There is one interesting episode in the film "Peter FM". In a conversation, one man tells another that his girlfriend does not smoke or drink, this statement should be very weird question: “Is she sick?” Unfortunately, not at all drinking man becomes very rare in this world. A bottle of wine or vodka can be seen on the table of almost all people, sometimes for absolutely no reason.

No one is saying that it is necessary to give up alcohol completely, but the fact is that not everyone knows how to drink alcohol correctly, without harm to their health. Drinking culture is something that every person who drinks alcohol should know. In what doses does alcohol not cause harm to the body, but is beneficial? What do you need to know so that the consequences of drinking alcohol do not become a disaster? Why do people drink alcohol? Many foreigners say that drunkenness is a native Russian trait. Is it really? When and where did they first appear?

A little history

It is quite difficult to determine when alcohol appeared. We only know that this happened quite a long time ago. Some tribes of ancient people had rituals of communicating with the gods and spirits of the dead. They used alcohol. It was made from honey, grapes and berries.

The first alcoholic drink to appear was beer. They began to cook it in Babylon, approximately 7 thousand years BC. e. Countries in which this drink was very popular are Ancient Greece and Egypt. Every day the inhabitants ate: bread, onions and beer.

Alcohol - what does this word mean?

Translated from Arabic it means intoxicating. It was these people who received alcohol at the beginning of the 7th century. Exists great amount legends associated with its appearance. One of them says that a monk named Valentius once made alcoholic drink. After drinking it, he became very drunk. And after he came to his senses, he said that he had found a remedy that could give him vigor and strength.

"Domostroy" and the attitude towards alcohol

The very first Russian book on the rules of life stated that “drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Society's attitude towards people who like to drink was sharply negative. A drunkard was condemned in every possible way, and making friends with him was considered a great disgrace. In the middle of the 15th century, vodka was invented in Russia. Its original name was bread, as it was made with grain alcohol. Vodka producers in Russia kept the recipe a big secret. With its invention, for another hundred years there were almost no cases of its abuse.

But from the middle of the 16th century, establishments where you could eat began to close throughout the country, and taverns began to open, which sold only alcohol. Therefore, the question of why people drink alcohol was no longer raised. They simply had nothing left to do, and how could it be otherwise if alcohol flowed like a river around them, and the poor man had nowhere else to go. The prices for alcohol were quite low, so even the poorest person could come to the tavern.

The most common myths about alcohol

In order to somehow justify the craving for alcohol, various arguments were invented in its defense. Their existence lifted many prohibitions, and the answer to the question of whether one could drink alcohol was no longer so important. Let's consider these arguments:

1. Alcohol helps you recover from colds. Alcohol dilates blood vessels, so a short time relief comes, which passes after a few hours, and the person only gets worse. In addition, people who regularly drink alcohol have a weakened immune system, and as a result, the risk of contracting various diseases increases.
2. A timid and shy person can forget about his inhibitions if he drinks alcohol. But the problem cannot be solved this way. Sooner or later, sobering up occurs, and awareness of your behavior can plunge you into depression.
3. You can easily cope with a bad mood. In fact, alcohol can lead a person to even more depressive state. Many suicides committed suicide while in a strong state
4. Helps you fall asleep quickly. Of course, you can fall asleep, but such sleep will not benefit your health. If you constantly drink alcohol to get rid of insomnia, it will eventually lead to serious problems with health and sleep.
5. Beer is not an alcoholic drink and is very healthy to drink. Lately varieties are produced in which the alcohol content is 10 degrees or higher. If you drink a bottle of this beer, it will have the same effect as a glass of vodka.

There are such reasons for drunkenness

"Wake, holiday, meeting, farewell,
Christenings, weddings and divorces,
Frost, hunting, New Year,
Recovery, housewarming,
Sadness, repentance, joy,
Success, reward, new rank
And just drunkenness - for no reason!"

Samuel Yakovlevich Marshak in his poem very well listed all the reasons why people drink. They can be divided into several categories. So why do people drink alcohol?

