I’m also generally pro-alcohol-in-moderation, but I seem to recall studies showing that most of alcohol’s social effects are psychosomatic and can be achieved by simply tricking someone into believing they are consuming alcohol. I’ve experienced this myself during times I couldn’t drink but was hanging out with drinkers and having mocktails or NA beer and could feel myself having permission to behave in ways that are allowed when drunk even though I was having no alcohol myself.
Now of course maybe these studies didn’t survive the replication crisis, I’m not sure, but I think there is something to be said for alcohol’s positive effects being more socially programmed than physiologically created.
I think alcohol’s effects are at least somewhat psychosomatic, but that doesn’t mean you can easily get the same effect without it. Once nobody’s actually drinking and everyone knows it, then the context where you’re expected to let loose is broken. You’d have to construct a new ritual that encourages the same behavior without drugs, which is probably pretty hard.
I vaguely remember looking at one of those studies and finding that the amount of alcohol used was significantly less than a standard drink, though I don’t have a link now.
I’m also generally pro-alcohol-in-moderation, but I seem to recall studies showing that most of alcohol’s social effects are psychosomatic and can be achieved by simply tricking someone into believing they are consuming alcohol. I’ve experienced this myself during times I couldn’t drink but was hanging out with drinkers and having mocktails or NA beer and could feel myself having permission to behave in ways that are allowed when drunk even though I was having no alcohol myself.
Now of course maybe these studies didn’t survive the replication crisis, I’m not sure, but I think there is something to be said for alcohol’s positive effects being more socially programmed than physiologically created.
I think alcohol’s effects are at least somewhat psychosomatic, but that doesn’t mean you can easily get the same effect without it. Once nobody’s actually drinking and everyone knows it, then the context where you’re expected to let loose is broken. You’d have to construct a new ritual that encourages the same behavior without drugs, which is probably pretty hard.
Hence the massive popularity of Bud Light
I vaguely remember looking at one of those studies and finding that the amount of alcohol used was significantly less than a standard drink, though I don’t have a link now.