Alcohol: It's cost effective, accessible, legal, socially acceptable, and addictive.

Of all the substances that people abuse, only one fits into ALL the following criteria:  socially acceptable, over-the-counter accessible, the cost is not prohibitive, legal for adults to purchase in all 50 states, and often viewed as harmless or a normal rite of passage into adulthood.  This magic elixir is alcohol.

Alcohol is a common part of celebrations as people make toasts to the New Year, a newly married couple, the birth of a child, a job promotion or any other cause for celebration.  People plan happy hours after work to wind down, relax and enjoy being with friends.  After a tough day, many people unwind with a before-dinner drink letting the alcohol do its magic to help them change gears from workday madness to peacefulness at home.

For those who don’t care for the taste of alcohol, especially youth who are making their first decisions to consume alcohol, many options are available with bottled or canned beverages often mixed with other ingredients to make them more palatable. Marketed specifically toward the younger consumers, alcopops come in a variety of flavors and are sweet and easier on the palate than beer or other alcoholic beverages. Alcopops are widely available and often have a high alcohol content, some as high as 14%.

More mature drinkers often choose beer, ciders or wines. Cocktails concocted from a variety of alcohol and fruit juices and other flavorings are popular, as is sipping alcohol on the rocks or doing shots. Despite all the different ways alcohol is offered and consumed, it is done for a reason.

Some people can live their entire life having a drink or two from time to time and never developing a problem.

Other people cannot.