Kerby Anderson

If you spend any time viewing social media, you have probably seen a few clips from notable experts on the dangers of alcohol. We know so much more about its dangers than we did just a few decades ago.

Professor Jordan Peterson warns that “alcohol is an extraordinarily pernicious drug.” He understands why people would use it because of its anxiety reducing properties. But he argues that alcohol is a really bad drug. He says, “50 percent of murders take place in an alcohol-fueled environment, either the victim or the perpetrator or both are drunk. It’s almost the sole cause of domestic abuse. It’s almost the sole cause of so-called date rape.”

He also adds that “it’s the only drug we know that actually makes people more aggressive.  Alcohol can turn perfectly good people into impulsive and dim-witted monsters.”

Dr. Daniel Amen, MD explains that he started looking at the brain in 1991. He found that people who drink every day have a smaller brain and when it comes to the brain, size matters. He reports that “people who drink every day have more disrupted white matter in the brain. The white matter brain cells are the communication network. It’s the highways. People who drink, even a little bit, have more disrupted communication networks.”

He also points to the fact that “the American Cancer Society came out last year and said you shouldn’t drink because any alcohol is associated with an increased risk of seven different kinds of cancer.”

Six years ago, I did a commentary on alcohol consumption based on a study in the journal Lancet that concluded there was no safe level of alcohol consumption. Each year we seem to be learning even more about the dangers of alcohol.