--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Alcohol is like anything else. It's only…" description: "\"Alcohol is like anything else. It's only as bad as the person it's being poured into. If it's used to heighten an occasion, or to take an edge off stre..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/bill-lee-26393_alcohol_alcohol-is-like-anything-else-it-s-only_3124266.jpg" --- # Alcohol is like anything else. It's only as bad as the… ![“Alcohol is like anything else. It's only as bad as the person it's being poured into. If it's used to heighten an occasion, or to take an edge off stress, I don't see a problem. Trouble starts when you either lose control and let the bottle run you, or when you believe its promises of immortality…” quote by Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/bill-lee-26393_alcohol_alcohol-is-like-anything-else-it-s-only_3124266.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/bill-lee-26393_alcohol_alcohol-is-like-anything-else-it-s-only_3124266.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/bill-lee-26393_alcohol_alcohol-is-like-anything-else-it-s-only_3124266.jpg) > “Alcohol is like anything else. It's only as bad as the person it's being poured into. If it's used to heighten an occasion, or to take an edge off stress, I don't see a problem. Trouble starts when you either lose control and let the bottle run you, or when you believe its promises of immortality. You realize that no matter how much you punish yourself, you always seem to wake up the next day. Pretty soon you're convinced that you will never die. When that happens I guess it is time to look for help before your life becomes one long, lost weekend.” [Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Alcohol's impact depends on the drinker; moderate use can be harmless, but loss of control leads to addiction and existential escape. **In simple terms:** Alcohol mirrors the user; misuse harms. Key Takeaway Use responsibly or seek help. Themes addiction self‑control escape Mood reflective cautious Type advice warning When to use this quote - social events - stress relief - personal crisis - recovery - health counseling Key Concepts dependence psychology Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your loss of control? - How can you replace alcohol’s promise of escape? A Different Perspective May underestimate genetic or social factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alcohol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol/) [Alcohol Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol-like-394619/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Bottles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottles/) [Convinced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convinced/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Edges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edges/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Help Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-life/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Immortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immortality/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Lose Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lose-control/) [Loses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loses/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Next day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-day/) [Occasions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasions/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress/) [Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Wake up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wake-up/) [Weekend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weekend/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [Alcohol is like Photoshop for real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ferrell/alcohol-is-like-photoshop-for-real-life/) [Will Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-ferrell/) > [Alcohol is like pouring smiles on your brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/alcohol-is-like-pouring-smiles-on-your-brain/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [Ah, sweet alcohol. Like a true friend, you replace the anger with better, louder anger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-k-milholland/ah-sweet-alcohol-like-a-true-friend-you-replace-the-anger-with-better/) [R. K. Milholland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-k-milholland/) > [“Alcohol was like a fun cousin I visited every once in a while but never planned a trip around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-fabiaschi/alcohol-was-like-a-fun-cousin-i-visited-every-once-in-a-while-but/) [Abby Fabiaschi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-fabiaschi/) > [I don't like alcohol, but I still like to mess around with other stuff occasionally. I think it's important I take mushrooms and acid.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-dando/i-don-t-like-alcohol-but-i-still-like-to-mess-around-with-other-stuff/) [Evan Dando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-dando/) > [Celebrating anything without alcohol is like watching an adult film on a radio...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nashsixtynine/celebrating-anything-without-alcohol-is-like-watching-an-adult-film/) [Nashsixtynine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nashsixtynine/) > [“It wasn't an effect of alcohol. It was more like we got drunk on the night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-sales/it-wasn-t-an-effect-of-alcohol-it-was-more-like-we-got-drunk-on-the/) [Leila Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-sales/) > [Alcohol is like love. The first kiss is magic, the second is intimate, the third is routine. After that you take the girl's clothes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/alcohol-is-like-love-the-first-kiss-is-magic-the-second-is-intimate/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [I don't know if enjoy is the right word for alcohol. I like to drink, but I don't like enforced social drinking. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/i-don-t-know-if-enjoy-is-the-right-word-for-alcohol-i-like-to-drink/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [(After getting out of another treatment center) I came home one Sunday morning. I sat on the edge of my bed. I never grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-haizlip/after-getting-out-of-another-treatment-center-i-came-home-one-sunday/) [Jay Haizlip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-haizlip/) > [Waking up early on Saturday gives me an edge in finishing my work with a very relaxed state of mind. There is a feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/waking-up-early-on-saturday-gives-me-an-edge-in-finishing-my-work/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Living each day is just another blessing you have know idea when the world will end or when one of your loved ones are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow-timmi/living-each-day-is-just-another-blessing-you-have-know-idea-when-the/) [Unknow Timmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unknow-timmi/) > [“A story might help you get through your life, he said, but it doesn't literally keep you alive -- if anything, most often people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hannaham/a-story-might-help-you-get-through-your-life-he-said-but-it-doesn-t/) [James Hannaham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hannaham/) > [Choose to look at illness and death in positive ways rather than negatively will help to give your life here on the planet deeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phylameana-lila-desy/choose-to-look-at-illness-and-death-in-positive-ways-rather-than/) [Phylameana Lila Desy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phylameana-lila-desy/) > [When I was growing up, my mother, who had been through a lot of terrible things in life, taught me that when life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-seymour/when-i-was-growing-up-my-mother-who-had-been-through-a-lot-of/) [Jane Seymour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-seymour/) ## More by Bill Lee > [When cerebral processes enter into sports, you start screwing up. It's like the Constitution, which says separate church and state. You have to separate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lee/when-cerebral-processes-enter-into-sports-you-start-screwing-up-it-s/) [Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) > [You take a team with twenty-five assholes and I'll show you a pennant. I'll show you the New York Yankees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lee/you-take-a-team-with-twenty-five-assholes-and-i-ll-show-you-a-pennant/) [Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) > [Smoking's a way to let you down slowly from a ballgame. It also makes you use less of the resources around. It makes people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lee/smoking-s-a-way-to-let-you-down-slowly-from-a-ballgame-it-also-makes/) [Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) > [That was real baseball. We weren't playing for money. They gave us Mickey Mouse watches that ran backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lee/that-was-real-baseball-we-weren-t-playing-for-money-they-gave-us/) [Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) > [The most important question regarding Big Data at almost any company is: How much are your customers really worth?