There’s a phrase I heard years ago, one that stuck with me:
Cunning, baffling, and powerful.
Three words that describe alcohol better than any scientific definition or medical diagnosis ever could.
Because alcohol isn’t just a substance. It’s a system — one that’s designed to trick us, over and over again.
The Illusion of Control
Most people don’t start drinking thinking it’ll become a problem. We drink for the usual reasons — to relax, to unwind, to feel good, to fit in.
But alcohol doesn’t take over all at once.
It works gradually, in the background.
It convinces us we’re in control — while it slowly reshapes what “normal” feels like.
And that’s what makes it so dangerous. Not just the chemical impact, but the illusion it creates. The quiet way it convinces us that we’re fine — even when the signs are stacking up.
Cunning
Alcohol adapts. It hides in plain sight.
It shows up as celebration, routine, relief, reward.
It blends into culture, into habit, into identity.
It teaches us to reach for it without thinking — and then makes us believe it was our idea.
That’s not accidental. That’s design.
Baffling
The confusing part is how normal it all feels.
We can know it’s hurting us — and still reach for it.
We can wake up full of regret — and still repeat the pattern.
We can see the damage and still question if it’s “really that bad.”
That’s the baffling part: the disconnect between what we know intellectually and how we behave in the moment. It’s not about logic. It’s about a system that’s been running in the background for too long.
Powerful
Alcohol doesn’t just affect the body — it rewires the brain.
It reshapes our stress response.
It distorts our reward system.
It numbs pain temporarily while amplifying it over time.
And the longer we’re in it, the harder it gets to tell the difference between real relief… and just the pause between problems.
The Turning Point
The moment things start to shift is the moment we stop blaming ourselves — and start seeing alcohol for what it really is:
- A system that feeds on repetition
- A cycle that pretends to help
- A problem that disguises itself as a solution
Once we understand that, we stop trying to win a willpower battle — and start stepping out of the trap.
Not through shame. Not through fear. But through clarity.
— Brent