Suicide By Alcohol: The Authorized Epidemic

Turning a blind eye to the destructive nature of alcohol is killing this country.

Hello.

My name is Zachary Small, and I’m an alcoholic…

At least, that’s the label given to people addicted to the addictive drug we don’t call a drug, we just call it “Alcohol”.

(Fun Fact: Alcohol ranked behind Meth and before Cocaine in the degree of addictiveness)

The special treatment given to booze is comparable to that of Politicians who follow the mantra “Rules for thee but not for me,” but I digress as that discussion will be had in a future piece.

10 Under-Discussed Facts About Alcohol

1. Alcohol is a depressant.

2. Alcohol is the third-leading preventable cause of death in the United States, with the first being tobacco and the second being poor diet/physical inactivity.

3. Alcohol is a known carcinogen, it is one of the leading variables in the development of breast, liver, mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, and bowel cancer.

4. In 2019 the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that nearly 15 million people 12 yrs of age and older had a drinking problem.

5. Alcohol abuse contributed to 18.5% of Emergency Room visits and 22.1% of overdose deaths.

6. An estimated 95,000 people (approximately 68,000 men and 27,000 women) die from alcohol-related causes annually.

7. In 2019, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 10,142 deaths (28% of all driving fatalities).

8. In 2010, alcohol misuse cost the United States $249 BILLION.

9. In 2014 the World Health Organization reported that among people 15-49 years of age, alcohol misuse was the first-leading risk factor for premature death and disability.

10. From 2010 to 2016, alcohol-related liver disease was the primary cause of almost 1 in 3 liver transplants in the United States.

(Main Source / Secondary Source)

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The Problem with America’s Drinking Problem

I’m over two years sober after two decades of binge drinking; to say I had a problem is to say the Grand Canyon is a hole in the ground.

These days, I help others break free from their vice, and I can say with absolute certainty, that it’s much better on this side of the tracks.

My problem was my problem, I had to handle some shit from my past as well as develop new habits/coping mechanisms to handle the stress of life, and I did; this is the problem with America, the U.S. refuses to face the fact that there’s an issue at all.

Let me run a quick recap for you:

• Almost 100,000 people die each year from alcohol-related causes, and we will still see booze advertised in every movie, every TV show, every celebrity gathering, and every sporting event across the nation throughout the entire year.

100,000 lives preventable lost, and still, we laugh at the talking frogs, cheer on the big horses, and gloss over the many celebrities, actors, and athletes who’ve destroyed their lives over the years, all of that on top of the hundreds of thousands of men and women facing fines, abuse/assault, deteriorating mental and physical health, destroyed families, and an overflowing prison system.

It’s as though alcohol has received a special blessing to destroy lives in plain sight because people like it:

Zac Small @ZacSmall_

When everyone is addicted to the same drug, nobody is an addict.

I’ve had the argument made that, “Zac, not everyone has the problem you have” and I laugh because the number of people dying from excess alcohol use represents those who are worse than me; I was able to get off the train before it crashed, 95,000+ others weren’t.

This is not a problem for millions of people, but in no way does that detract from the millions of people it is a problem for or the massive (negative) impact alcohol is having on our society and country at large.

What’s the Solution to a Country’s Alcohol Problem?

Technically, the answer here is that Ethanol is considered a universal solvent; its molecular structure allows for the dissolving of both polar, hydrophilic, and nonpolar, hydrophobic compounds.

Jokes aside and sociologically speaking, “The Cure to America’s Invisible Drunks” is not going to be found in more government intervention but rather in social awareness and activism. We need the science on alcohol to be more publicly known and for Big Booze marketing, which has been executed for decades with surgical precision, to be broken through grassroots resistance.

1. Do you know why it’s more taboo that a person doesn’t drink alcohol than one does?

2. Do you ever wonder how we reached the point where people say, “I don’t trust those who don’t drink alcohol”?

3. Do you ever wonder how tobacco was kicked from advertisements and slapped with danger labels while alcohol, another very addictive Type 1 Carcinogen, gets approved for fruity seltzers to be added to their production line?

The answer to my question above is not that we need more government intervention; politicians are already way too deep in the business of all Americans as it is; what I’m suggesting is that the government be consistent with its treatment of these legal drugs and, more so, that people educate themselves in the negative effects alcohol will have on their short-term and long-term mental, physical, and spiritual health.

The war on alcohol and drugs was an absolute failure of management, purpose, and execution.

We need less tax-payer money wasted on inefficient and ineffective programs and more being put towards education, awareness, and financial incentives for those who are choosing to maintain good health.

Prohibition is not the solution, an educated population who voluntarily chooses to remove themselves from the destructive path Big Booze is on is.

We’ve demonized marijuana, banned psychoactive drugs, and stigmatized tobacco products, yet alcohol is placed in the same category as caffeine in most people’s eyes - coffee until wine, amirite???

Alcohol Doesn’t Care, People Do.

“Every day, about 32 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that's one person every 45 minutes. In 2020, 11,654 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths — a 14% increase from 2019.”

I know that it may be uncomfortable to have me talking about something it seems we all do, but the conversation needs to be had as there are still too many individuals caught in this vicious cycle who, maybe with the reading of this article, could choose to quit before being forced to.

