Well, two people died last night nearby where I live last night. Cause was speed and alcohol. Was it worth it?
This btw reminds me about one other staggering stat about the US - drunk driving. In the 80s and 90s, around 25,000 to 30,000 people would die because of drunk driving. They have made a great stride since then to reduce the amount but it's still alarmingly high. They are still one of the top 5 countries where drunk driving and accidents happen the most killing more than 10,000 innocents each year.
It's no wonder that alcohol is prohibited in Islam because not only people misuse it but also, it causes death. It basically has no positive contributions to society or to people. There are no drunk driving incidents in Muslim countries and you won't find any alcoholic father or mother even if you search for it your whole life. That doesn't mean that none of them drink because some do, but because it's a prohibited item since the inception of Islam, they drink moderately and secretly. In the pre-Islamic era, drinking used to be heavy to the point Muhammad had to come and make it a banned item. Women used to be regularly abused and harassed by drunk people both at home and on the streets. That was the only way to stop it since it was so out of control at that time.
Even in Canada, we take great caution; for example, unlike south of the border, alcohol is only sold in stores that have license to sell. This means you will not find even very cheap beers in places like gas stations. On top of that, alcohol is strictly prohibited in recreational areas - be it parks or beaches and other similar places. This prevents a lot of unwanted and unpleasant incidents - not to mention, much less road accidents.
Now I am not in favour of banning alcohol as I myself like drinking wine from time to time and other drinks if I am up for it, but I definitely want to take full responsibility for it. But that might have to do with the fact that I am, after all, from a Muslim background, so I must have inherited the notion from my previous generations. And I am a careful individual anyway but it is by no means a common element in people, especially in the western culture. So the best thing to do is to come up with a plan - whatever it is as long as it helps people and saves lives. It will also prevent a lot of domesticity violence caused by this substance.
We are such vulnerable species that not only we seek comfort in all the wrong places but also, we don't realize when those substances start controlling us, because at the end of the day, alcohol is still neutral. It's really not demanding us to drink it but rather we choose to drink and then we let it control us. If we are aware or at least raise proper awareness, we can most certainly prevent this.