Alcohol is so bad for society that you should probably stop drinking - By Andy Masley

From Junk Food to Tobacco: A Shift in Thinking

Andy Masley never expected to stop drinking. He used to think of alcohol like junk food: fun for most people, harmful only for those who lack personal responsibility. After researching the data, he now compares it to tobacco: many use it without personal harm, but so many vulnerable people are devastated that everyone has a responsibility to denormalize it.

The COVID-Scale Death Toll Nobody Talks About

The global disease burden is the most comprehensive measurement of death and disability worldwide. Alcohol causes 5.1% of this burden every single year, compared to COVID-19's 7.4% peak in 2021. Between 100,000 and 140,000 Americans die annually from alcohol, two to three times more than gun deaths.

The Violence Connection: By the Numbers

The correlation between alcohol and violence is stark. Half of American prisoners had alcohol in their system when they committed their crime. Among Indian women, a husband's drinking is the single strongest predictor of spousal violence. Indigenous Mexican men who drink daily are 13 times more likely to beat their wives. When South Africa imposed a sudden alcohol ban in 2020, injury deaths dropped 14% and violent crime fell sharply.

The Half-Trillion-Dollar Economic Drain

The CDC estimates excessive drinking costs $249 billion per year, with nearly three-quarters from lost workplace productivity. About $77 billion comes just from people showing up hungover. NHTSA's drunk driving estimate adds another $296 billion once quality of life is included. Combined, alcohol costs society well over $100 per person per year above the actual price of drinks.

The Industry Runs on Addiction

One in eight drinkers are heavy drinkers, and one in ten of those become alcoholics. That means at minimum one in 80 people who drink will become an alcoholic. The top 10% of drinkers, averaging 74 drinks per week, purchase 60% of all alcohol sold. When you walk into a liquor store, most of what you see will be sold to people the substance is actively harming.

Drinking Spreads Like a Contagion

A study tracking households that moved between states found that environment explains about two-thirds of differences in alcohol purchases. When people moved to states with higher average consumption, they increased their drinking. Andy compares this to pandemic masking: individual choices collectively normalize behavior, and we have a responsibility to set examples that protect vulnerable people.

The 38-to-1 Moral Calculation

One person dies from alcohol for every 1,900 drinkers, which means one death for every 38 people who drink regularly from age 20 to 70. Andy frames each drinker as casting a vote to normalize alcohol and fund the industry. He does not want to be part of that 38.

The Minecraft Test: A Thought Experiment

Andy poses a test: if Minecraft killed 140,000 Americans yearly and 40% of intimate partner violence occurred after playing it, would you keep playing? Even if you personally could play safely, you would not want to normalize it or financially support the company. He cannot think of another activity both as dangerous as alcohol and as normalized.