Alcohol is neither good nor evil, It just is. The same as guns, witchcraft, nuclear power, the force, etc. it’s in how you use it. It is responsible for a lot of societal ills, it is also a big reason why we developed civilization. There are some that would argue that one of the reasons we stopped hunting & gathering is because we got tired of lugging jugs of mead or wine around & settled down to tend to bees & grape vines. It has been around as long as we have. It’s a great way to use surplus crops so they don’t go to waste or spoil.
The Catholic Church has had a hand in the making of alcohol for thousands of years. It’s a great way to generate coin & goodwill among their flock. It was a monk, St. Arnold, that encouraged people to drink beer instead of water due to the fact that the water had pathogens. Beer is boiled so bye-bye bacteria & the issues they cause.
Full disclosure, I’m a brewer so my view is a tad biased. I’ve always had an appreciation for the craft of all things alcohol related. It truly fascinates me how far we’ve come. From the accidental discovery of fermented sugars, to the artisans creating the beer, wine, & spirits today has been an incredible journey. Maybe not as beneficial as the field of medicine or exploration, it still is something that is a touchstone to our earliest ancestors.
I understand that alcohol is a harsh mistress. I know a lot of people who have lost a good portion of their lives, if not their lives entirely, to alcohol. I get that there will be people that always see it as an evil substance that destroys lives. I don’t mean to offend when I sing alcohol’s praises. This is just my view on the subject. As with everything, YMMV.