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lee/the-most-important-question-regarding-big-data-at-almost-any-company/) [Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) > [ I told \[reporters\] that I sprinkled marijuana on my organic buckwheat pancakes, and then when I ran my five miles to the ballpark, it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lee/i-told-reporters-that-i-sprinkled-marijuana-on-my-organic-buckwheat/) [Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) > [Baseball is a lot like the Army, there aren't many individuals. About the only difference is that baseball players get to stay in nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lee/baseball-is-a-lot-like-the-army-there-aren-t-many-individuals-about/) [Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) > [“They say that time heals, but the intensity remains fresh and raw.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lee/they-say-that-time-heals-but-the-intensity-remains-fresh-and-raw/) [Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) > [Kids don't learn the fundamentals of baseball at the games anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lee/kids-don-t-learn-the-fundamentals-of-baseball-at-the-games-anymore/) [Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) > [The other day they asked me about mandatory drug testing. I said I believed in drug testing a long time ago. All through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lee/the-other-day-they-asked-me-about-mandatory-drug-testing-i-said-i/) [Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) > [I was always matching wits with authority. Pondering over my past and present hassles, I began to wonder why my life had taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lee/i-was-always-matching-wits-with-authority-pondering-over-my-past-and/) [Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) > [Most of the managers are lifetime .220 hitters. For years pitchers have been getting these managers out 75% of the time and that's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lee/most-of-the-managers-are-lifetime-220-hitters-for-years-pitchers-have/) [Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) > [The only rule I got is if you slide, get up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lee/the-only-rule-i-got-is-if-you-slide-get-up/) [Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) > [The more self-centered and egotistical a guy is, the better ballplayer he's going to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lee/the-more-self-centered-and-egotistical-a-guy-is-the-better-ballplayer/) [Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) > [I would change policy, bring back natural grass and nickel beer. Baseball is the belly-button of our society. Straighten out baseball, and you straighten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lee/i-would-change-policy-bring-back-natural-grass-and-nickel-beer/) [Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) [Explore all 21 Bill Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) ## More Alcohol quotes > [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Stronger than alcohol, vaster than poetry, Ferment the freckled red bitterness of love!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rimbaud/stronger-than-alcohol-vaster-than-poetry-ferment-the-freckled-red/) [Arthur Rimbaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rimbaud/) > [And, when night Darkens the streets, then wander forth the sons Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/and-when-night-darkens-the-streets-then-wander-forth-the-sons-of/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [ \[As in the case of\] alcohol prohibition, illegality has driven organized crime, sent countless people to jail, and killed many thousands. Repression does not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-branson/as-in-the-case-of-alcohol-prohibition-illegality-has-driven-organized/) [Sam Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-branson/) > [You can get a new phone or new trainers (sneakers) but you've only got one body so you have to look after it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyson-beckford/you-can-get-a-new-phone-or-new-trainers-sneakers-but-you-ve-only-got/) [Tyson Beckford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyson-beckford/) > [Alcohol doesn't console, it doesn't fill up anyone's psychological gaps, all it replaces is the lack of God. It doesn't comfort man. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/alcohol-doesn-t-console-it-doesn-t-fill-up-anyone-s-psychological/) [Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/) > [In 1969, I gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-best/in-1969-i-gave-up-women-and-alcohol-it-was-the-worst-20-minutes-of-my/) [George Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-best/) > [Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house unless they have a well-stocked bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/thou-shalt-not-covet-thy-neighbor-s-house-unless-they-have-a-well/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [Alcohol is like Photoshop for real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ferrell/alcohol-is-like-photoshop-for-real-life/) [Will Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-ferrell/) > [“Alcoholism is a choice... not a life sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-norman/alcoholism-is-a-choice-not-a-life-sentence/) [David Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-norman/) > [Blunt force didn't knock out the drug epidemic. 21 million Americans are addicted to drugs or alcohol. And half of all federal inmates are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-botticelli/blunt-force-didn-t-knock-out-the-drug-epidemic-21-million-americans/) [Michael Botticelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-botticelli/) > [I go to parties sometimes until four, it's hard to leave when you can't find the door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-walsh/i-go-to-parties-sometimes-until-four-it-s-hard-to-leave-when-you-can/) [Joe Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-walsh/) > [I can't fill the hole with money. I can't fill it with alcohol, or drugs, or sex, so what do I need to fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-victor-hansen/i-can-t-fill-the-hole-with-money-i-can-t-fill-it-with-alcohol-or/) [Mark Victor Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-victor-hansen/) > [Cocaine decisions that you make today, will mean nothing later on when you get nose decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/cocaine-decisions-that-you-make-today-will-mean-nothing-later-on-when/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [I take really good care of myself. I promised myself long ago that I would never miss a hunting season, never poison my sacred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/i-take-really-good-care-of-myself-i-promised-myself-long-ago-that-i/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) [Browse all 1,953 Alcohol quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Alcohol is like anything else. It's only as bad as the person it's being poured into. If it's used to heighten an occasion, or to take an edge off stress, I don't see a problem. Trouble starts when you either lose control and let the bottle run you, or when you believe its promises of immortality. You realize that no matter how much you punish yourself, you always seem to wake up the next day. Pretty soon you're convinced that you will never die. 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