What is driving the current “anti alcohol” rhetoric online

[Lupus]

You can reasonably argue for stricter drunk-driving laws, responsible consumption, age restrictions, treatment for alcoholism and sensible regulation.

What you can't reasonably do is reduce an enormous agricultural, manufacturing, logistics, hospitality, tourism, retail and taxation ecosystem to “people getting shitfaced.”

If we're going to judge industries by their worst abuses rather than their total economic and social contribution, we'd better start making a very long list.

And I suspect we'd discover that civilisation is surprisingly dependent on a lot of industries that occasionally produce idiots.

They are already doing responsible consumption, they aren't drinking anywhere near as much as previous generations. It's already happening, the only people moaning is the alcohol industry going but hey why is no one drinking as much?

 

[Lupus]

Who are you to suggest what "benefits" humanity and what doesn't? People enjoy it, just like people enjoy all sorts of entertainment that could be argued "doesn't benefit humanity". Part of life is enjoying yourselves, not everything has to be weighed against some nebulous "benefit to society".

Because it isn't a benefit to society, enjoying something doesn't mean it has to be a benefit. Plus tell someone who's lost a family member to drunken driving, or an alcoholic abuser that it's a benefit to society.
Enjoy it, but don't come here preaching that it's of any benefit to society, as it's not. People use it for recreation okay cool. The new generation doesn't think so or care.

 

[Cray]

Because it isn't a benefit to society, enjoying something doesn't mean it has to be a benefit. Plus tell someone who's lost a family member to drunken driving, or an alcoholic abuser that it's a benefit to society.
Enjoy it, but don't come here preaching that it's of any benefit to society, as it's not. People use it for recreation okay cool. The new generation doesn't think so or care.

If something offers a recreational benefit, it might well be a benefit to some people. Not suggesting that it should be encouraged if people aren't into it but lots of leaisure activities have no strict benefits to society. You may not see the benefit of pubs and having a drink at the end of the day but plenty of people would say otherwise.

 

[Lupus]

If something offers a recreational benefit, it might well be a benefit to some people. Not suggesting that it should be encouraged if people aren't into it but lots of leaisure activities have no strict benefits to society. You may not see the benefit of pubs and having a drink at the end of the day but plenty of people would say otherwise.

As I said, tell that to people who've lost people due to alcohol. Alcohol has far more negatives to society vs benefits.

 

[The_MAC]

I live with an alcoholic.

Seeing them has made me completely rethink how I view and consume alcohol.

We have one in the family-in-law, and it's sad, pathetic and terrifying at the same time.

Some people can moderate very well, and that goes for any substance - but some cannot - the trick is to identify this very early and then run as fast as you can in the opposite direction if you see it being a problem down the line.

I drank (moderately) my entire adult life, but stopped nearly 9 months ago - the hardest part is the "un-integration" of alcohol from your lifestyle e.g. after work, braai's, family gatherings, toasts, camping, sport games, post running races etc.

 

[Lupus]

Health-conscious Gen Z drives a decline in alcohol consumption | The Citizen

Alcohol is facing growing competition from fitness, mindfulness and alcohol-free alternatives as Gen Z reshapes consumer trends.

www.citizen.co.za

See to them, no benefit plus they don't like the after effects
“I indulged a bit while I was younger,” said the 25-year-old woman, “but it’s just not worth the hangover.

“There are other mood enhancing things I can enjoy that are less harmful to my body.”

Another 25-year-old woman said she does not like that alcohol interferes with her wellness routines.

Why Gen Z Is Drinking Less

Gen Z is drinking less alcohol than previous generations. There isn’t one clear reason for this, but experts point to a variety of factors.

time.com

Marsh says that younger generations are much more interested in living healthy lifestyles than generations past, and evolving alcohol marketing tactics reflect those changing values.

So it's weed and "health" apparently

 

[Lupus]

We have one in the family-in-law, and it's sad, pathetic and terrifying at the same time.

