, never want to get into a habit.

Next, Trump will lift all restrictions on alcohol advertising.

Product placements coming to Bluey.

From 1997 to 2023, at least 60% of Americans reported drinking alcohol. The figure fell to 62% in 2023 and to 58% in 2024, before reaching 54% today. Prior to the most recent poll, the rate has been under 60% fewer than 10 times, including 58% in the initial 1939 poll and a one-time low of 55% recorded in 1958.

"weird" that usatoday leaves all this important information out lol. "record lows" still means half the population are boozers and the number was never much higher.

Who can afford alcohol?

I'd be interested to see a breakdown of this trend by states where marijuana is legalized vs. where it isn't.

I don't drink booze, because it seems like an expensive habit. I don't got any friends nor go to bars, so it is likely going to be a miserable experience. Also, one of my parents was an absolute boozehound, and certainly not someone to be respected. So I avoid alcohol, because I don't know what kind of person I would be.

It is just disadvantages all around, with no upside for me.

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When it comes to American society at large, I suspect that capitalism is the root of why alcohol use is dropping. Third spaces are going extinct, budgets are tighter, time is limited, and work demands greater effort to make ends meet, and most people lose their childhood friendships as adults. The opportunity to enjoy booze is dying.

In my area, the alcohol at a bar club or restaurant is easily 5x the cost it was a decade ago.liquor stores are 2-3x. So cash strapped younger folks can't afford it.

Local older folks find most modern beer to have gone too far in alcohol content and added flavors that the beer drinking experience is no longer refreshing, good with food or summertime activities.

I'm betting the Gallup poll was focused on the health perception of drinking alcohol, and not the bigger picture of why consumption is lower .

Good. This is good.

I like wine with dinner, maybe a nice homemade cocktail on weekends. All this talk of prohibition makes me uneasy. Ban alcohol today, what will you ban tomorrow?