Alcohol. I don't understand why human beings think it is normal to be intoxicated. Think about English and Irish society. Everyone hangs out at the pub. It is normal. In America, we can't celebrate anything without alcohol. The point is to get drunk. Why isn't sober good enough? We demonstrate out infatuation with alcohol to our children all of their lives. When the kids turn 15 or 16 and start drinking, we go crazy! How dare they! They can't act like us until they're 21. That's the law. After 21, they can be just as alcohol dependent or addicted as we are, but not before dammit! It's so moronic. When did we decide that altering our mental status was a good idea? We get so pissed at drunk drivers who kill innocent people. Right. Like you never drove drunk. Everyone who drinks regularly has driven drunk at least once and probably lots more than that. Ah, but they didn't get caught! That's the difference. Hey, I'm guilty. So are you. When I realized that I had the genetic defect known as alcoholism, I quit. Just like that. It took a very talented therapist who happened to be similarly afflicted to talk to me in a way I could listen to. Not every drunk is so lucky. Here's a test to see whether you truly are the "social" drinker you think you are. Have you ever had sex with someone when you were drunk that you would not want to have sex with sober? Have you ever lost money, cell phone, wallet, purse, keys when drunk? Have you ever gotten into a fight with a friend when drunk? A stranger? Have you ever tried to open the door of the wrong car when drunk? Have you ever passed out in public, like face down on a table in a restaurant?Have you ever stood up a significant other because you got drunk? If you answered yes to any of these, you should probably think long and hard about your "social" drinking. Try to just have 1 or 2 drinks the next social occasion where alcohol is served. If you find it extremely difficult or impossible to stop after a couple, you are an alcoholic. Face up to it and do the right thing. Quit. Read "Alcoholism: The Genetic Inheritence" by Kathleen Whalen Fitzgerald, PhD. It helps.