What I got wrong on alcohol
The results of a month spell of teetotalism and why I'm sticking with it
Almost by accident, I have now spent over a month teetotal. I have been visiting art exhibitions I've never seen before, and tried new foods. I did not realise the extent to which our culture of alcohol crowds out all other pursuits. It's also an inefficient socialisation ritual (maybe my conclusions are contingent on relatively low social anxiety, although this is emdogenous as I used to be quite “shy” in person). Yes there are important cross-subsidisation functions, yet growth and innovation (which alcohol probably reduces) can easily fix those. For instance, yes our pub scene likely meant rock grew as a genre in 60s-70s Britain as opposed to other places, yet the synthesiser and the baby boom were probably far more consequential for musical innovation. The television and increased globalisation also played a huge role - The Beatles rose to prominence in part from their adoption of Indian-style themes. One can think of alcohol as a tax on this growth, hence whilst it likely boosts cultural production in the short-run, in the long-run it's harmed. I can now see more clearly why Tyler Cowen advocates teetotalism.
Importantly, I have not really lost anything by giving up alcohol. In fact by innovating in my social and recreational life, I would consider this teetotalism a gain. However, this didn't feel arduous or self-restraining this time, so my overrarching themes arguing against paternalistic intervention into other people's lives still stands. Let growth and shifting cultural habits operate by themselves. This is what happened in India, and what we broadly observe in elite American circles today. I think the main lesson is that over time, people will figure out how to resolve bad habits by themselves. Likewise, I don't want people to substitute for worse vices. I’d rather have a culture of alcohol with its bars and pubs than a culture of fast food and confectionary!
The main downside is that pubs carry with them a distinct character, and that more than the alcohol per se is their attraction, although they’re of course reliant on booze sales. Again though, growth leads to new styles of venues. In particular, the British pub culture stands apart from the rest of the world in terms of its centrality to public life. Teetotalism is common in most of the world (notably large swathes of America, India, and the Islamic World). East Asia is seeing rising alcohol consumption, although its role is less salient than in Britain. In Southern Europe, one drink is consumed specifically to complement a meal1. Our fixation on booze is odd, and likely reflects our stagnation. Booze optimises for comfort, which is fulfilled via sticking to well-established habits. Growth disrupts this.
I still think most teetotalers overstate their case. There is no robust evidence that moderate drinking is harmful to health, and the effect sizes tend to average to zero. However, if one drinks, the probability they stick to moderation is lower than what is socially optimal. Alcohol being a highly addictive poison, with its dire implications for society regarding preventable fatalities and crime, is the case against the substance. I used to think it facilitated socialisation, yet if one properly reasons through the equilibrium on this, this “benefit” tends to be rather superficial and transitory at best.
Their rates of alcohol-induced deaths is also much lower than most other Western countries. However, rational addiction implies path-dependence in habits (individual and cultural); in Britain we aim to incentivise this style of moderation yet 1/3 of the population still drinks heavily and binge drinks. It’s not just alcohol per se to critique, but rather the social rituals surrounding it, and they cannot be treated independently.