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> you have defective genetics (are an alcoholic) if you decide to stop drinking Is it a commonly held belief that alcoholics are genetically inferior to non-al

• mnm1 6y ago
  I think it's likely genetic (though I'm no expert in the biology), however addiction is not a flaw. It's a dominant trait for a reason. Addiction helps people achieve amazing goals when directed at the right problem. The problem is when it gets directed towards negative things like alcohol, some drugs, or other destructive addictions (like hn or reddit ... partially joking). When directed at exercise, learning, building, writing, creating, or other positive passions, it can help addicts achieve what most non-addicts can't even fathom. It needs to be balanced though, which is sometimes the most difficult part, if it's even possible. Applying addiction to work can be beneficial, but overdoing it (which is always the struggle) leads to workaholism. Even drugs and alcohol work the same way. A little can be amazing. A lot can lead to rehab or death. Or videogames. Programming. Technology. Music. Anything. Addictive behaviors can lead to a lot of good or a lot of bad. Great artists, musicians, programmers, designers, etc. Or living on the streets drinking, shooting up, or smoking crack/meth. Two sides of the same coin. It can be a thin line. It depends on the individual, their mentality, the support around them, and many other factors. Only one thing's for sure. It's not a genetic flaw.
• ilaksh 6y ago
  Well actually, after you say that, I realize there is a more basic concept here. The basic concept is that when alcohol causes problems for people, the culture blames the person and assumes they are an outlier and have something wrong with them (they are addicted, or "can't handle their alcohol"). This is false, because alcohol has detrimental effects for everyone. Because acknowledging that alcohol can be generally problematic or sometimes dangerous for the population overall might lead to people's fun being curtailed. So anytime things get out of hand, which is every single weekend, that person who had the problem with alcohol is labelled an alcoholic, rather than acknowledging that the alcohol actually caused everyone some problem (for example, a hangover) and that particular person just had it worse than other people. Personally, I think that there are simple ways to apply technology to help limit excessive intoxication, especially in places like bars. Count the number of drinks with an app or something. Its too easy and too common for individuals and groups to become excessively intoxicated which is damaging to their health and dangerous in terms of vehicle operation etc. So the level of alcohol consumption needs to be monitored and taken much more seriously, rather than just blaming the victim in any case where an impaired person or group makes the wrong decision to have another drink. I think this BS about people being broken if they can't "handle their liquor" actually helps perpetuate alcohol problems because people actually try to "prove" that they can "handle it". And it goes along with a culture that over-emphasizes how much enjoyment people have from alcohol.