1. Emotional factor. When a person is tired or very upset about something, there is a desire to relax. For many people, alcohol is the very first and effective remedy to relieve fatigue and stress.
2. Psychological factor. Indecisive and insecure people very often take alcohol in order to make important decisions.
3. Social factor. At weddings, birthdays and other holidays it is not customary to do without alcohol. A person who does not drink is looked upon with condemnation, best case scenario with pity. In order not to look like a black sheep, you have to drink with everyone else. But there is another option to get out of the situation: change your environment to one in which everyone has the right to do what they want.
4. The so-called tasting factor. There are people who like this or that alcoholic drink. Its taste, smell, color. They drink one glass of wine or a glass of cognac, enjoying the process itself. The prices for alcohol do not bother them at all.

How to drink alcohol correctly

Should you give up alcoholic drinks altogether? A minority of humanity, familiar with such a concept as drinking culture, does this not only without harm to health, but also with benefits for the body. High-quality alcohol will not cause harm if you adhere to the following rules:

1. The most important rule when drinking alcohol, any kind, is moderation. Alcohol only in small doses will not harm your health. Scientists have experimentally proven that drinking 100 g or 300 g of wine per day will not cause harm male body, women need to reduce the amount of alcohol by almost half.
2. Do not drink on an empty stomach, as it increases. Fatty foods reduce the risk of intoxication.
3. Everyone knows very well that people start drinking alcohol with weak drinks, moving on to stronger ones. But for some reason many people forget this simple rule. Remember that if you have drunk or cognac, you should not drink wine or champagne after that. The result of neglecting this rule will be a severe morning headache.
4. If you want to avoid nausea and vomiting, do not snack on alcoholic fruits after feasts. Let it be: meat, fish, sandwiches with sausage, cheese, smoked meats.
5. It is very harmful to drink carbonated water. It increases the rate at which alcohol enters the bloodstream.

Types of alcoholic drinks

All alcoholic drinks are usually divided according to the number of degrees they contain. Based on this, they are: weak, medium and strong. In turn, each species has a huge number of varieties.

Low alcohol drinks include: beer, kvass, cider. The alcohol content in such drinks does not exceed 8 degrees.

Medium alcohol - wine, punch, grog, etc. With a strength of no more than 20 degrees.

Among the strongest alcoholic drinks: vodka, cognac, rum, tequila and others. The alcohol content can reach up to 80 degrees.

Consequences of alcohol

• With systematic abuse of alcoholic beverages, the likelihood of developing serious illnesses increases. These include: cirrhosis of the liver, heart attack, stroke, diseases of the kidneys and other organs of the body.
• Increased irritability, fatigue, aggressiveness.
• The number of traumatic situations on the roads is increasing.
• Women who frequently drink alcohol begin to develop a strong dependence on alcohol. Children born to such mothers get sick more often than their peers from mothers who don’t drink.
• The death of brain cells, as a result, mental degradation.
• Problems arise in family relationships. A person loses the ability to soberly assess a situation and make the right decisions.
• Alcohol dependence appears.

Interesting facts about alcohol

1. IN Ancient Greece the most revered of the gods was Dionysus. Every year, holidays were held in his honor, at which alcohol was drunk in huge quantities.
2. In Rus' they only drank mash and mead, and sometimes beer. Drank on major holidays, use different types alcoholic drinks in common days was considered unacceptable.
3. One of the reasons why people drink alcohol is to remember the dead.
4. If you drive in Uruguay drunk, then you will have a mitigating circumstance for traffic violations.
5. Most of the people who drink beer are not in Germany, as many believe, but in the Czech Republic.
6. There are hundreds of types of alcoholic drinks, but vodka is considered the most popular.
7. The most teetotal of famous people Adolf Hitler is considered.
8. Alcohol duplicates make yourself High Quality, using the same technologies as the originals, the only difference is the price.
9. The first canned beer began to be sold in 1935.
10. Alcohol is present not only in grapes, but also in ripe bananas, many varieties of apples and some types of vegetables.

Oh it's red wine

Doctors have long proven that any alcohol is harmful to the human body. But there is one alcoholic drink that can bring great benefit, if consumed in reasonable quantities. This is a dry red wine.

Firstly, it can have a detrimental effect on bacteria living in our body.

Secondly, dry red wine contains a large number of minerals: iron, zinc, chromium and others.

Thirdly, it has a beneficial effect on the heart and blood vessels. It also strengthens the immune system and increases the level of hemoglobin in the blood.

Top 5 most drinking countries in the world

Germany ranks fifth. In this country, alcoholic drinks can be drunk in in public places. The most popular drink is beer. Various festivals and holidays are dedicated to him. The most famous is Oktoberfest. It is held in October for two weeks to celebrate the harvest.

