There is not a single reason for any human to get access to alcohol to drink.
Edit 1:
Just to add the people who say that banning does not work is like saying banning guns does not work because people is going to find a way to get them or like saying we should not have speed limits because it does not prevent people from speeding. (Their opinions does not make sense to me)
There is not a single reason for any human to get access to alcohol.
But there is. Because people enjoy it. Because it is a carrier of culture, tradition, and history. There are many things that people do that have risks, negative health effects, etc. Should all of that be illegal? Rock climbers sometimes need rescue, whose cost is often born by the public. Cell phones cause distracted driving. Processed foods make it easier for people to overeat, become obese, die, and create costs for society along the way.
Your premise is that there isn’t some transactional, functional value of alcohol. But people aren’t robots and we get value from the emotion and experience of things.
Tax alcohol to cover negative externalities, enforce drunk driving laws, force disclaimers about the health impact, and let people make informed, but free, choices.
Good unpopular opinion though. Good discussion! Have a great day!
If you think people think about culture when they drink cheap booze, you are insane. Heroin has such a rich culture and people have done it for so long now, why isn’t everyone doing heroin?
No one said cheap alcohol except you. I brew beer, discuss brewing beer, and very much appreciate the culture and history of brewing. I also enjoy reading about classic cocktails, and occasionally having some. I’ve read entire books about the history of distilling, the origin of terms like the angels share, etc.
The opinion posed wasn’t that we should get rid of cheap alcohol, but that all alcohol should be banned everywhere.
