SELL | In Defense of Alcohol |
Editor's Note: This is an Eclipse piece, a special publication of two opposing opinions on the same topic. This Eclipse tackles the age-old question: To drink or not to drink? The opposing position by Leo Glasgow can be read here.
Alcohol is as unpopular as it has ever been. Recent polling suggests only 54% of Americans regularly consume alcohol, a record-low, with rates even lower among Gen Z. Public perception of its negative health effects has also sharply risen in recent years, with increasing numbers of college students swearing off it altogether. “Great!” one might be tempted to say; drinking alcohol has been shown to be bad for your physical health, and is tied to increased rates of violence, car accidents and otherwise dangerous behavior, not to mention that it is expensive ($5-10 for a pint in Collegetown) and is illegal for most undergraduates in the U.S. These facts are corroborated by major scientific establishments, and provide a compelling case for abstention. Why then, would one defend drinking alcohol?
Firstly, I want to be clear what I am advocating for. I am not defending the typical drinking culture that currently defines American college life: the cheap, god-awful Bud Lights, the odious mix of spirits in a fishbowl, the BORGs. This type of consumption, the main avenue of underage drinking on college campuses, is often dangerous, unhealthy, unpleasant and frequently results in severe intoxication. When used in moderation however, it morphs from the hazardous, hangover-inducing concoction of the fraternity party into a uniquely powerful friendship-deepening, conversation-boosting elixir.
Consider the interpersonal dynamics of........