Effective arguments against alcohol will be scoped to why people use it. Saying it hurts health, makes some people prone to violence, and undermines productivi

Effective arguments against alcohol will be scoped to why people use it. Saying it hurts health, makes some people prone to violence, and undermines productivity misses the point. People drink alcohol despite the risks because it makes them feel good, around others especially but also alone. There are other categories of activity like this. Eating at restaurants is objectively bad for your health. Traveling is bad for your body, productivity, the environment. So? We consider them a core part of enjoying life. We like how they make us feel, despite the risks. You can argue that alcohol is a bigger risk and worse tradeoff. I agree. But I think what is most likely to persuade people are arguments that undermine the actual reason they drink. “Yes alcohol makes you feel good - but for a short time, and you feel worse for longer, and eventually get depressed.” Or “yes alcohol can bring you closer to friends - but habitual use can ruin your best relationships.” Alcohol is tempting because it has positives, especially short term ones. When I want to avoid it, I think of the other positives drinking will displace (exercise the next day, having an actually meaningful conversation with a friend, etc) Focusing purely on the risks and downsides is a mistake because human decisions always weigh the upside and downside and you cannot ignore the upside. Best approach is to convince people there is a bug in how they are weighing those (which is true!)