Drinking alcohol is something I did, and the dangers of accepted addiction is a tightrope walk I made without falling; driving after having too much, stupid arguments, dumb fights, being over-emotional, being unemotional, physical inflammation, and hundreds of wasted hours to “recovering…”.

I’m no saint - but I stopped before I hurt anyone seriously.

A very large number of people cannot say the same, and that’s where I want to take you now.

Alcohol addiction is not something that is a solo event, it leaves a wake of pain in its path of self-destruction. Even those who were “good people” that had too many that one time, well, their one moment of misjudgment results in a lifelong void that can never be filled by the family left behind to pick up the pieces. How many of these people didn’t even want to drink, but they were pressured to because “just one, it’s good for you, it’ll relax you, you’ll be fine…” the next moment, they’re in a jail cell and a murderer, it’s happened too many times for me to come across as exaggerating.

I am friends with a man who recently shared that his nephew, 40 years old, is on death’s door, with total organ failure, driven by an addiction to alcohol; another friend of mine recently told me that she lost her husband to drunk driving…

• These are real lives.

• These are real stories.

• These are pains that will never go away for those who remain.

These uncomfortable truths force us to reflect on our behaviors, position on alcohol, and the intentional decision we make to continue consuming the poison, knowing damn well it does not align with our stated goals and inner desires. People are killing themselves, they’re killing others, and they’re destroying the quality of life those around them live (we haven’t touched on the life a child has under alcoholic parents), and yet, the substance continues to be “untouchable” when it comes to targeting for being held responsible.

We blame the person, not the product, for being addicted to the addictive drug. Tobacco products have warning labels with literal skulls and crossbones on them to deter people from purchasing without being aware of the risks associated, alcoholic beverages have fruits and sexy people on them.

So Shines a Sober Movement in a Drunk World.

One of the best indicators of how individuals view alcohol is found in where they spend their money. I already shared the negative impact alcohol has had on the U.S. economy, but for a moment, let’s look at the positives here - alcohol sales are slipping, and the sales of alcohol-free counterparts are soaring.

As of May 14, 2022, US retail sales of non-alcoholic spirits grew 116% to $4.5 million, while alcoholic spirit sales slipped about 1% to just under $21 billion. This is from a Forbes article published earlier in the year,

In the 2022 dry January period, there was a total on premise sales value uplift of $295 million for non-alcoholic beers, spirits, and mocktails, while sales of sodas and soft drinks remained flat.”

In that same period, non-alcoholic beer jumped 21% to $316 million, and non-alcoholic wine rose 20% to $50 million. Traditional beer sales fell 4% to about $46 billion, and sales of alcoholic wine declined 6% to nearly $20 billion.

When you want something to change, you need to offer a better alternative. I say this often to parents who want their kids off the electronics, you have to give them something to do that’s more entertaining than what the screens offer.

Companies are working to do exactly that; here is a list of several from an article I read a while back on non-alcoholic bars:

BeClink, No & Low, The Essential Spirits, The Open Road, Boisson, Sipple, Awake, Better Rhodes, The Dry Goods Beverage Company, Sans Bar, Ghia, Ritual, Monday Gin, Vinada, Athletic Brewing, Recess, Vybes, Curious Elixirs, Bimble

These brands offer wines, beers, and liquors that give the same taste without regrets, health complications, cancer, and early death. Essentially, they give a good vibe, continued routine, and social “watering hole” experience without the negative consequences.

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You Can Drink Without the Drunk

Me with a Ritual Zero-Proof Whiskey on the Rocks

Ritual Zero-Proof is a company I’ve become an ambassador for as their products do give the "habit of the drink without the drunk” or as Martha Stwart put it when referring to their Tequila, "Ritual's tequila alternative has everything there is to love about tequila — minus the hangover.” the stuff is a good replacement drink, and it lets you sip something which has the kick yet won’t get you where you’ll have anything to regret.

Using the code ZACSMALL_ will save 10% off your order.

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I’ve had the argument made that we should not have people with issues drinking, as “pretending” to have alcohol may trigger them to relapse, returning to the real thing. This argument is a fair one, as those who give up their addiction should be wary of places and behaviors which may interfere with their commitment to maintaining sobriety. The way I see it, I want alcohol-free spirits to replace the booze in bars at the mainstream level. I want alcohol-free drinking to not be a substitute but rather a replacement for high-proof spirits at the mainstream level.

I want to see people going out, ordering their Martinis, Old Fashioneds, and Rum & Cokes to soak in time and relax with friends;

I want them to do it all without the threat of a DUI, making an ass of themselves, or having morning hangovers to be a part of the equation. I want to see alcohol-free spirits become the norm and continue to trend in the positive direction we have seen in recent years. Nobody is looking to stop the socializing which comes with alcohol, nor is anyone out there saying you’re a bad person for drinking alcohol;

What we can no longer overlook is the fact that there are men and women losing their lives with mothers and fathers burying their children, many of which had the potential of being spared such a fate if we, collectively as a society in the United States, had the fortitude to stand up against the addicted masses and well-connected marketing companies in bed with Big Booze to call alcohol for what it is, a destructive addiction that has been allowed to fester for decades.

- Zac Small