Have A Glass Of Alcoholism, On The Rocks

Alcohol has been around for a very, very long time, and it’s taken many forms: Beer, wine, vodka, whisky, sake, fermented horse milk… whatever floats your boat. Besides for being one of the most consumed substance in the world alongside coffee and water, alcohol has unfortunately been the cause of many deaths, injuries, and violent attacks. Also unfortunately, the majority of these are due to alcoholism or alcohol abuse in men.

Picture by Wikimedia

Many studies have been done on alcoholism between genders, one of which found that men are twice as likely to become alcoholic than women due to their brains being more exposed to dopamine after drinking. This study from Yale and Columbia University ran PET scans on both men and women’s brains from and discovered men had more dopamine released into their brain than women, despite drinking the same amount of alcohol. The researchers in this study suggest this might be a reason why alcoholism is so prevalent in men as compared to women. Another study done by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) took samples from different countries around the world and also found that men were not only more likely to participate in heavy drinking and alcohol abuse, but it also correlated with age. The older the subjects were, the more likely they were involved in heavy episodic drinking (HCE). Again, HCE was also more common in men. The National Institute study also found that it wasn’t only biological influences on men that caused higher drinking rates, but the culture mattered too.

Drinking culture differs from country to country, but on the most part it is usually the men who drink while the wives and mothers are expected to provide care and organization for the household. What gender do beer companies usually cater towards? Is ‘the most interesting person in the world’ a man or a woman? Why is being a ‘lightweight’ an insult? In the US, it’s not uncommon to hear coworkers “going out for a drink” or “cracking open a cold one with the boys”. With all of this, it’s almost expected of boys to drink eventually, maybe a glass of champagne for a dinner party or some rounds of beer for a football game, but alcohol is prevalent almost everywhere, and it’s basically required for a man to partake in it. But not only are men socially required to partake, but the drinks that are deemed as 'man drinks' are usually hard liquors, meaning the alcohol content is higher than your average beer. It’s also very easy to fall into drinking culture: As long as you’re of drinking age, you can simply purchase alcohol  - or even make your own - and just as easy to fall into alcoholism. Underage drinking is common in many high schools and colleges, and it’s also fairly common to hear of young boys sneaking a drink from the wine cooler or dad’s beer section of the fridge. I’ll tell you this, most cases of alcoholism don’t happen because drinking alcohol tastes good, but because it makes you feel good or forget things, and it is these effects that makes alcohol so addicting. 

Photo by Max Pixel

Given that there is a masculine stigma around drinking and a biological reason for why a lot of men fall into alcoholism and alcohol abuse, there has not been enough done with the recovery of these men. Tying in with my previous post on emotional suppression in men, alcoholism allows them to suppress their emotions and drink away their problems. Being able to forget or numb painful memories and feelings is one of the top reasons of heavy alcohol consumption. Oftentimes it’s to get rid of stress, or to feel better about themself. Other times it’s simply what they learned from others, either friends or family. No matter what the reason, breaking this habit becomes increasingly difficult the deeper you get into alcoholism. Alcohol is an addictive drug if abused, and just like other addictive substances, it is hard to control, and when you stop, it causes withdrawal. However, a lot of men are stopping themselves from reaching out and getting help because they’re either ashamed of their condition and want to hide it, or they’d rather fix it themselves, and they’re strong enough to handle it, that getting help is a sign of weakness. The few men who do get help are oftentimes disappointed by the treatment they get don’t always get the most satisfying treatment either. If the treatment is ineffective, it’s fairly likely that they would return to drinking and give up seeking further help on their own rather than finding a different way to overcome their alcoholism. 

A real man should be able to keep track of how much he drinks, and how that alcohol will affect him and others around him. As much as we like our booze and our cocktails and our other alcoholic beverages, it’s not ok to be an alcoholic for the sake of drinking away problems and posing as ‘manly’. So, don’t stay thirsty my friends. You might become an alcoholic.