It could be very fuckin destructive addiction-booze.Hard drug for me
Although my father drank himself to a miserable early death, I personally view alcohol as a rather benign substance for me. Unlike many other drugs, I can control alcohol and I can do it in moderation (moderation being subjective, of course). I don't like the effect of ethanol during daytime at all, it just makes me feel drowsy and unwell when I drink in the morning or at lunchtime. I also don't like being really drunk, which just feels unpleasant. I usually stop drinking before I am really drunk. Two or three beers, or a bottle of wine is good but more makes me tired and drowsy.
I got severely hooked on cannabis (psychological, that is), benzos got me hooked almost instantly, amphetamines got me hooked badly, GHB turned into a massive habit and let's not even begin with opioids, that was instant love and marriage for me. All drugs that really work well get me hooked. Alcohol is shitty enough to not get me, and so is nicotine. I smoked cigarettes on and off and could never understand how people get hooked on that crappy substance.
I am also not convinced that daily but moderate alcohol use is that bad for your health. 1 litre (33 ounces) of beer a day or half a bottle of red wine per day is probably fine or even good, health wise. Medical doctors make other claims but I don't think they've got solid data on that. I live in the middle of a wine growing region and everyone in these rural areas drinks wine all the time, it is a food staple for them. They seem healthy and happy enough.
All of that said, I totally realize that alcohol is hurting and killing people, families are impacted by the atrocious behaviour of drunk fathers and mothers. Alcohol causes violent behaviour in many, it makes people do really stupid things they regret later on. It was an awful substance for my own dad. In hindsight, I should have tried to get him to smoke weed instead. Maybe that would have taken care of the demons in his head. He had lots of demons in there, poor man.