Society or culture might promote, condone, encourage or cause excessive consumption, self-centred behaviour or turning to 'things' to solve the problems of living.

A minority of us turn specifically to alcohol and with a smaller minority it becomes so all-consuming we have real diffuculties. Alcoholics are not the only ones with problems but alcohol is a very specific problem.

Drinking cultures come and go, problem drinkers remain the same. Always been the same - see for example the gin craze in England/ Europe or prohibition in the US.

Alcohol aside, Carl Jung had some interesting things to say about your question:

"The Undiscovered Self: The Problem of the Individual in Modern Society."

Perhaps since I got soberI see more abuse than I did was I was drinking.I do know that alcohol related deaths are at the top of the list for teenage automobile accidents. I think to because drimking has become so socially accepteded that we put its dangers on the back burner. I believe the same holds true for prescription drugs.Case in point, Last month i had a flare-up of arthitis in my neck. As opposed to fixing the problem or even addressing the problem my Dr, prescribed 90 Vicodan with 3 refills,???
It apparently is accepteed practice to mask the symptoms as opposedd to addressing the problem. I also believe that Doctors are giving us what we want. Society needs awareness on drugs and alcohol. Allowing your teen to drink at home so you can keep an eye on him is giving him a licence to drink when youre not there. Common sense could go a long way.
Greg

More accurately is society alcoholic and drug addicted?

Don't think so, we are a small minority in the big picture. If your question was is there a lot of abuse going on? Then I would say yes.

If you understand what addiction is in general which the simplest way to explain it is 'If your doing something unhealthy and can't stop no matter how much you try to control it'.

I certainly disagree with the anti Anxiety and Anti Psychotics part. I am on both for a severe case of Bipolar 1 and its not considered a relapse. I take everything as directed. So be careful what you call a drug. Some people need them. Watch what you say

You're lumping a lot of substances together that don't necessarily belong together. Anti-anxieties and anti-psychotics are valuable for people with mental illness or brain chemistry imbalances. In the old days, these people had to suffer and lead very limiting lives. Are they over-prescribed? Yes. But they serve a good purpose too. Yes, we are prescribed too many pharmaceuticals but we live longer and more productively than our grandparents, etc, who didn't have access to this stuff.

As for alcohol? A normal drinker really enjoys one or two after work. Then they stop. Could they live without it? Sure, but it's one of life's little luxuries if you are not alcoholic.

How about coffee? Could I live without it? Yes, But I'd rather not.....I really enjoy it and it sets up my morning.

As for other drugs like cocaine and "designer" drugs, yes they are bad news But coke has always been bad news. In short, I'm more concerned about the "hard drugs" and I always ask questions when my doctor wants to prescribe something long term.

BUT I'M GOING TO KEEP MY COFFEE! And my chocolate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDlH9sV0lHU

Thanks for that excellent link Nemo.

Nemo, that was my take on psychiatric drugs in 1980 when I was put on a psych ward for six weeks and saw what was around me. The real shame is that there are people who DO need them. Very, very sad and very, very costly!

No, society is not alcoholic. But we do suffer from mass insanity on many levels, and we tend to display this sickness in a number of ways. Not just through substance abuse, but through violence, pornography, war, etc.....

Nemo-are you a Scientologist? That video is made my the disciples of L. Ron Hubbard. If you are great-if not, always check your sources.

KK,
'
Thanks, I hadn't noticed that and thanks for the heads-up. But even if the source has a dubious agenda of its own, I find both the information and the people who gave their testimony generally credible based on what I've seen and read elsewhere. One of my parents' best friends in the '50's& '60's was a renowned psychiatrist, and we all used to get drunk together. Hey, is that kewl or what?

I did not mean to infer that it was wrong to take presciption meds under the right circumstances, I sometimes require Buspar myself and realize that many meds, are needed to treat illnesses.
These agents, properly utilized do not constitute a slip .
In fairness however, i mentioned them because of their potential sedating effect.
Nemo, great link . The new big pharma philiosopy is for life long medication, be it for HBP, drug addiction, or mental illness. Look at " methadone maintenance" . It much easier to take a pill than to take steps, work on issues, have surgery or lose weight. Sometimes it requires both, but it should seldom be just meds.
As for weather or not society is alcoholic I think I could make a case for it under the DSM .

We in North America tend to be indoctrinated with media from day one of growth. We are trained to follow our brainwashed mind. We identify with what our minds tell us.

Essentially, most people are their minds and its thoughts.

Well I think that you've put to many things into that "alcoholic" category. Then for an extra added "put it all in one pot and stir" youve added social drinkers in there too.
I guess for me I'd say that it seems society (western cultures) do promote a quick fix. Our society is tolerant of alcohol and to a degree legal drug abuse. Does society "cause" alcoholism? I don't believe so. Do anti psychotics belong in the same category as opiates and alcohol? I don't believe so.

Great point BBH, it's all part of the new government driven and controled economy.
We are the most incarcerated society in the world, yet we jail people for smoking pot and having concensual sex . Why? To hide the fact that we don't have enough jobs ?

In my opinion, what you're talking about is society being sick, compulsive and obsessive, so that most of us continue to behave in various ways that harm us. Sometimes heard that described as the Human Condition. We get neurotic and fixated on things that help to relieve the suffering, even temporarily.

Alcohol is certainly condoned as a solution to the problem.

You know they used to give a ration of booze to the slaves in Ancient Egypt to help keep them working harder. What's the betting that around 10-20% would have been swapping their food for an extra drink?