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Comment by lujim | Hacker News Reader

Alcohol itself is kind of an accident. If it was invented today we would never legalize it. First - I partake and don't have a problem if other people do, and - I don't think prohibition on any level would work with alcohol.

However I can't imagine how much better off humans would have been if it never existed or was completely toxic to us.

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I sometimes wonder if there is still a mindset passed on from the 20's and 30's prohibition era that alcohol is illegal and therefore cool/badass. Before that was it just a way of life or was it always like this? I constantly hear family members and other grown adults talk about it like its the greatest thing ever. All of their social events revolve around it and it's just so cool to talk about drinking and getting drunk. It really drives me mad. These aren't raging alcoholics either (at least most of them). Isn't there a lot more to life than alcohol? Why does everyone want me to drink with them so badly? I might honestly enjoy trying various craft beers and such if everyone's obsession with the stuff didn't annoy me so much. /rant

Because it's fun. It's usually that simple.

Sometimes people like doing it because it lowers inhibitions and allows them to be more of their real selves. In that case they are bandaiding their own repression.

But mostly, it's because it's fun.

Agreed. Its the least interesting way to have 'fun' I can imagine.

It's at least more complicated than that. Per capita consumption was very high in the early 1800s.

Anti drink was a social movement in the US for quite some time before it was law:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperance_movement

Powerful words. I couldn't agree more.

Wasn't alcohol (also accidentally) integral to making water potable? If I remember correctly it took quite a long time to realize that heating the water was what was actually sterilizing it.

Yeah I guess you're right. I just meant that it would probably have been a big win for humanity if it wasn't addictive (to some) and intoxicating.

Not preaching as I am am far from a non drinker, it's just that as you get older you see more the nasty side and less of the fun side. Your hard partying pals from college have either transitioned into light drinkers or sad dependent stumbling cautionary tales.

Yeah, I actually think we would have been better off without it as well. On a related note, I stopped drinking a while ago and I don't miss it at all. But I really wish it wasn't such a sin to avoid it. I'm not opposed to drinking so I'll have a token beer but I just don't find it appealing.

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