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Drinking your Pain Away: Is the consumption of alcohol in Kabir Singh misleading?



A dishevelled Shahid Kapoor with his uncombed hair and shaggy beard is sitting in front of the alcohol shop waiting for it to open, his hands are trembling and his eyes are full of anger, pain and misery. At the crack of dawn, the shrieking voice of the shutter alarms him. He takes a crate of desi daru (local whiskey) and darts back to his apartment. He drowns himself in misery and alcohol while recollecting details of how his ex-lover (Preethi) left him. This is just one of the scenes from ‘Kabir Singh’, where a brilliant medical student with anger issues resorts to alcoholism to ease his pain and suffering after his breakup. In this essay, I will argue that the portrayal of the relationship between ‘alcohol’ and ‘depression’ is both misleading and dangerous for the audience. 
According to George Koob, the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, drinking alcohol is a common form of self-medication for depression (Hay). Experts also suggest that pop-cultural references such as Kabir Singh where drinking is glorified when dealing with heartbreak or professional setbacks influence people’s perception of alcohol as a stimulant used to relieve stress (Davis). 
Scientific research demonstrates that a limited amount of alcohol can help people take the edge off stressful and anxiety-provoking situations. There is credible evidence for the fact that alcohol suppresses the frontal lobe which is responsible for heavy thinking and planning (Hay). It also increases the release of serotonin and endorphins, creating an illusion of brief euphoria and relaxation (Harrison). In the stages of initial drinking, people might get drawn to these short-lived benefits of alcohol.
What these movies fail to explain is how these initial euphoric phases are followed by a drowner phase where alcohol slows down mental processes, metabolism, sleep cycle and appetite. Since cognition, body metabolism and sleep and appetite disturbances are primary symptoms of depression, drinking can severe these symptoms and make the conditions worse. 
Portraying instances where Shahid Kapoor survives on just nicotine and alcohol for days straight is grossly dangerous. When vulnerable teenagers consume this content, they believe alcohol to be a quick fix for all their personal and professional problems. The fictionalising and dramatising of the happy-end of the movie where Shahid Kapoor finally reconciles with his ex-lover might suggest the audience that alcohol can be a quick solution in difficult times, and when things get better, people can magically quit drinking. However, in reality, alcohol depresses the activity of the frontal lobe. So the sudden absence of alcohol causes those areas to be hyperactive leading to higher anxiety, irritability and paranoia (Milam). 
Also, the fact that Shahid was able to perform complex surgeries successfully in the influence of alcohol is misleading and dangerous. The way alcohol tampers with neurological networks of the body and affects control and coordination is far more serious and complicated than its portrayal in the movie. For an average human being, overdose of alcohol can inhibit all the functions of the frontal lobe like informational processing, logical reasoning and motor functioning (Abernathy). 
Very recently, a tik-tok star killed his girlfriend (who was a flight attendant) under the heavy influence of alcohol after he found out that she was getting married to someone else. During the investigation, it was found that he was influenced by ‘Kabir Singh’ as he often posted dialogues and images from the movie. Further, on his last video, he says a dialogue from the movie “'Jo Mera Nahin Ho Sakta, Usse Kisi Aur Ke Hone Ka Mauka Nahin Doonga” (“If she can’t be mine, then she can not be anybody else’s). If the influence of this movie is so widespread that it can prompt acts like murder, then for people to start drinking during depressive periods is relatively obvious and dangerous. This is mainly because Indian audiences very conveniently let movies steer their lifestyles and beliefs. 
The uses of dialogues, music, lighting, costume, and a host of other artistic disciplines in Kabir Singh advocates, even if unwittingly, the idea that alcohol can help you snap out of depressive periods. This kind of portrayal is especially harmful in a country like India, where mental health facilities are rare and there is a certain stigma attached to seeking help in times of distress. Instead of guiding the audience in the right direction to seek clinical help in times of depression and distress, filmmakers are irresponsibly choosing overdramatic and commercially-profitable storylines. 
Bibliography

1. Abernathy K, Chandler LJ, Woodward JJ. Alcohol and the prefrontal cortex. Int Rev Neurobiol. 2010;91:289– 320. doi:10.1016/S0074-7742(10)91009-X
2. Davis, M., Eshelman, E. R., & McKay, M. (2008). The relaxation and stress reduction workbook. New Harbinger Publications.
3. Harrison. (2019, October 29). The effect of alcohol on neurotransmitters in the brain. Retrieved from https://www.accessmedicinenetwork.com/users/82976-harrison-s-self-assessment-and-board-review/posts/34085-the-effect-of-alcohol-on-neurotransmitters-in-the-brain.
4. Hay, M. (2018, June 20). Here's Why Depressed People Should Not Drink. Retrieved from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/mbknav/all-the-reasons-you-shouldnt-drink-when-youre-depressed.
5. Milam, J. R., & Ketcham, K. (2011). Under the influence: A guide to the myths and realities of alcoholism. Bantam.

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