Alcohol is gaslighting us
Gaslighting is a particularly insidious form of lying. It is manipulation used to confuse people, by convincing them that what they know to be true is false. Gaslighting is a form of abuse favored by narcissists who don’t just need to be right, they need to control others by creating their own false reality.
Alcohol may be the ultimate gaslighter. It entices us with the promise of good times and then poisons us.
This gaslighting is killing millions, causing 150,000 deaths each year in the United States and 2.6 million deaths globally. Until we more deeply understand the truth about alcohol and drinking, we are bound to continue this pattern. And when people are being gaslighted, it is not their fault that they become trapped.
So let’s unpack this a little bit. First, alcohol is very big business, and we know what that means, change is hard and comes very slowly. Global alcohol sales are $1.5 trillion, with over $300 billion annual sales in the United States. Those are very big numbers, and the stakes are high. So, how do you continue to sell a highly addictive, class 1 carcinogen despite growing scientific evidence of its dangers? By gaslighting us into believing the opposite. By presenting alcohol as required for social fun and making non-drinkers seem like weird outcasts. And it works.
Alcohol is a drug sold as a sexy drink, from the days of the James Bond Martini to the new ready-to-drinks in a can for the healthful bikini and bathing suit crowd. Celebrities and influencers don’t only endorse alcoholic beverages, they create and market their own brands. Even the Olympics are not immune, with AB InBev spending hundreds of millions to be the first Olympic beer sponsor. Alcohol is normalized throughout society.
We need to understand the truths to breakthrough the lies and gaslighting. Here are a few:
Truth: Alcohol is not a social drink; it is a liquid drug. Classified as a depressant, it is one of the five most addictive drugs in the world along with heroin, cocaine, nicotine and methamphetamine. Yet, because it is so widely available and promoted, it causes far more damage than any of these other drugs.
Truth: Alcohol is not a relaxing social lubricant, it increases anxiety. It is true that alcohol has a relaxing and slightly euphoric effect for a short time as your blood alcohol content rises for 20-30 minutes. But with that relaxation comes the lesser-known countereffect. To counteract alcohol’s relaxation effect, your brain releases cortisol to stay in balance. Cortisol is a stress hormone, which leads to anxiety or “hangxiety” in the middle of the night or the next morning.
Truth: Alcohol is not sexy and is not an essential part of intimacy. From the packaging and bottle designs to the backlit bar displays to the suggestive advertising, alcohol is presented as a gateway to a good time. Inhibitions are lowered because of drinking. But the facts paint a very different picture. Alcohol causes sexual disfuntion, and far worse, 50% of sexual assaults and 75% of domestic violence incidents involve alcohol. It is not just unsexy, it is unsafe.
Truth: Moderate Drinking is not good for your health. This is false and the scientific community is waking up to the truth. A study published this year in the Journal of Studies of Alcohol and Drugs debunked the myth that moderate drinking is healthy. The medical community is now changing guidelines to help inform people that no amount of drinking is good for your health.
When it comes to alcohol, discovering the truth can be hard. We have been told lies about alcohol and our health for decades. These beliefs about the role of drinking in society and in our lives are deeply ingrained. It is hard to break through the smokescreen that we face everyday. The first step to regain control of your life is to learn the truth about alcohol. Understanding the truth about alcohol allows you to begin to change the beliefs that have you trapped in alcohol’s gaslighting grip.
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