Denmark is in 4th place. The country has a very relaxed attitude towards alcohol, and about 90 percent of Danes over 14 years old drink openly.

The third place is occupied by the Czech Republic. It has the highest amount of beer consumption per capita.

France is in 2nd place. The French rarely have a meal without a glass of wine. The most famous champagne is sold here; duplicates of alcohol can be found in Russia.

Ireland is in 1st place. Research has shown that half of the country's population drinks alcohol at least once a week.

What to do if you have a hangover

Most of humanity at least once in their lives abused alcohol in the evening, and in the morning they suffered from hangover syndromes. Eat simple ways, which can alleviate your condition.

• Cleanse your stomach by drinking as much salted or mineral water as possible.
• Activated charcoal will help with nausea.
• Alternating between cold and warm showers will improve your overall condition.
• Take a walk outside.

Each person himself answers the question: “Is it possible to drink alcohol?” This is not the most important thing. After all, you can take one glass of good wine with dinner, or you can drink a whole bottle.

Drinking culture is something that every person who respects himself and those around him should be familiar with. Health is the most priceless gift that is given to a person, and doing anything that harms it is unforgivable.

Many people view alcohol as accessible and fast way relax, improve your mood and relieve nervous tension. Systematic consumption of alcohol leads to the formation of addiction, and the fleeting euphoria that alcohol gives is replaced by depression and a depressed state. We all remember the first acquaintance with alcohol: the taste is terrible, the sensations are not the most pleasant, a hangover is guaranteed. So why does a person drink, and what is so attractive about alcohol?

Causes of addiction to alcohol

Everyone knows about the dangers of alcohol abuse, and yet not a single feast is complete without alcohol. An alcoholic drink after a hard day at work is the norm for many, although there is no talk about the health benefits of alcohol-containing products. Where the best antidepressant is a sport, but drinking a bottle of beer or a glass of vodka is much easier, and the result will not take long to arrive. But this is not always the result that the drinker initially expects.

Our relationship with alcohol has developed over the years. In reality, every person's need for alcohol is minimal, but traditions force us to drink alcohol even when we do not need it.

We are talking about holidays, feasts and picnics, which can easily be held without alcohol, but due to tradition, they are always accompanied by toasts and drunken stupor. A person is always guaranteed to have a hangover after such events, but this does not stop him at all. It’s not so bad when people drink alcohol on holidays, but it’s worse if they start drinking every day, so to speak, “to relieve stress.” According to doctors, there are several reasons for this:

• psycho-emotional instability - people who are unable to solve problems or have a hard time stressful situations, calm themselves down with alcohol. This usually leads to the formation psychological dependence;
• character traits - a modest and reserved person, not very sociable in ordinary life, opens up under the influence of ethanol and becomes the soul of the party. Alcoholic drinks help him relax and get in touch with other people;
• physical dependence – occurs in those who abuse alcohol seriously. If a person drinks constantly, then without the next portion of alcohol he develops, which not everyone can survive.

And yet it is not clear why we should start getting acquainted with alcohol-containing products at all and why do people drink alcohol if they don’t need it in the first place?

Usually the first experiments are when the collective spirit is strong and the opinion of others is important to the teenager. Starting to drink alcohol for company, a person gets involved and develops loyalty to alcohol.

In a drinking party, it is difficult to notice that alcohol has become the norm. If the passion for alcohol crosses a dangerous line, then drinking alcohol every day is a necessity: it helps relieve and get rid of depression, which inevitably falls on those who fall into drunkenness. Ethanol promotes vasodilation, improves mood, and gives a short-term feeling of euphoria. These are perhaps the only advantages of alcoholic drinks, which immediately turn into disadvantages when the relaxation effect goes away. To keep yourself constantly in high spirits, you need to increase the dosage, and this always leads to alcoholism.

If the person was drinking for a long time, then he needs comprehensive detoxification body. In parallel, anti-alcohol treatment is carried out using drugs that form resistance to alcohol. Such products can be purchased online anonymously and without a doctor’s prescription. True, such compositions usually help cope with physical dependence, A psychological attachment alcoholism is difficult to overcome. This will require the help of a qualified psychologist and the persistence of the relatives of the alcoholic himself.

