They go on to argue that affluenza causes overconsumption, ‘luxury fever’, consumer debt, overwork, waste, and harm to the environment. This leads to ‘psychological disorders, alienation and distress’,11 causing people to ‘self-medicate with mood-altering drugs and excessive alcohol consumption’.12 Affluenza may not be a genuine class of illness, but we all recognize the symptoms. This is what living in Babylon does to some people.
