I would say most people who have never had a drink also have this in common. My point is that alcohol is one of the single most prevalent and passive destructive forces in polite adult society.

I have never had a problem with this, the problem I have is that those in the wine at dinner crowd think the rest of the world can behave just like you when real life examples (numerous examples) prove otherwise. That is also tiring.


...and yet each night without exception is filled with examples of why, while true, this statement is irrelevant.

I understand your need to be understood as a social drinker, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I was a drinker for half my life, but because I quit doesn't mean I want you to. I am simply asserting that the dangers and harmful effects of alcohol far outweigh the benefits.

In my ten years working at a bar, I attended no less than seven funerals, knew ten people who died directly from drinking-related issues (seven of the ten were the funerals), know three people who have served over 30 days in jail for excessive DUI and now must drive around for two years with an Interlock device, pay steeply higher insurance rates and live with the stigma. While this may seem like an extraordinary example, it is what really happened to drinking buddies, not a sum of random patrons who have had negative experiences.

After all those red flags you'd think I would've quit sooner, but I 'had a handle on it.'

The good things about drinking? I can say that I have networked well in a drinking environment, and have landed two good jobs through friends of friends of drinking buddies. Certain wines/beers taste good with certain foods. Average looking people get laid more often (thank you, the 80's), and one can karaoke and dance much better while drunk.

It ain't all bad, it is just dangerous in how it crosses from moderate to excessive while one isn't looking.