The sibling posts make the right point: lots of things are objectively bad for your body, but your emotions are part of it, too. If alcohol or whatever makes you happier, then it's "good for you." Until you have so much that it's not good for you anymore.

It's the same for sweet desserts: why TF should you deprive yourself of all of them? Just keep it in moderation.

We could imagine a very different society with much less consumption of alcohol but people still being equally happy. If someone is made to feel unhappy when they don't drink because everyone around them is doing so, the fact that then consuming alcohol makes them happier shouldn't be pointed to as evidence the person is making a good trade off between bodily harm and happiness.

This post is kind of involved.

No, you shouldn't be made to feel unhappy; or rather, you should push back harder against anyone who tries to effectuate that. Being sorta Stoic here: no one can "make" you feel anything.

It's none of their business, after all.

People are notoriously bad at observing/examining their own behavior and mental states, although it is possible. But those people would probably be better served with a pharmacological anxiety treatment or therapy

It's been basically 2 years since I've had a drink.

Before then, I drank socially-- a couple times per year I'd get buzzed with friends. Not all my social outings were buzzed.

But those hazy memories of being buzzed withe friends are little treasures that bring me smiles even long removed from them. My life is richer, and my mental health better, by virtue of hanging out with people this way and I miss it (this is a casualty of COVID).

Many memories of sober moments with friends bring joy, too. But they're qualitatively different things. I want both.

Preface: I say this as someone who has been sober from alcohol for almost 5 years.

Something can be a "net positive mentally and mood-wise" without also being something that is "not/[postponing]/[avoiding] solving an underlying problem for unhappiness".