I think part of it is we expect an effect - it's at least partly psychosomatic IMO.
I found that alcohol got less and less effective tho the more years I used it.
I ended up with no effect no matter how much I drank, no other pain relief alternative and a shedload of other problems from the way I was drinking.
I'm not calling you a fool, but I think drinking over pain is a fools gambit - there are more effective and less self destructive means of coping with chronic pain.
D