4 Cs of Addiction

Alcohol is dangerous and deadly. It’s the most dangerous legal drug, and it’s the second-most deadly legal drug. Given this information, I am BEGGING for someone to explain to me how society has become so inured to the dangers of alcohol that we completely ignore them.

Case in point: I watched the sixth season of The Crown on Netflix, and before a couple episodes, the warning for language and smoking appeared, yet in those same episodes there were more instances of people drinking than there were of those smoking.

Another case in point: Emma Stone played Cruella de Vil in the 2021 Disney movie Cruella, and she reportedly admitted that “it was a bummer to not go full de Vil in her onscreen portrayal.”

“‘It was difficult to not have that cigarette holder,’ she said. ‘I was so excited to have that green plume of smoke in there, but it was not possible.’” That’s because in 2007 Disney banned smoking in its productions (Guerrasio).

Cruella couldn’t smoke, but Estella, the person she is before she becomes Cruella, could get black-out drunk in the movie. Sure. Seems reasonable.

But why? Why do we act as though alcohol isn’t dangerous and deadly?

The common stat is that “tobacco kills up to half its users who don’t quit,” (WHO), but I must point out that this is, again, some fun with statistics. “Up to half”: what, exactly, does that mean? If I can have “up to half” of a cake, does that necessarily mean that I get half a cake? No. It means that I get no more than half, but I could get one slice, I could get a quarter, I could even get seven-sixteenths of it or exactly one-half. But I can’t have any more than that. It doesn’t specifically mean that I get half, though, so tobacco killing “up to half its users who don’t quit” doesn’t really mean much.

So let’s look at more stats: Worldwide, alcohol is the cause of about 5% of all deaths whereas tobacco is the cause of about 8%, but these numbers may be underreported (McCambridge and Morris). Let’s assume they aren’t, though, and agree that, worldwide, tobacco kills more people than alcohol.

But let’s consider other costs because death isn’t the only negative outcome. “Alcohol is a component cause of more than 200 diseases, injuries and other health problems, of which more than 40 are wholly attributable. Alcohol is carcinogenic and toxic and kills at younger ages and in some different ways to tobacco, including through violence associated with intoxication. Alcohol is responsible for social problems, including the need to fund healthcare services” (McCambridge and Morris).

So, while it is said that tobacco kills nearly twice the number of people as alcohol does, “if you also include non-fatal health effects, then although tobacco’s still worse in high-income countries, alcohol causes more of a worldwide health problem” (Lomas).

I’m really unclear why society seems to ignore the dangers of alcohol. It’s certainly not because we haven’t learned our lesson yet: alcohol use has been around a lot longer than smoking cigarettes.

So why is it? Is it because the majority of people who use alcohol are not addicted while the majority of people who use tobacco are? Is it because the alcohol lobbyists are just that darn good at their jobs? Is it because we are willing accomplices to the campaign? Is it a combination of all the above?

As we move into 2024 and we decide how we’re going to improve our lives with all our New Year’s resolutions and promises, let’s remember that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. Alcohol is toxic…it’s a poison. And it’s a carcinogen, directly causing at least seven types of cancer (WHO Europe). 

Moderate drinking, per the CDC, is two drinks or less per day for men and one drink or less per day for women. That’s not “no-risk drinking,” because all drinking of alcohol leads to risk.

And, the CDC recommends that you not drink at all if you:

• Are under the legal drinking age.
• Are pregnant or may be pregnant.
• Have health problems that could be made worse by drinking.
• Are doing things like driving that could be dangerous with alcohol.
• Are recovering from an alcohol use disorder or find it hard to control the amount you drink.

If you’re taking prescription medicine, including any cancer treatment, ask your doctor if it’s safe to drink alcohol (CDC).

And, I don’t feel as though this reminder should be necessary, but I think I may be fooling myself: a drink is a drink is a drink. The liquid doesn’t matter; it’s the alcohol that itself is the problem, so if you’re having a beer or a properly poured shot of liquor or glass of wine, the amount of alcohol you’re ingesting is roughly the same. That means that the 40-ounce bottle of beer is over three drinks. That Long Island is at least four drinks. That highball at the VFW, notorious for overpouring, is at least a drink and a half.

When you raise your glass to toast the New Year, know that sparkling grape juice tastes pretty darn good, too!

References

CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/alcohol/index.htm

Guerrasio, Jason. https://www.insider.com/emma-stone-disney-smoking-ban-playing-cruella-difficult-2021-5

Lomas, Kenny. https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/is-alcohol-as-dangerous-as-smoking

McCambridge, Jim, and Stephanie Morris. https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/29/2/200/5407688

WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco

WHO Europe. https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-01-2023-no-level-of-alcohol-consumption-is-safe-for-our-health