Some people can moderate very well, and that goes for any substance - but some cannot - the trick is to identify this very early and then run as fast as you can in the opposite direction if you see it being a problem down the line.

I drank (moderately) my entire adult life, but stopped nearly 9 months ago - the hardest part is the "un-integration" of alcohol from your lifestyle e.g. after work, braai's, family gatherings, toasts, camping, sport games, post running races etc.

I stopped drinking in 2021, didn't really find it that hard to un-integrate alcohol? At gatherings, it's not that hard, you have a bottle of water, glass of coke, juice, no one really seems to care. They might ask not drinking? Was at a Christmas party my sons friends parents invited us too and they did ask.
Even been to a few work events and only had soda or coffee

 

[HermeticAnarchist]

Most alcohol use has historically revolved around social gatherings.

Over time, the social aspect of our society has been gradually eroded starting with the breakdown of rural communities into cities to support the industrial revolution where people now find themselves surrounded by strangers.

This trend of isolating people has been accelerated by the use of social media where it is no longer necessary to leave your home to interact with people.

With covid and lockdowns, the social aspects of life were severely impacted as in-person interactions were discouraged and even criminalised.

This latest anti-alcohol drive threatens the last vestiges of those large scale social interactions.

At this point it becomes worth asking who benefits from having people increasingly isolated, and who has benefitted from the trend all along.

 

[thestaggy]

Thats interesting. My experience as well.
I have gone from binge drinking, to total abstinence, to a very limited consumption myself, based on my own experience living with an alcoholic.

On the odd occasion that you do 'over indulge' (whatever that may be for yourself), do you also feel massive guilt and resentment (and anger perhaps)?

I've always had hard rule for myself that I do not drink during the week, but I would binge drink on a night out on the weekend or over a braai, and in my mind that was okay.

As I got older, I realised that a heavy Friday or rough Sunday around the braai was ruining the rest of my weekend/start of the week. So a part of a shift in how I view and consume alcohol was due to my own behaviour. Now I am at a point where I can buy a six-pack of beers, take them to a braai and not even finish them, and what is left I'd have over the following weekend or two.

But I hadn't yet seen the sheer depths alcohol abuse/addication can go.

I have taken an even stricter approach (for myself) to this while living with someone in active addiction. I don't feel comfortable cracking open a beer on a Saturday to watch rugby/football because then I feel like I am giving them the greenlight to get on it. So yes, in a way I do feel guilty because I see that beer or two as enabling them, but then I ask myself why shouldn't I be allowed to crack a beer open when I get home on a Friday? I know I can have the one beer, enjoy it, and be done, but I know they can't and I don't want to be responsible for that. And yes, there is anger when it's one of the days where they take their drinking too far and not only have I had to limit myself (or not even drink at all), but I have also had to deal with the negatives of their alcoholism.

 

[Sensorei]

If we're going to judge industries by their worst abuses rather than their total economic and social contribution, we'd better start making a very long list.

Let's stick to the basics of why their's an anti-alcohol rhetoric. The negatives out weigh the positives.. A drink a day isn't worth worrying about, but it rarely stays 1 drink a day.

A meta-analysis on 83 studies (599,912 drinkers!) found that at age 40, drinking 350 g/week of alcohol (3x 440ml Heinekens every day) shortens life expectancy by 4-5 years. No it wasn't funded by WHO. Is it worth losing 4-5 years of quality life?

It looks like the biggest population based study ever done on the impact of alcohol on health was recently published in June 2026, "Alcohol Intake and Health Study: No Protective Effect at Low Levels, With Mortality Increasing to 1 in 25 at 14 Drinks Per Week", which concluded that there is no benefit at any level of consumption, but 1 drink per day is pretty much not worth worrying about.

