About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about the presence of alcohol and alcohol addiction in society, focusing in particular on: (i) the fact that alcohol is one of the most common addictions in modern, European society; (ii) a key factor in the prevalence of alcohol addiction being its ease of access and societal acceptance; (iii) the early presence of alcohol in ancient societies, highlighting the time it has had to become intertwined with life; (iv) caffeine as an example of a modern, acceptable drug, despite its comparisons to less acceptable drugs, with regard to people’s dependence on it; (v) the social expectation factor of alcohol consumption and the somewhat socially celebrated negative outcome of drinking it – the hangover; (vi) Michael Pennington’s (Johnny Vegas) quote, which highlights the disparity between the acceptance of alcohol consumption and the rejection of those who become dependent on it; (vii) a 2023 article from The Independent, which uses its headline and subheading to present positive and negative outcomes from alcohol consumption; (viii) another 2023 article from The Independent, which uses the headline and subheading to present only negative outcomes from vaping; (ix) a comparison to the Mail Online reporting on the same topics; (x) an assessment of the articles in the context of social acceptance and responses to different forms of addiction, this being centred around alcohol consumption and the use of e-cigarettes.

About the lecturer

Dr Dean Burnett is a neuroscientist, author and honorary research associate in the Centre for Medical Education at Cardiff University. Dr Burnett’s research interests are in neuroscience, science communication and psychology. Some of Dr Burnett’s recent books include Psycho-Logical (2019) and Why Your Parents Are Driving You Up The Wall And What To Do About It (2019).