A word about etOH

It's interesting how hypocritical the medical world can be regarding alcohol use. Doctors have some of the highest rates of drug and alcohol abuse. In class we have learned over and OVER and OVER in multiple body organs and venues how alcohol damages the body's normal processes and can cause great damage over time and even present short-term toxicities. AND YET, there has been a consistent yet subtle pressure to use alcohol as a coping mechanism by both professors and students. For example, when a professor would present a difficult subject, he would several times prefaced the powerpoint slide with "just sit and stare at this a while with a glass of merlot." And it wasn't just 1 prof, it's been several. Another example is that after every test, there is an official class get-together at a bar, where many students drink their stresses away in celebration. The pairing of alcohol and coping, I believe, is setting people up for a crash if the pattern continues.

Thankfully, I don't have to drink and choose not to cope with stress that way, and have other friends in class who don't either. But it does strike me as strange in the juxtaposition of the two sides. I know that alcohol use does not equal alcohol abuse, but in a particularily stressful environment, if one is not careful, I can imagine it being a kind of slippery slope. I also realize that people can be self-controlled with alcohol, and that there may be some health benefits to a small amount of alcohol, but I just choose not to go there I guess and so rather find other ways to have a good time and improve my own health.