The book I am currently reading, called Sober Living for the Revolution, is a very interesting look into a subculture of punk, called straight edge, in which people abstain from intoxicants. A very common theme throughout the book is linking this subculture to radical politics, and the idea that social change cannot be obtained within the throes of “intoxication culture”, meaning, at its core, the culture we have built around intoxicants.
This is a quote taken from an essay about alcoholism in radical communities
“Think of all the power we could have if all the energy in the world – or maybe even just your energy and effort? – that goes into drinking were put into resisting, building, creating. Try adding up all of the money people in your community have spent on corporate libations, and picture how much musical equipment, bail money, or food it could have paid for.”
p168-169
I found this entire essay very interesting – it showed how much our upbringings, and the political climate really do affect our use of intoxicants, and how it prevents meaningful social change from being attained. Although i may not agree with some of the more radical beliefs in the book (I know how ironic that may sound,) it was an extremely engrossing read, encompassing many essays and interviews, and it really helped make light of many issues our society has with intoxication.