Episode 28 - Alcohol: To Drink, Or Not To Drink?

Darron and Jeff explore their current relationships with alcohol. As this episode was recorded a few months ago, they discuss Jeff’s experience and thoughts on his dry January attempt, how the social context of any behavior influences our participation (or non-participation) in that behavior, why we keep drinking when we know it’s not good for us, alcohol and cultural evolution, alcohol’s acceptance in both American culture and in both of our their own lived experiences, why it can be so hard to stop drinking, and how and why Darron made his decision to stop drinking back at the end of February.

Notes:

• 2:30 - Listen to Beautiful Illusions Episode 10 - Craft Beer Culture: A Personal History from January 2021

• 3:07 - Listen to Sean Carroll’s Mindscape Episode 160 - Edward Slingerland on Confucianism, Daoism, and Wu Wei from 2021

• 3:13 - Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization, by Edward Slingerland

• 3:18 - Read “The Meaning of Dry January” (The Atlantic, 2023)

• 7:36 - See “No, moderate drinking isn’t good for your health” (Washington Post, 2023) and “No Amount Of Alcohol Is Good For Your Health, Global Study Says” (NPR, 2018)

• 11:50 See the “Alcohol Facts and Statistics” page from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

• 26:30 - Listen to the “What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain & Health” episode of the Huberman Lab podcast with Andrew Huberman, Ph.D.

• 33:20 - In general Gen Y, or Millenials (born between 1980 and 1994) drink less than previous generations, and Gen Z (born between 1995 and 2009) drink less than Gen Y. See “Millennials and Gen Zers Embrace “Life Can Take You Higher than Alcohol” (National Public Health Information Coalition, 2022) and “Why GenZ Is Drinking Less And What This Means For The Alcohol Industry” (Forbes, 2023)

• 34:35 - See “Is a Glass of Wine Harmless? Wrong Question.” by Emily Oster (The Atlantic, 2023) which opines that “Excessive alcohol consumption clearly leads to significant problems, physical and emotional. That is not up for debate. However: Recent rhetoric, veering in the direction of abstinence, goes well beyond the sound advice to avoid heavy drinking and ignores the value of pleasure.”

• 36:23 - Listen to Beautiful Illusions Episode 21 - The Myth of the Desert Island Self from January 2022