What's the purpose of live if you won't allow yourself to enjoy it a bit? So yeah, I'll do it, have fun and socialise with my friends. Of course within bounds, we're adults after all.
I bet/hope there are less harmful alternatives out there but unfortunately there's not a lot research afaik on different chemicals.
Other substances are gaining popularity specifically because people are learning enough about them to have a conversation beyond grade school scare campaigns.
People are objectively noticing that they can get a social lubricant without a hangover, without liver damage, without esophageal damage, without lung damage (not an alcohol thing, just a reference to smokers of anything), and that alcohol is more toxic than more tightly regulated drugs.
I believe the person you were responding to was pointing that out, while I believe you wrote a false dilemma as nobody here is talking about abstaining from mind altering substances, they find it absurd to try to force making alcohol the substance of choice, given that harm reduction already exists for recreational use of other substances.
I've actually enjoyed and done much more sober than I ever did during my entire drinking years.
But to stay on point, the original article is "Alcolhol without the hangover" - keyword "hangover". A hangover is a symptom you have overdone it, not just a few drinks with friends while socializing. It's more like, "I can't remember what we did after 6 beers and then shots", sort of mentality, and not eating or drinking enough water. That is when you have poisoned yourself.
40% of convicted murderers used alcohol before or during the crime.
70% of all drunk-driving fatalities were with drivers with a blood-alcohol level of 0.15%+.
This is on par with the trend of biohacking ... from ozempic, ADHD meds, transgender hormone therapies, to cheating hangovers ... You can't cheat nature, for long at least.