The dangers of alcohol addiction

We all drink without thinking about the consequences, and the price for not taking it seriously is own health comes quickly enough. If alcohol appears in the diet at least once a week, then you should be wary; if more often, then we are definitely talking about addiction. You should not console yourself with the thought that alcohol helps relieve stress and relaxes you. This is a powerful depressant that causes irreparable harm to health. A person who has been drinking for a long time cannot always return to the point of health that was at the beginning of his addiction to alcohol.

Cocktails that seem harmless at first glance, elite cognacs, freshly brewed beer - it doesn’t matter at all which drink this or that person prefers. Any alcoholic product contains ethanol, which affects everyone the same: it poisons the liver and destroys blood vessels. If the person is feeling anxious or under the influence stress factors, then they will bring him great benefit sedatives, selected by a doctor, not alcohol. If you lack emotions and new impressions, then you should think about sports and active leisure activities. If you have difficulties communicating with others, you should consult a psychoanalyst. Alcohol does not solve all of the above problems, but creates new ones, not only for the drinker, but also for his loved ones.

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“Alcohol harms humanity more harm than war, famine
and the plague together" (Charles Darwin)

Stupid features, irritability, uncertainty, dull eyes, feelings of guilt and shame... All this can be read on the face of a drinking person.

Why do people drink alcohol if it brings so much trouble and grief that even wars do not? Murder, robbery, fight, betrayal, accident, broken family, loss of job - this is just a grain of what comes with alcohol.

There are 4 main reasons that explain why people drink alcohol:

1. The alcohol program of the subconscious is a set of beliefs and beliefs that drinking is normal and even necessary;
2. The habit of celebrating any occasion and drinking on weekends, holidays, during meetings, after work;
3. Need for alcohol;
4. Alcohol addiction.

Let's take a closer look at them.

1. People drink alcohol because there is an alcohol program.

This subconscious program is formed from childhood. The child sees how close people drink alcohol on holidays, rejoice, sing songs, and dance. They feel good and have fun. The kid notices that if dad drinks, he becomes kinder, buys toys and laughs more often.

Children sit at the common festive table, listen to toasts and clink glasses with adults. Yes, there is juice in a child’s glass, but the belief is already ingrained in your head that you can only celebrate with alcohol.

"Ratatouille" (cartoon for children)

There were cases when children came to kindergarten after New Year holidays and played on holiday: they sat at the table and clinked their toy cups.

The alcohol program is also established through television, magazines, films, songs, and sayings. Remember any movie or TV series - people drink everywhere. “Enjoy your Bath”, “Old New Year", "The Diamond Arm", "Kitchen", "Interns", "Univer" ...

Everywhere people go through various life tests, adventures, events and drink alcohol. This forms deep-seated beliefs in the viewer’s subconscious that drinking alcohol is not only possible, but also necessary.

“The Diamond Arm” (cult Soviet film for the whole family)

It's the same in songs and sayings. “Wine has been given to us for joy”, “Whoever does not smoke or drink will die healthy”, “The drunken sea is knee-deep”, “I’m drunk and drunk...”, “I drink to the bottom for those who are at sea.” There are hundreds and thousands of examples. And every time, listening and singing along, a person strengthens his subconscious alcohol program.

2. People drink alcohol because it's a habit.

Culture and tradition shape the drinking program, which creates drinking habits. If we meet with friends, we definitely drink. If we celebrate a holiday, we drink. We go fishing, to the bathhouse, to nature, to a disco - we drink.

When a person starts drinking regularly: on holidays, weekends, after work, he develops a drinking habit. And the question no longer arises: to drink or not to drink, but the question arises: what to drink? Beer or wine, vodka or whiskey. That is, the question already falls into another plane, where any choice is false.

There was a time when every evening after work I would board a commuter train and drive home from Moscow. I bought beer to relax and distract myself on the road. At first it was one bottle, then two, three... And I could no longer imagine that I could drive home from work and not drink. It became a daily habit.

3. People drink alcohol because there is a need.

This happens when a person can no longer give up alcohol. He drinks regularly, once a week or more often.

Yes, he can regularly go to work, raise children, drive a car, manage people, that is, be a normal worker, husband, father. But without alcohol, this person can no longer rest, relax, he is always missing something. He's already looking for an excuse to drink. Finds and drinks.

I was just at this stage when I realized what a trap I had been sucked into.

