> People are able to be themselves and relax when they feel safe. Safe from judgement, rejection, reprisal, etc. When you're with a group of people you don't know, you don't know how safe they are.

And how is any of that related to alcohol? My friend can open up to me when we are in a safe environment without the need for first ingesting a drug. It's not the alcohol that causes the safety.

Maybe it's a ritual, that could explain things partially. But maybe a ritual worth abandoning. Just like we did with smoking, and everybody gained (well except the tobacco industry).

I'm sure the boozemakers won't let go without a fight though. But so far they have plenty of help.

Kurzgesagt did an excellent video about that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOwmt39L2IQ

It talks about how harmful alcohol is, but also how it benefits society.

> And how is any of that related to alcohol?

Alcohol relaxes and you often get judged less when you are silly while you are drunk.

Think of it as lubrication, the gears spin fine without it, but it's easier with some grease.

> My friend can open up to me when we are in a safe environment without the need for first ingesting a drug. It's not the alcohol that causes the safety.

But that's not a party. I mean, there are people that open up when drunk, but they do it with strangers. But if you are opening up to a friend, a real friend, I would say the norm is to do it without any substance involved. Because the barriers are already not there.