Three Words That Say It All
There’s a phrase I heard years ago that stuck with me:
Cunning, baffling, and powerful.
Three simple words that describe alcohol better than any scientific definition 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 will ever be a problem.
We drink to relax, to unwind, to celebrate, to fit in.
But alcohol doesn’t take over all at once.
It works slowly, in the background.
It convinces us we’re in control while it quietly reshapes what “normal” feels like.
That’s what makes it dangerous. Not just the chemical impact, but the illusion it creates. The way it convinces us we’re fine, even when the warning 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 trains us to reach for it without thinking. And then it makes us believe it was our idea.
That isn’t coincidence. 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 whether it’s really “that bad.”
That’s the baffling part: the disconnect between what we know and what we do.
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 the pause between problems.
The Turning Point
The moment things begin to change 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 fighting a willpower battle and start stepping out of the trap.
Not through shame.
Not through fear.
But through clarity.
— Brent