Going the other direction, he’s right that alcohol is really really bad for you. It’s relatively expensive, bad for your liver, addictive, and has really horrible short term side effects (most drugs don’t give you hangovers). People who are drunk behave in a destructive way to other people and property, and often make decisions they will later regret. Alcohol addiction is responsible for a huge amount of broken marriages, failed careers, and homelessness.
But because alcohol is culturally entrenched pretty much everyone tries alcohol at some point. Some people don’t like it and stop. Most others eventually calibrate to the right level of use for them to maximize the good effects and limit the bad ones. Plenty end up addicts. I know far too many people who have, or have had, an alcohol problem. I also know far to many people who don’t have alcohol problems, but ended up in hospital due to alcohol overdose.
Even those people who are calibrated sometimes get in a bad patch, start drinking too much, and end up addicted, but that’s a lot less likely to happen once you reach a stable relationship with alcohol. And drinking in moderation isn’t necessarily bad for your health, but it’s not exactly great either.
I think this is a good model for a lot of hard drugs, like LSD, Heroin, Cocaine, Ecstasy etc. Sure most people who try them are mostly fine, but they also destroy a lot of lives.
However, because they’re illegal you get a whole extra bunch of downsides that alcohol doesn’t have. They’re often very expensive, and buying them puts you in touch with extremely unsavoury types, meaning that getting addicted can put you in a lot more trouble than alcohol can. The local liqueur store rarely breaks your legs when you fail to pay your bill. Being caught with them can give you a criminal record which can affect your career for life. Taking them into another country can land you in jail for life, or even executed.
The question of whether the law is correct to ban these drugs and not alcohol is very different to the question of whether you yourself should take them.
Meanwhile let’s move onto caffeine. I’ve never heard of anyone with a crippling caffeine addiction, and caffeine is pretty cheap and has pretty limited side effects. At the same time, a huge percentage of the population is unable to function in the morning until they’ve drunk their coffee, gets nervous if they can’t get their fix, and suffers from withdrawal headaches if they go too long without caffeine. A lot of people also suffer from constant jitters due to permanent caffeine overdose. That’s not good, even if none of this is life destroying. If you can avoid that dependence, why wouldn’t you?
This is a good model for a lot of similar “light” drugs, such as nicotine (not smoking, that’s deadly), marijuana, khat, etc. None of them have common life destroying side effects, but all of them are addictive and have some unpleasant side effects. If you can avoid that dependence why wouldn’t you?
So what advice would I give you? I think seriously, and honestly engage in these points with your son. Aim to explore the truth rather than persuade. He knows that his claims that certain drugs have no side effects are BS. All drugs have side effects. Point out that a rationalist aims to find the truth, rather than drawing the circle around where they want the truth to be and finding arguments that will get them there. It’s important to honestly consider the costs benefits for each one, rather than trying to be edgy and claiming that there aren’t any costs.
At the same time, do the same yourself. Research what alcohol is doing to you, and how likely middle aged men with regular non addictive alcohol usage are to develop a problematic relationship with alcohol. Do an honest cost analysis, and if the upside isn’t worth it, change your own lifestyle.
Going the other direction, he’s right that alcohol is really really bad for you. It’s relatively expensive, bad for your liver, addictive, and has really horrible short term side effects (most drugs don’t give you hangovers). People who are drunk behave in a destructive way to other people and property, and often make decisions they will later regret. Alcohol addiction is responsible for a huge amount of broken marriages, failed careers, and homelessness.
But because alcohol is culturally entrenched pretty much everyone tries alcohol at some point. Some people don’t like it and stop. Most others eventually calibrate to the right level of use for them to maximize the good effects and limit the bad ones. Plenty end up addicts. I know far too many people who have, or have had, an alcohol problem. I also know far to many people who don’t have alcohol problems, but ended up in hospital due to alcohol overdose.
Even those people who are calibrated sometimes get in a bad patch, start drinking too much, and end up addicted, but that’s a lot less likely to happen once you reach a stable relationship with alcohol. And drinking in moderation isn’t necessarily bad for your health, but it’s not exactly great either.
I think this is a good model for a lot of hard drugs, like LSD, Heroin, Cocaine, Ecstasy etc. Sure most people who try them are mostly fine, but they also destroy a lot of lives.
However, because they’re illegal you get a whole extra bunch of downsides that alcohol doesn’t have. They’re often very expensive, and buying them puts you in touch with extremely unsavoury types, meaning that getting addicted can put you in a lot more trouble than alcohol can. The local liqueur store rarely breaks your legs when you fail to pay your bill. Being caught with them can give you a criminal record which can affect your career for life. Taking them into another country can land you in jail for life, or even executed.
The question of whether the law is correct to ban these drugs and not alcohol is very different to the question of whether you yourself should take them.
Meanwhile let’s move onto caffeine. I’ve never heard of anyone with a crippling caffeine addiction, and caffeine is pretty cheap and has pretty limited side effects. At the same time, a huge percentage of the population is unable to function in the morning until they’ve drunk their coffee, gets nervous if they can’t get their fix, and suffers from withdrawal headaches if they go too long without caffeine. A lot of people also suffer from constant jitters due to permanent caffeine overdose. That’s not good, even if none of this is life destroying. If you can avoid that dependence, why wouldn’t you?
This is a good model for a lot of similar “light” drugs, such as nicotine (not smoking, that’s deadly), marijuana, khat, etc. None of them have common life destroying side effects, but all of them are addictive and have some unpleasant side effects. If you can avoid that dependence why wouldn’t you?
So what advice would I give you? I think seriously, and honestly engage in these points with your son. Aim to explore the truth rather than persuade. He knows that his claims that certain drugs have no side effects are BS. All drugs have side effects. Point out that a rationalist aims to find the truth, rather than drawing the circle around where they want the truth to be and finding arguments that will get them there. It’s important to honestly consider the costs benefits for each one, rather than trying to be edgy and claiming that there aren’t any costs.
At the same time, do the same yourself. Research what alcohol is doing to you, and how likely middle aged men with regular non addictive alcohol usage are to develop a problematic relationship with alcohol. Do an honest cost analysis, and if the upside isn’t worth it, change your own lifestyle.