INTERVIEW – In his new job How to stop drinking without becoming boring? French addict and initiate Dry January gives up the keys to drinking little or too much at all and taking responsibility for it despite social pressure.
This is the story of a clumsy prank on the set of journalist Lea Salame What an era!On April 27, 2024, on France 2, his guest, the actor Artus, talks about the anxieties he goes through and how he overcomes them every day, in particular by stopping alcohol. “Ah, you were angry,” the host sums up in a mocking tone. Outrage among healthcare professionals. This sentence also prompted Professor Michael Nasila, a drug addiction specialist and president of the French and European Scientific Societies of Alcoholism, to write the book. How to stop drinking without becoming boring? which will be published this January by Solar Editions.He thus reaffirms certain truths. “Alcohol is not a small thing, and it is always good to reduce its consumption, regardless of whether you drink a lot or (…) a little,” he immediately emphasizes in the introduction. He also reminds us of the real dangers of this deadly product. “Its use has been linked to more than 200 diseases, and we are facing a veritable epidemic of alcohol-related liver disease, namely: drinking too much “. As part of the campaign Dry January – whose initiator is himself in France. the specialist explains to us why drinking alcohol is so common and how to get rid of it.
Madame Figaro: Why do we associate giving up alcohol with “getting boring,” to use the title of your book?
Professor Mikael Naasila:- The use of alcohol is part of our habits, it provides pleasure, it serves as a social lubricant. To turn away from it is to be a joy of murder, one who refuses joy. alcohol is everywhere, in commercials, media, movies, and TV series Sex and the cityalcohol is a symbol of the complex and worldly life of the heroines. This leads to the idea that the modern woman must drink in order to fit in socially.
Is it harder to abstain when you’re French?
I don’t think so, but one thing is certain. The government’s relaxed discourse on alcohol consumption clearly confuses prevention messages. We are still told about “moderation” when all consumption is a health hazard.at the end of Top 14 final won by Toulouse in June 2023 Editor’s note), this in itself contributes to the minimization of alcohol consumption. it’s crazy. We’re so careless that we’d rather treat the negative effects of heavy drinking by selling “anti-hangover” drugs that have no scientific evidence for their effectiveness than prevent them. No wonder non-drinkers are stigmatized , or 25% of the French believe that a small drink now and then protects against cancer. you need to notice early on that you are drinking a little too much, even before you fall into a spiral of addiction and harm your health.
The government’s relaxed discourse on alcohol use confuses prevention messages
Professor Michael Nasila, drug addict
What advice would you give someone who is afraid of being stigmatized for their abstinence?
You don’t have to feel guilty or try to make excuses. And if, despite everything, you are accused of being boring because you don’t drink tonight, try, depending on the context, sarcastically: “don’t worry, I’ll have just as much fun without being drunk.” Those who are uncomfortable with abstinence may also allow a little lie that isn’t really a lie; pretending to have an important meeting the next day, taking medication, or even going back to sports.Finally, it’s important to remember one thing. By abstaining, we choose a better lifestyle, we want to feel better and healthier.
Dry January is also a good excuse to stop in. 4.5 million French have it participated in 2024 . Why do you think this is a good initiative?
Stopping alcohol, regardless of its duration, is definitely good for your health. This is what most challenge participants experience, with short-term physiological benefits such as better sleep (71% of respondents), increased energy, lower blood pressure, and even weight loss will be very significant depending on the person’s main consumption, age and history of consumption spread in society, it helps us develop a strategy to give up alcohol.Studies show that after 6 months of dry January, even if you drink again, consumption decreases significantly. After a month of stopping, some patients even tell me that they no longer tolerate the drink as before.
Do you recommend talking about alcohol as a family? At what age should you approach this topic with children and what words should you use?
The average age of the first “cooking” is about 15 years, but the dialogue should actually take place much earlier.Through regular interventions in elementary school, we noticed that students in CM1 and CM2 already know the names of all spirits. At family aperitifs, they are informed very early on. So parents should start a dialogue about the dangers of alcohol, because their behavior greatly affects them. That’s why we use simple words when we talk about the consequences. alcohol can change behavior, it is dangerous to health, it is one of the main reasons for hospitalization in France and it can be fatal. We can also show children that happy moments can be enjoyed without alcohol.Finally, the medium-term goal is to limit the age of first contact with alcohol and the quantities consumed.
Agreed Report of the French Observatory on Drugs and Addiction (OFDT) Young people drink less alcohol in November 2023 than in 2017, the date of the previous report. Generation Z is even described as “sober and curious.” How to explain that?
We still don’t know how to explain this trend, but we can put forward some hypotheses. It seems that since the Covid-19 period, their social interactions have been limited and young people prefer social networks girls are more aware that they are vulnerable targets in the evening that their drinking glass can be drugged without their knowledge.Please note, this does not mean that all young people are completely abstinent or have not substituted one product for another, as evidenced by the abuse of nitrous oxide (laughing gas, editor’s note). But the lack of interest in alcohol is more than among adults, whose level of consumption is still worrying. This more broadly shows the desire of the youngest people to have a general well-being, through sports activities, or simply to have a healthier life. This is a good sign for future generations.
Source: Le Figaro