4. People drink alcohol because they are addicted.

Need develops into addiction. A person can no longer control himself; he is controlled by alcohol. At first he is ashamed of his addiction and drinks on the sly. Then he no longer hides and drinks in front of everyone.

Alcohol becomes the meaning of his life. Relationships with loved ones collapse, he loses his job. Now he is surrounded by alcoholic drinking buddies. They gather in the morning somewhere in a “patch” near a store or in the courtyard on a bench and figure out how they can buy something to drink. They ask passers-by for money, take everything out of the house that can be sold...

And it all started so beautifully: a glass of champagne, cold beer with fish... Moderate “cultural” drinking creates alcoholic habits that lead to need and dependence.

In order to get rid of the alcohol habit, need and dependence, it is important to start by changing the alcohol program, which is embedded in the subconscious. It is this program - a set of false beliefs and beliefs - that is the root of all problems with alcohol.

To change these beliefs and change the program of the subconscious, you just need to find out the truth about alcohol.

What is alcohol and how does it work?

Alcohol, or spirit of wine, is an ethanol drug with the formula C2H5OH. Its effects have long been recognized by doctors around the world as toxic and narcotic.

Alcohol is also a huge, serious business that earns billions. The cost of a bottle of vodka is approximately 20 rubles. The cost in the store is from 200 rubles and above. The only more profitable trade is drugs and weapons. Alcohol magnates invest incredible amounts of money in promoting so-called “cultural” drinking.

But in society, alcohol is perceived as food product, which is served for the holiday. He amuses, fools, and with him people go through various adventures. And most importantly, he justifies the stupidity that a person commits while drunk: “Well, I was drunk, what can you take from me.”

There is not a single organ in the human body that does not suffer from alcohol. But the brain suffers the most.

I'll explain how this happens.

There are capillaries in the human body - the most thin vessels, through which oxygen and nutrients to all organs. Red blood cells move through capillaries blood cells, which carry oxygen from the lungs to every cell of the body. Red blood cells are covered with a lipid layer - a lubricant that allows them to easily slide through the capillaries.

Alcohol removes the lipid layer from red blood cells, and they begin to stick together. And they are already moving through the capillaries not one at a time, but in lumps, in the form of a bunch of grapes.

In the head, there are areas in the brain tissue where the capillaries are so thin that red blood cells (blood cells) can only pass through them one at a time. And when a lump of red blood cells that have stuck together under the influence of alcohol enters this capillary, a blood clot forms there. Like a traffic jam or a plug in a pipe.

The next morning, the dead cells leave the body along with water. Why do you feel so thirsty in the morning when you have a hangover? Because the body needs water to flush out the corpses of decaying cells from the head. They literally tear away from the brain tissue, which is why hangover headaches hurt so much. Dead cells leave the body in urine. Any conscientious doctor will confirm this to you - a drunkard urinates his brains in the morning.

And this does not depend on the dose. Any dose of alcohol - a glass of champagne, a bottle of beer, a can of cocktail or a shot of vodka - destroys the brain. Just than more people drank, the more destruction.

Look at the face of a drinking person - everything is written on it. You want to quickly look away from such a face. Why do you think? Because, like in a mirror, it reflects what you don’t want to accept in yourself. Any dose of alcohol brings you closer to such a face. And this process is irreversible; brain cells are not restored.

Think about this the next time you pick up a bottle of beer or glass of wine. Remember the face of a drinking man, his gloomy life, his terrible appearance, his depression and helplessness.

Do you really want to be the same?

Why do people drink alcohol?

Why do people drink? – strangely enough, neither can they really answer this question themselves drinking people, nor those who are trying to treat them. Drinkers come up with various excuses, but an honest answer, if given, is very rare. Why? Because drinkers themselves have no answer. But we will try to understand.

The reasons for drunkenness are different, and the most common is a lack of hobbies and interests. It is human nature to strive for pleasure, feeling better. But people who are passionate about something get satisfaction from their favorite activities, and alcohol only interferes with their activities. People are not born drinkers, they become drinkers, and quite slowly. This requires time, which a busy person simply does not have.

For many, going to a relative’s house for a birthday, wedding, or simply celebrating some holiday is simply a punishment. They want all this to end as soon as possible, and they will return to their favorite pastime. For some, it’s a sport, others are fanatically and constantly engaged in remodeling and improving their homes, others are obsessed with animals, and, in the end, business.

