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I think the author has made a number of errors in there post and seems to gloss over the numerous social problems that arise from alcohol consumption. Th reason
by cup 12y ago
I think the author has made a number of errors in there post and seems to gloss over the numerous social problems that arise from alcohol consumption. Th reason Alcohol is consumed by a significant portion of the population is because its a drug that society doesn't perceive as a drug. It carries all the negative physiological and social effects other drugs have but it doesn't carry the negative association of being what we consider 'a drug'.
Yes It's a form of social lubrication and it might be pleasant to consume but its efficacy as a form of verifying trustworthiness is tenuous as best. Most high functioning alcoholics would be able to maintain an air of trustworthiness which is why alcohol itself can be such a destructive force.
It's interesting that alcohol is explicitly banned in Islam You could use the approximately 1.1 billion muslim(probably closer to 500-800 million practicising) population as a control abstaining group and look at whether communities that consume alcohol have a higher propensity to trust each other or not.
Edit: At the end of the day I think regardless of any philosophical debates the simplest answer might be that people consume alcohol because being drunk feels good.
- ekianjo 12y ago> banned in Islam You could use the approximately 1.1 billion muslim It's not because it's banned Muslims don't drink it. At least in some places. I have a friend who made numerous trips to Saudi Arabia, where the Muslim Law is supposed to be at its strictest form, yet you just need to drive out of town to find alcohol and access to other forbidden forms of pleasure. It's just like if you said "so they banned prostitution so it does not exist anymore". People always find ways to access things they want to get.
- cup 12y agoI'm confused. Muslims don't drink because it is banned. Some Muslims drinking doesn't distinguish from the fact that its banned, just like some Muslims who murder people doesn't mean Murder isn't banned.
- ekianjo 12y agoI don't think you understand what I'm saying. I was referring to the fact that in Saudi Arabia, it's not a super niche minority drinking alcohol. It's readily available, and everyone knows where it is.
- nemothekid 12y ago>Th reason Alcohol is consumed by a significant portion of the population is because its a drug that society doesn't perceive as a drug. Thats a rather modern view for a practice that may be as old as humanity itself. Your comment doesn't explain why Alcohol was popular when cocaine and other opiates didn't carry negative associations.
- chrischen 12y agoThe other drugs are addictive.
- bignaj 12y agoNot sure if you are being serious but... ever seen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism ?
- rosser 12y agoIt turns out, alcohol is actually more addictive than nearly all of the "other drugs", and it's one of the only drugs for which the withdrawal symptoms can be fatal.
- chrischen 12y agoI'd love to read the research on this.
- cup 12y agoCocaine and other opiates have been popular, only recently have they been sidelined.
- downer73 12y agoYeah, gee, I wonder why? Maybe it's because one has a tendency to induce heart attacks, and the other group is treacherously addictive. But, consider that cocaine is a "new world" drug, specific to the South American continent, as an indigenous herbal extract, mostly until the 19th century, when highly purified extacts became a popular part of western society. Meanwhile use of opiates dates back to ancient times, given that Opium is dead simple to produce. But again, it was really in the 19th century when good equipment, and precise measuing tools permitted chemists and drugists to purify highly addictive perparations of the wider variety of drugs. Prior to that, the poppy's medicinal qualities were known and used, but expertise and well-crafted instruments which could readily facilitate powerful extracts weren't as widespread. Otherwise, people were limited to whatever was grown locally, and would be required to cultivate and harvest their own supply, instead of relying on trade.