This author seems very defensive to be having their favorite mind-altering addictive drug viewed negatively. Alcohol may have some positive effects, just like smoking also does, but no one is going to encourage smoking, anymore than any responsible medical person should ever encourage the use of the world's most destructive drug - alcohol.  Over 70% of USAmericans polled say alcohol has adversely affected their lives and it would take me 3 hands worth of fingers to count the deaths due to alcohol of family, friends and co-workers from first or second hand alcohol, yet none of these same groups have any died from smoking.

According to the WHO alcohol kills 6.5 times more people worldwide than all other drugs combined.  Too many people, including in the medical fields, are alcohol users, and it is disturbing to think they will try to pretend that alcohol is a positive health choice.  

I'm shocked that such a pro-drug article could be published on this medical website.  Alcohol destroys lives and quality of lives, causes awful birth defects (how can that be if it is so healthy?), causes disease, destroys childhoods and careers and families, it costs the US over $220 Billion every year!

Whoever wrote this idiotic paean to this ugly drug needs to conduct some serious self-evalutations of their problems and get some help.