People climb mountains, go hiking, are captivated by the computer, etc. But all this, due to the significant difference between people in the structure of the psyche and level of intelligence, is not accessible to everyone. Not everyone. Probably everyone remembers their class, and the fact that there were excellent students, bad students, and good students, well, just like in any group of students.

I myself studied in five schools, so I have enough observations. And here are the conclusions I came to. The majority of good people do not become drunkards. Only in isolated cases. And the risk group includes excellent students and hopeless poor students. The first, probably because they didn’t get what they expected from life, the second, because they didn’t expect anything from the very beginning. That's about it. I'm only talking about the trend.

People who stand firmly on their feet are, oddly enough, usually made from bad and average students. The bad ones, not the completely hopeless ones. Although this does not mean at all that a great future awaits the unsuccessful student.

Conversely, excellent students rarely reach great heights. Again, there are no rules without exceptions. I'm talking here about percentage. Good and C students make up a larger percentage of independent, proactive people who are confident that they are right than excellent students. Although it seems that everything should be exactly the opposite.

The reason for this paradox is that successful and diligent students, for the most part, are very afraid of condemnation and censure, often achieving knowledge by meaningless cramming, without understanding the meaning of the subject being studied. The main thing is to get a good grade. It's theirs the main objective. In the worst cases, the only one.

Of course, ingenuity and ingenuity, among students with “excellent academic performance,” may sometimes be completely absent. Their entire life follows generally accepted rules, and they can only act within the limits of the knowledge they have received, or frankly, crammed into their heads. They always “know exactly” what is possible and what is not.

Losers often care what they think about them. They study only what interests them and do what they enjoy. They can go against social norms and generally against the flow of life more often and more freely. Will someone judge? They are not used to this. I've been judged all my life. That is, the brake on condemnation does not work here. Boring? I drank and became more cheerful. Well, what obstacles.

Mostly, of course, they drink themselves to death in their youth, when the wind is blowing through their heads. Excellent students may be overcome by vodka later, when they begin to realize that they will never get from life what they have been spoiled for. The fact that like attracts like is also of great importance. Loser students are drawn to poor students, excellent students to excellent students.

Well, together, those that are already strength. And if a former excellent student decides to drink vodka one more time, he will face condemnation from his friends. But when a person who was a poor student in the past decided to screw it up, he will most likely find support for the idea in his environment. The environment is of great importance.

It is also necessary to keep in mind that excellent students usually life path they start from universities, and poor students from vocational schools, or from factories. Where drunkenness is more developed, I think there is no need to say. What's in the factory? I came home from work - there’s nothing to do, let’s go drink beer. On the weekend again - take a bottle, let's go to me. That's all there is to it.

Sometimes even enthusiastic people start drinking. This happens in cases where for some reason they are deprived of the opportunity to do what they love. One of my close friends was very serious about motocross at one time. Took second place in Ukraine in the late 70s.

One day, my friend fell off his motorcycle so “successfully” that he was barely saved; his face was smashed into pieces on a stone. Big sport was closed to him. He started drinking. Motorsports was his life. This is how forgotten actors and athletes drink themselves to death. There is simply no need for them to be sober.

When a person's friendship with vodka goes far, another thing begins to play a role. The fact is that our bodies constantly produce substances - endorphins. They are also called “joy hormones” or “happiness hormones”. We need them to maintain normal vitality, to see life a little more rosier than it is. Their chemical composition and the mode of action is very similar to morphine.

There are people with a congenital deficiency of these hormones. They seem to be nailed down all the time, they are silent, you can’t get a word out, and when they drink, they just glow with happiness. Our body's self-regulation system strives to support mental condition a person at the required level, producing endorphins in a certain amount.

But when a drinker uses alcohol to almost constantly keep his mood higher than usual, the production of joy hormones is suspended. How else? If it’s so good, why develop anything else? It is precisely because of the similarity of endorphins with morphine that it is so difficult for morphine addicts to “get off the needle.” They stop producing essential hormones altogether.

Over time, many drinkers, and especially those who have reached the point of alcoholism, begin to experience depression when sober. “Happiness is not produced inside”; it awaits input from the outside. And until the poor guy drinks, he simply cannot return to normal. Normal condition becomes drunk. If you don’t drink at all for some time, for example a year, everything returns to normal. Again good without vodka.

