Most people that I've met (who may not be considered alcoholics) certainly have some level of alcohol dependency. And, I'm being loose here with the word 'dependency', but in the last year, I've never seen one of my friends or acquaintances refuse alcohol at a bar or restaurant, while others were drinking.

However, that does bring up the issue of money and alcohol. Restaurants seem to push the stuff pretty heavily, at least in the US. There should at least be some restrictions on the amount of profit that bars / restaurants can make off of it.

There is outrage and 'civil unrest' in some sort surrounding other drugs; the difference is the communities in which it manifests.

The war on drugs very disproportionately affects people along lines of race and socioeconomic status[0]. These communities certainly are outraged at how their families and communities are being destroyed (literally) by the prohibition of these drugs and the societal ramifications that go along with the prohibition. The difference is that they're not in a position to voice that outrage as loudly.

Remember why prohibition of alcohol was repealed - wealthy taxpayers were mad that their tax bills went up after the passage of the 18th amendment (the government could no longer make revenue off of alcohol taxes). This is exactly why initiatives to legalize marijuana in Colorado (Amendment 64), Washington, and California (Prop 19) have used the language 'tax and regulate'. It's not some crazy new idea - it's literally the same tactic that succeeded in passing the 21st amendment!

[0] http://www.amazon.com/New-Jim-Crow-Incarceration-Colorblindn...

I've never seen somebody refuse the optional free pickle spear at the sandwich line at work.

But yeah, social pressure != dependency.

That responsible low-level use tends to need strong laws to enforce it.

Minimum unit pricing (which only affects the very cheap, poor quality end of the market); tight alcohol and drivng limits; time restrictions on serving alcohol.

See eg the measures that France brought in (less dead people from cirrhosis; less dead and injured from traffic accidents; more profitable drinks industry) to England, which has seen a five fold increase in cirrhosis over the same time.

Alcohol has enormous costs which are mostly hidden because people don't want to accept the truth.

I would argue that people drinking enough to incur liver damage are doing so not because alcohol is addictive but because they have other psychological issues for which alcohol is the only effective relief. In which case, if it weren't for alcohol, they'd do something else. You can't make the whole world a padded cell.

Do you have a source for that?

Some quick googling found this study which suggests it happens

  [1] http://www.jrf.org.uk/system/files/1859354254.pdf

Only because of the wide spread of use.

Oh, and they controlled for the obvious correlations too, like lifestyle differences etc.

Well, you can die with heavy dose of water too. Actually not even that heavy, people have died drinking like 7-10 liters.

>The side effects of moderate use of pretty much every controlled substance are pretty much insignificant

Yeah, but the research shows moderate use of alcohol not only doesn't have bad effects (even if insignificant) but it even has significant (measurable) beneficial effects.

Citation? Also, what's 'moderate' use for you? A 'standard drink' equals about 10 grams alcohol, the German institute for addiction (DHS) says* that the threshold dose for risk free consumption is at 20 grams per day, with two days break per week. Above you are risking a plethora of health risks, from mouth cancer, to liver deseases, breast cancer and what have you. There are some benficial health effects, but none of them are 'significant'.

*http://www.dhs.de/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/dhs_stellungnahm...

There are many ways to judge the statement 'most harmful drug', so there's no bright line, but that's a pretty big mark against alcohol.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delerium_tremens [1] Ibid.

The reason mescalin makes you puke is not because it does a body good.