I realized a while back that Alcohol just steals joy from the future and uses it up in the present moment, but the way it does so is on a rising curve of what I liken to joy debt.

A beer in the evening after a hard day of work isn’t really going to accrue any joy debt. No hangover, no real long-term negative effects.

A night out with moderate drinking, not to the point of intoxication, incurs a joy debt that you’ll likely pay for in the morning in the form of a headache. A strong coffee and a good breakfast pays off most of the debt but you’re still in the hole for a couple hours after. Frequent repetition of this incurs a sneaky kind of joy debt that slowly accrues over time and if not controlled will fuck up your health as you age, but can be reversed if you get things under control.

Getting proper drunk fucks up the entire next day. Basically an entire day of joy debt. Your rager last night was paid for by both your wallet and your well being the next day. God forbid this becomes a regular thing for you. One of the worst examples of joy debt I can think of is liver cirrhosis.

So yeah I agree, alcohol can help mood if you’re not the kind of person that gets angry when they drink but it can also indebt you in some really fucked up ways that sneak up on you pretty quick.