Emily Cunningham

I've learned from Indigenous leaders that alcohol can literally be a matter of life and death for many native people. 2/

Alcohol isn't safe – it's harmful. "there is no known safe dosage [of alcohol] in humans, according to the WHO. Alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer, but it kills more women from breast cancer than from any other." 5/

There's a link between alcohol and domestic violence. According to the WHO: "Strong links have been found between alcohol use and the occurrence of intimate partner violence in many countries" https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/factsheets/fs_intimate.pdf … 6/

Alcohol is a depressant and is used by many people to *numb* their feelings. When was the last time you heard of someone drinking in their therapy or counseling session? 7/

I'll push back on this one point: Among scientists, there are real sociocultural barriers that make it particularly hard to share emotions; a beer can help. At the end of the day, I'd call for climate cafe participants to be compassionate, aware, responsible adults.

Thank you for sharing, Peter. Many people also find smoke breaks to be a bonding experience with others where they can open up more. But I don't think smoking – or drinking – are actually (truly) helpful ingredients for people to openly share and be vulnerable. 1/