Science

Can't watch the whole thing right now but I disagree with what I saw.

If we want to talk about ancient Eastern philosophy, the fifth precept in Buddhism specifically advises against intoxicating drinks and drugs. While plenty of Buddhists deviate from that in practice, I think they got it right as a general advisory.

People really love the idea of having a "shortcut" or "hack" to reaching a particular state of consciousness, but that kind of defeats the point. It's cliche, but the journey is more important than the destination. Real personal development is not about reaching some special state of consciousness, it's more about reflecting and being able to face yourself in the mirror, "warts and all," and face your demons without turning away.

I drink alcohol sometimes. I happen to be a happy drunk, who can keep it in moderation. But it rubs me wrong when people try to promote some substance as a path to "enlightenment" or "spiritual fulfillment" or whatever. Like, do drugs, drink alcohol, whatever, have fun, but if you're just having fun, be honest with yourself about that. Not everything you do has to have a moral component, and trying to add that to an activity reads as insecurity to me, and it's better to face that insecurity rather than rationalizing it away. Like, I play video games, but you don't see me trying to assign some kind of moral virtue to it.

Promoting alcohol as this "path to enlightenment" is also problematic because alcohol addiction is a real, observable thing. Is it worth causing harm to people who do have issues with it by promoting it? "Screw alcoholics, I need to reach an enlightenment!" is not how anything works.