After writing several novels set in the distant future and quietly drifting from one side of this topic to the other, I'm finally asking science fiction fans: How common will alcohol be in the distant future when alternatives are becoming more and more common?
Right now there are several companies working on everything from alcohol substitutes that don't give you a hangover, to synthetic recreational substances that are designed to just barely pass FDA approval. Other interest groups are trying to legalize marijuana and still more are trying to de-popularize the use of alcohol as well as its consumption on television and film. It seems to me that within my lifetime there may be other legal recreational options, so why not in the distant future?
Battlestar Galactica call their booze Ambrosia, while Star Trek the Next Generation came up with the hangover free Synth-Ale. The reboot takes things back to basics, going as far as to use brand names like Budweiser. I'm a little surprised science fiction hasn't already diversified to be honest.
The question I ask on my web page boils down to this:
So, what do you think of social consumption of mood altering substances (besides alcohol) in science fiction?
Please add your two cents one way or the other. Your thoughts may help shape a science fiction universe once and for all on this topic.
You can find the rest of this discussion and the original article here:
http://randolphlalonde.blogspot.com/...in-future.html