Our relationship with alcohol is fraught. Ancient customs might inspire a reset.

Rethinking Our Relationship with Alcohol

Our relationship with alcohol is fraught. As evidence of alcohol's harms mounts, some people are testing out sobriety.

Drinking in the past was social and ritualized, with less potent brews. Our ancestors tended to drink in regulated environments, with relatively weak spirits.

Scholars suggest looking to ancient civilizations' ways for a reset. The month provides an opportunity to drink less, or not at all.

However, for people evaluating their long-term relationship with alcohol, what happens once the month is over? Back in the 1990s and 2000s, it was believed that a drink or two a day, especially red wine, was good for health.

“Everyone loved that story,” says Anya Topiwala, a psychiatric researcher at the University of Oxford.

But now, drinking even a few times a week has been linked with numerous health problems, particularly cancer.

Author's summary: Rethink alcohol consumption with ancient customs.

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Science News Science News — 2025-10-17

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