---

Let's be real: alcohol is incredibly stupid. We not only consider a substance that damages the body and alters the brain to be acceptable, we actually glorify it and consider it a necessity. Cultures throughout most of the world consider it a standard part of entertaining, the accepted way of winding down after work, the key thing to imbibe when viewing sporting events, or when hanging out with friends, or to toss back at picnics... the list goes on forever. It's not like it even adds anything - it doesn't have any real taste, and only contributes a burning sensation to anything it is within. Because of this, we try to disguise it with lots of other flavors, or occasionally engage in testosterone-fueled rituals like tossing back shots just to demonstrate that we won't cough out caustic substances. We'd consider this stupid if it were something like paint thinner or drain cleaner (well, most of us) but it's cool when it's alcohol.

---