Like you might expect OP, these scenarios rarely follow a path of sudden, spontaneous death. The people who are truly in danger are the ones who have no control. Someone with a serious drinking problem, say, 20+ drinks a day, they are walking a dangerous line. You are very right to be cautious regarding this process, but you are not likely to just drop dead from having a few drinks.
If you can enjoy Alcohol and not get overly intoxicated, it can be a great social lubricant and it can be a habit similar to smoking. You get out of work, you've gotta have a couple drinks to unwind. If this is the case, I say more power to you. The human body is capable of metabolizing small amounts of Alcohol without issue, but Alcohol misuse in the extreme is, in my opinion, the most serious scourge on the planet.
I live in Burlington, VT currently. We attract a lot of homeless due to the easy access to benefits and such. I walk by them every day drinking 12% abv beers in the freezing cold. Doing nothing. Some of the clearly have wet brain and are no longer truly, fully human. Fuck Alcohol and sorry for the diatribe.
