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Alcohol is kind of a menace on a society-level. There's a very strong correlation between alcohol intoxication and violent crime, e.g. murder, rape, marital violence. For example there was a 1990 study which estimated that more than 50% of assaults and murders involved the assailant being under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol is also involved in a large percentage of traffic and pedestrian deaths. Alcohol messes with the proper development of brain structures and alcohol consumption during pregnancy is the leading cause of mental retardation, which constitutes a massive drain on society's resources. A lot of people are also unaware that there's a correlation between alcohol and cancer in a linear-dose response, it appears to act as a carcinogen and tumor-promoter. It's not a huge concern if you only drink occasionally, but it does start being meaningful when you're dealing with moderate drinkers and more.
The bad reputation is well-earned. I think people are kind of blind to how bad it is because alcohol is normalized in our culture, nobody even thinks of it as a 'drug' even though it is. However, I do agree that on an individual level there are people that can absolutely control their consumption and it will never cause an issue in their lives.
The bad reputation is well-earned. I think people are kind of blind to how bad it is because alcohol is normalized in our culture, nobody even thinks of it as a 'drug' even though it is. However, I do agree that on an individual level there are people that can absolutely control their consumption and it will never cause an issue in their lives.