But that study did clearly state that men averaging 1 drink per day have a negligible lifetime alcohol-attributable death risk of around 1 in 1000 on average. BUT at 14 drinks weekly (2 per day) the risk of an alcohol-related death jumps to approximately 1 in 25!

 

[konfab]

Multiple factors as with most human behaviour.
1) Price, it is just expensive.
2) #MeToo. In the not so distance past, (not that I ever participated in these shenanigans), but you would have younger people getting drunk and f__king each other. Likely doing the former to get to the latter. Before MeToo, there would be perceived to be some responsibility of actions, namely a woman getting involved in a one-night stand would just classify a bad one night stand as what it was, drunk people f__king. Nowadays, for better or for worse, that is no longer possible. The zeitgeist is that men are 100% responsible for their actions even when drunk, and woman are not. Hence she can claim rape and that is that. So the logical thing has happened, which is decreased alcohol consumption, because it lowers the chance of a false rape accusation (and let's be fair here, actual incidents of rape as well).
3) I think people are also much more aware of negative health effects as well.

 

[The_MAC]

I stopped drinking in 2021, didn't really find it that hard to un-integrate alcohol? At gatherings, it's not that hard, you have a bottle of water, glass of coke, juice, no one really seems to care. They might ask not drinking? Was at a Christmas party my sons friends parents invited us too and they did ask.
Even been to a few work events and only had soda or coffee

That's why it's called a habit, all those events feature alcohol, and are in some way part of the fun/enjoyment - you have to learn to enjoy all of that without alcohol. It's not terribly hard for me, except for the beer after a trail race, but it is something one has to get used to.

I substitute with non-alcoholic beer, because I like the taste, but unfortunately it doesn't come close to the real thing

 

[thestaggy]

We have one in the family-in-law, and it's sad, pathetic and terrifying at the same time.

Some people can moderate very well, and that goes for any substance - but some cannot - the trick is to identify this very early and then run as fast as you can in the opposite direction if you see it being a problem down the line.

I drank (moderately) my entire adult life, but stopped nearly 9 months ago - the hardest part is the "un-integration" of alcohol from your lifestyle e.g. after work, braai's, family gatherings, toasts, camping, sport games, post running races etc.

It truly is sad.

In my experience it is like dealing with two different people. The sober one that is in touch with reality, you can hold a genuine conversation with, they have plans that include others. Then the other person who comes out after a couple of drinks, and you absolutely do not want to be around that person. You cannot talk to them.

The inbetween stage, where you can see the sober person disappearing and the other person coming out with every drink is the worst part of it. My anxiety levels go up because I start thinking about the worst-case scenarios. What are they going to do or say this time?

I'm still a social drinker, but I can do without it, and I am also perfectly okay with nursing 1 or 2 beers.

 

[Brian_G]

That said, there's a lot worse things than moderate drinking.

Personally don't touch the stuff anymore, earlier abuse left me allergic or something similar. I don't miss it, but then again I'm not much in need of a lift-me-up.

 

[NotFound]

Most of the OP's threads :

 

[Suspect99]

 

[rustypup]

"doesn't benefit humanity"

eg, Sportsball!

 

[Lupus]

eg, Sportsball!

And people consume vast amounts of alcohol while watching it... Hmmm

 

[Zellephant]

Most alcohol use has historically revolved around social gatherings.

Over time, the social aspect of our society has been gradually eroded starting with the breakdown of rural communities into cities to support the industrial revolution where people now find themselves surrounded by strangers.

This trend of isolating people has been accelerated by the use of social media where it is no longer necessary to leave your home to interact with people.

With covid and lockdowns, the social aspects of life were severely impacted as in-person interactions were discouraged and even criminalised.

This latest anti-alcohol drive threatens the last vestiges of those large scale social interactions.

At this point it becomes worth asking who benefits from having people increasingly isolated, and who has benefitted from the trend all along.

This I think is getting to the crux of the matter. Along with the fact that you dont need any industrial chemicals supplied by multinational corporations to produce the stuff, if you want to.

