Mental Illness

[sexobon]

In other countries where alcohol consumption is accepted, it has often been considered to be in the same category as food and other beverages. There's even been a correlation between the types of alcohol and foods for each region. Here, it's mostly been perceived as a drug (i.e. a recreational pharmaceutical rather than a part of; or, extension of meals). In other countries, alcohol may be administered as a medication and adjunct to treatment in healthcare settings. Here, it's almost never used that way which relegates it to the status of an illicit drug (albeit legal). These differences have been diminishing as changing global socio-economic conditions increase the level of alcohol abuse across the board and others (politicians in particular) find out through cross cultural experience that it's easier to do what we here have always done and stigmatize the substance (alcohol) rather than address the underlying causes for its abuse. These relationships are more apparent to healthcare professionals like wolf who deal in part with the ramifications of these issues.