I loved Jason Vale's book. I keep it close at hand as a good reference. It made me look at alcohol in a whole new light. Tang, I actually agree with Vale's premise that anyone who drinks alcohol is on a slippery slope. Alcohol is a poisonous, addictive drug. It is not good for anybody's body ~ alcoholic or not. I think the effect alcohol has on people's minds is either appealing or not appealing. Honestly, I don't believe I would ever get addicted to pain pills easily. I do not like the way that they make me feel. However, if I had to take them daily due to an illness, I think I could get addicted. Some of my so-called "normie" friends barely drink alcohol because I don't think they really like how it makes them feel at all. They almost drink out of "politeness", so to speak. My mother really didn't start drinking alcoholically until she and my father were retired, and she didn't feel responsible to anybody or anything anymore. I get that there are many alcoholics that were hooked almost instantly and drank dangerously and out of control from the get-go, but I know many more who gradually got more and more unhealthy and addicted as time went on, hence the "progressiveness" of the disease.