Reevaluating 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.
Ancient Drinking Customs
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.
The Shift in Perception
Back in the 1990s and 2000s, it was believed that a drink or two a day, especially red wine, was good for health. However, drinking even a few times a week has been linked with numerous health problems, particularly cancer.
Author's summary: Ancient customs inspire sobriety reset.