Alcohol Fetish

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As humans, we all yearn to be free, yet we are trapped by expectations, responsibilities and standards placed upon us by the modern world. Alcohol creates freedom and vulnerability for individuals oppressed by the dynamics and speed of everyday life especially in very developed ‘high class’ nations. Alcohol particularly creates this freedom for individuals in disenfranchised populations, where expectations from a foreign “sophisticated” ideology overwhelm the people of the once free nations. And because alcohol creates a free and youthful state of mind, it becomes fetishized. In order for one to defetishize alcohol, and drinking to escape from reality, one must look at their reality and question what reality they are escaping in the first place. In the paper, I first examine the history of alcohol in different cultures and societies. I then talk about how the type of culture a person lives in, whether it is sophisticated or more ‘third world’, reflects one’s relationship with alcohol. Sex and vulnerability also plays an important role in the fetishizing of alcohol in most communities; I observe this next and how it relates to individual’s overall creation of freedom. Lastly, I look at how individuals are better able to have fun, at all ages, when drinking. All in all proving that drinking alcohol creates a state of freedom for people who lack freedom because of their realities.

The history of alcohol, unlike many other commodities on the market dates back very far into history. Each and every part of the world seems to have their own personal relationships with the popular beverage. Brewing of alcohol dates back to the beginning of written civilization, and possibly before. Ancient Babylonians, as well as the Ancient Egyptians ...

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Brave Heart, M., Chase, J., Elkins, J., & Altschul, D. B. (2011). Historical Trauma Among Indigenous Peoples of the Americas: Concepts, Research, and Clinical Considerations. Journal Of Psychoactive Drugs, 43(4), 282-290. doi:10.1080/02791072.2011.628913

Hanson, David J. Preventing Alcohol Abuse: Alcohol, Culture and Control. Wesport, CT: Praeger, 1995

Mohindra, K. S., Narayana, D. D., Anushreedha, S. S., & Haddad, S. (2011). Alcohol use and its consequences in South India: Views from a marginalized tribal population. Drug & Alcohol Dependence, 117(1), 70-73. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.12.021

Yuan, N. P., Eaves, E. R., Koss, M. P., Polacca, M., Bletzer, K., & Goldman, D. (2010). “Alcohol is Something That Been With Us Like a Common Cold”: Community Perceptions of American Indian Drinking. Substance Use & Misuse, 45(12), 1909-1929. doi:10.3109/10826081003682115

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