Rethinking Our Relationship with Alcohol
Our relationship with alcohol is fraught. Ancient customs might inspire a reset.
As evidence of alcohol's harms mounts, some people are testing out sobriety. Scholars suggest looking to ancient civilizations' ways for a reset.
Drinking in the past was social and ritualized, with less potent brews. Our ancestors tended to drink in regulated environments, with relatively weak spirits.
“Everyone loved that story,” says Anya Topiwala, a psychiatric researcher at the University of Oxford.
However, drinking even a few times a week has been linked with numerous health problems, particularly cancer. The month provides an opportunity to drink less, or not at all, and reevaluate our long-term relationship with alcohol.
Author's summary: Rethinking alcohol consumption.