Well, and of course, the most difficult case is the binge of an alcoholic. This option cannot be said in a fairy tale, nor can it be described with a pen. An alcoholic on a binge, as soon as he begins to sober up, often feels, without exaggeration, on the verge of death. Life appears in such a dark light that it seems it couldn’t get any worse. I am well acquainted with how an alcoholic feels at this time, so I never judge those who find themselves on a binge. Well, a person can’t cope. It's really very difficult.

By the way, once I caught a condition that made me believe that it could always be even worse. I achieved this through reckless use psychotropic drugs. I was twenty then. There is a draft in my head. I will definitely describe this moment sometime. When I remember what I experienced then, even now, thirty years later, I get goosebumps.

I put off writing this article for two months, it seemed so bad to me complex topic. But I re-read it, and it seems good. The main ideas are expressed. If you have any opinions, please express them in the comments. Any opinions, even complete disagreement.

So, let's draw the line. Why do people drink? I think we can draw the following conclusions:

From idleness, lack of vital interests.

There are many problems associated with alcohol, and the most important of them is alcoholism. But not all drinkers suffer from alcoholism. If you know when to stop and don’t drink often, then to an ordinary person Those who occasionally drink a glass of vodka or a glass of wine on holiday are not in danger of developing a persistent dependence on alcohol. But if you compare the usual healthy person, sometimes drinking an intoxicating drink, and an alcoholic, then each of them has their own reasons for starting to drink. Understanding these reasons helps to understand what makes some people start drinking more and more and become alcoholics, while others need to know when to stop and never cross this line. Moreover, understanding the reasons for craving for alcohol allows you to get rid of alcohol addiction. Psychological rehabilitation in the treatment of alcoholism is one of the important components of successfully overcoming addiction. The main task of such rehabilitation is to identify and eliminate the cause.

Stages of alcohol consumption

Usually the answer to the question of why people drink is of more concern to women who suffer next to an alcoholic husband. However, some representatives of the fair sex also have a craving for drinking alcohol. And on the contrary, they are not interested in finding the cause.

In surveys and studies conducted to find out why people start drinking, five main stages in the development of cravings for alcohol have been identified:

1. Often a person drinks his first glass for company or out of interest. Most people drink alcohol for the first time adolescence. But it’s too early to talk about the development of alcohol dependence. Typically, such early use of intoxicating drinks is associated with the teenager getting into a drinking company or with interest that arose against the background of stories from more “experienced” friends about the state of fun and euphoria after drinking alcohol.
2. Subsequently, the person begins to drink in order to once again feel the feeling of intoxication and relaxation. This usually happens in the same company where the teenager got his first experience. At the same time, a feeling of relaxation, fun and euphoria again visits the person, and the positive experience of drinking alcohol is repeated. At this stage, people drink alcohol because they enjoy it. This First stage formation of dependence.
3. Formation of psychological dependence on alcohol. At this stage, a person likes to drink on holidays, but over time he tries to find more and more reasons to drink. Thus, the interval between drinking alcohol is reduced. Drinking an alcoholic drink improves mood, and without it a person experiences a depressed state, Bad mood, irritability and aggressiveness.

1. Further reasons for drunkenness are no longer associated with a state of joy and pleasure, but with “treatment”, because an alcoholic needs to fight a hangover, and with a new dose of alcohol you can simply and quickly improve your well-being in the morning. Moreover, this stage of alcohol dependence is formed in people who like to drink almost every day. IN in this case The answer to the question of why people drink lies in the physical dependence on ethanol. This substance is firmly embedded in metabolic processes an organism that cannot function without alcohol. Moreover, it is very difficult to start quitting drinking at this stage, because the craving is so strong that a person cannot control his desires. If he starts taking vodka in the morning to get a hangover, he quickly enters a state of binge drinking.
2. On the most last stage Alcoholism patient cannot imagine his life without alcohol. And as soon as he tries to get out of the binge, his condition worsens sharply and the alcoholic has to drink again and again in order to feel normal. In this case, alcohol will not be a pleasure for him, but a vital substance that slowly kills a person.

As you can see, at each stage of drinking alcohol there are reasons that push a person to drink. Therefore, in order to answer the question of why people drink, you need to understand at what stage of acquaintance with alcohol a person is. Psychology is such that a teenager who has not tried alcohol cannot drink to get drunk, and the cause of alcoholism at the last stage cannot be the desire not to stand out from the company.

