The recent Plain English episode on Weed and Alcohol was eye opening to me.
It was about weed’s displacement of alcohol and nicotine as American’s preferred vice of choice. And in the opening of the program Derek mentioned something he and I both find fascinating. Weed, or THC to be exact, tends to be associated with solo usage or small groups of friends. Think perhaps a group of four to five people. This is in stark contrast to alcohol which is, on average, makes us friendlier, more gregarious and in a bubblier type of mood. It’s often associated with groups, parties, and other activities that involve strangers meeting each other. This was kind of a revelation to me. But it makes intuitive sense when you think about books like Bowling Alone.
Americans are hanging out in ever smaller groups of people and, based on things like Twitch and other live stream Youtubers, nowadays the people we hang out with may not even be in the same room, state or even country. Our parents or grandparents generations didn’t have that luxury. They had friends in their churches, clubs or other organizations and they sometimes got stuck with annoying, arrogant, or unpleasant members. Alcohol helps ease those tensions and dull the annoyance. It enabled your dad or grandpa to go to their local American Legion, Elks Lodge, Freemasons, Union meeting, business luncheons etc. and deal with, whatever, that jackass Ben once they’ve had a few slippery martinis.
As those organizations wither and atrophy though, it follows that the lubricant that helped them run sees an equally strong shrinkage effect. Weed is the new drug of choice because we’re alone more then ever now and socializing in ever smaller numbers.