The only people benefiting from the breakdown of normal, healthy social structure are the globalists.

I've always had hard rule for myself that I do not drink during the week, but I would binge drink on a night out on the weekend or over a braai, and in my mind that was okay.

As I got older, I realised that a heavy Friday or rough Sunday around the braai was ruining the rest of my weekend/start of the week. So a part of a shift in how I view and consume alcohol was due to my own behaviour. Now I am at a point where I can buy a six-pack of beers, take them to a braai and not even finish them, and what is left I'd have over the following weekend or two.

So, in your opinion, is abstinence during the week, with binging on weekends better or worse than someone who regularly consumes a moderate amount of alcohol? Like me, for instance, who has a beer or a glass of wine almost daily - and then sometimes has a bit more back to back on special or social occasions.

I will be clear, in my opionion, Binge drinking is one of the biggest problems with alcohol consumption, and the primary thing that leads to people having real addiction and severe health complications from it.

But I hadn't yet seen the sheer depths alcohol abuse/addication can go.

I have taken an even stricter approach (for myself) to this while living with someone in active addiction. I don't feel comfortable cracking open a beer on a Saturday to watch rugby/football because then I feel like I am giving them the greenlight to get on it. So yes, in a way I do feel guilty because I see that beer or two as enabling them, but then I ask myself why shouldn't I be allowed to crack a beer open when I get home on a Friday? I know I can have the one beer, enjoy it, and be done, but I know they can't and I don't want to be responsible for that. And yes, there is anger when it's one of the days where they take their drinking too far and not only have I had to limit myself (or not even drink at all), but I have also had to deal with the negatives of their alcoholism.

I have also lived with addicts. My brother went down a very bad path with amphetamines once upon a time, so I am familiar with the whole sober living scenario

But would you, out of your experience, think that alcoholism is an alcohol problem, or is there a deeper underlying mental health issue, which is just in some individuals triggered by alcohol?

Let's stick to the basics of why their's an anti-alcohol rhetoric. The negatives out weigh the positives.. A drink a day isn't worth worrying about, but it rarely stays 1 drink a day.

A meta-analysis on 83 studies (599,912 drinkers!) found that at age 40, drinking 350 g/week of alcohol (3x 440ml Heinekens every day) shortens life expectancy by 4-5 years. No it wasn't funded by WHO. Is it worth losing 4-5 years of quality life?

The question must also be asked, what are you "giving up" to potentially spare those 4-5 years of quality of life? Because I will trade 4 or 5 years (if that's really the case - remember this article you are quoting is a meta-analysis and not actual research, and probably overlooks many other factors that may be present in the test populations of the various studies), for 50 or 60 odd years of good quality living - and moderate alcohol consumption, provides me just that.

Also, being half European with lots of family still there and visiting often - I have spent countless hours on verandahs and in courtyards listening to octagenerians recant the most amazing tales of lives really lived to the full, and drinking wine or beer together is at the very core of those meetings, and often at the very core of the stories they tell too.

I challenge any of those stating alcohol makes no positive contribution to society to go and experience bringing in the grape harvest in tuscany first hand - and then still make that claim with a straight face.

It looks like the biggest population based study ever done on the impact of alcohol on health was recently published in June 2026, "Alcohol Intake and Health Study: No Protective Effect at Low Levels, With Mortality Increasing to 1 in 25 at 14 Drinks Per Week", which concluded that there is no benefit at any level of consumption, but 1 drink per day is pretty much not worth worrying about.

But that study did clearly state that men averaging 1 drink per day have a negligible lifetime alcohol-attributable death risk of around 1 in 1000 on average. BUT at 14 drinks weekly (2 per day) the risk of an alcohol-related death jumps to approximately 1 in 25!

None of this is surprising, and similar results would be seen in studies that replace alcohol consumption with any of a hundred-plus other things.

 

[EADC]

Drinking is haram would never do such things