Psychological reasons

To understand why people drink alcohol, it is worth going beyond the five stages of addiction that we discussed above. Exists whole line reasons that are not so obvious and visible, but this does not make them less significant and serious. So, to understand why people drink, you need to study the psychological aspects.

Important: as a rule, if everything is good in a person’s life: there is Friendly family, beloved children, an interesting, well-paid job, varied leisure time, friends who don’t drink or drink moderately, everyone is healthy and happy, then a person has no reason to drink alcohol regularly.

Some of the psychological reasons why people start drinking include the following:

1. Loneliness is the reason for the development of alcohol addiction. When there is no one to talk to about life, its problems and sorrows, when there is no supportive and understanding person nearby, then drinking alcohol temporarily makes the world less hostile and the feeling of loneliness is temporarily dulled.
2. A person may not love himself, his shortcomings, or experience self-doubt. He tries to smooth out all this with the help of alcohol. Some people with obvious defects in appearance or speech feel awkward in society and are embarrassed about themselves, so they try to drown out this feeling with alcohol.
3. A person may start drinking to numb the severe mental pain that is associated with the loss of a loved one or a serious illness.
4. Quite common psychological reason sounds like this: for courage. To drown out fears, anxieties and concerns, a person can drink alcohol and become more confident and relaxed if he does not overdo the dosage.
5. Sometimes the answer to the question of why they drink lies in the nervous and psychological stress that many of us experience after a hard day. In this state it is difficult to relax and fall asleep. To get rid of psychological burden after work, not only some men drink beer, but also representatives of the fair sex relieve nervous tension in this way. At first it helps, but then the person experiences psychological, and later physical, dependence.
6. Some men, in response to the question of why they drink alcohol, namely beer, say that they like the taste of this foamy drink and this is how they quench their thirst.

Social reasons

Besides psychological aspects our desire to drink can be controlled and social reasons. Among them are the following:

• dissatisfaction with your life (work, family), financial and domestic problems;
• psychological pressure from colleagues, family members, superiors;
• lack of self-realization in family life, work, career, children, etc.;
• low social status;
• a drinking party that never misses a single holiday or celebration;
• traditions of drinking on all holidays;
• teenagers try to attract attention to themselves using alcohol.

Attention: do not forget about hereditary predisposition to alcohol addiction. If someone in your family suffered from alcoholism, then there is a high probability that when certain reasons or a combination of them appear, the person will start drinking.

False reasons

To find the answer to the question of why alcoholics drink, it is worth looking at the stages of alcohol consumption described above. The answer is obvious, they suffer from psychological and physical dependence. These are the two main reasons for drunkenness. But many addicted people try to justify their bad habit quite justified (in their opinion) reasons:

1. Drinking improves your mood. The catch lies in the fact that improvement in mood occurs only at the beginning; if a person continues to drink, then euphoria and joy are quickly replaced by irritability, aggressiveness, or, conversely, a depressed mood. To understand how unfounded this reason is, it’s worth remembering what a chronic alcoholic looks like. He definitely does not resemble a person in a good mood and spirit.

Important: the stage of alcoholic euphoria is only available to people early stage dependencies.

1. If alcohol is taken to normalize relationships between people, make new connections and acquaintances, then it is worth noting that ethanol destroys brain cells, which leads to dementia, and this, in turn, certainly does not attract people around you. Moreover, in a state of severe alcoholic intoxication, only a fellow alcoholic can understand a person with unrelated speech and a slurred tongue, but not his wife, relatives, children or work colleagues and superiors.
2. Another myth is that alcohol makes a person bolder. Here it would be more correct to say not bolder, but deprives him of his sense of self-preservation, which is why serious accidents, crimes and suicides so often occur while intoxicated. Moreover, a person under the influence of alcohol inadequately perceives the world and can't appreciate real threat his life.

1. Alcohol is also not a cure for a morning hangover. the right way out from the situation, since it contributes to binge drinking. It is better to improve the condition of the body with the help of medications and folk remedies than poisoning the liver and brain with ethanol again.

As you can see, all the reasons that force a person to drink are related to pleasure, imaginary self-confidence, the ability to drown out problems, improve mood or get a dose of courage. But in any case, alcohol gives only a temporary effect, after which not only a severe hangover sets in, but also addiction gradually develops, which in no way contributes to improving your life, solving problems and lifting your mood.