Alcohol is a hardcore drug. If you drink alcohol, you are a drug user.

We as a society define what is socially acceptable; is alcohol a traditionally consumed societal good? Sure! Point conceded. Technically, I will concede that alcohol is a drug. I will also concede, that if you drink alcohol, from a pedantry perspective, one can say that person has used drugs. Canonically, a drug is anything that has physiological effect on your body. A similar technically true statement would be the following "If you drink caffeine, you are a drug user." But first a point of motivation. You lead in with "Alcohol is hardcore drug". I recognize (or at least subjectively interpret) the intention here is to paint the word drug in the negative light, that which illicit imagery of vagrancy and degenerate behavior, i.e., hardcore drug users and hardcore addicts, so the first mental image somebody has after your first sentence is your framing of alcohol as a vast negative, which is wholly subjective. You follow with a physiological fact. I contend your argument is false on the basis that leading in with subjective sentiment not supported by fact, followed by a commonly accepted medical fact is a red herring. You cite these points. Let me unpack them. * Has no currently accepted medical use Because something has no acceptable medical use does not make it a hardcore drug. Unicorns do not have an accepted medical use, and are not a hardcore drug. * Has a high potential for abuse and addiction So does nicotine. Society does not accept it as a hardcore drug. * Is neurotoxic ; It kills brain cells So does carbon dioxide in excess. It is not a hardcore drug. * Kills 6 Americans each day via overdose Cars kill 100+ a day. They have no generally accepted medical use either and they also are not a hardcore drug. * Kills 10,000 Americans each year via car accidents There were 32,000 car deaths in the US in 2013. That would imply that 12,000 died not drinking alcohol. More sober drivers died than drunk drivers. Sober driving seems pretty deadly and sober driving isn't hardcare drug use. * Can kill their user in their sleep via vomit/suffocation This is a side effect of over ingesting. The same can be said for countless other prescription pharmaceuticals when taking too much and having a full stomach while sleeping. * Makes people crazy, violent and aggressive It also makes people happy, calm, and reflective. These are all subjective. Note also that politics also make people crazy, violent, and aggressive. So does religion. They are not hardcore drugs. * Is the cornerstone of child abuse, domestic abuse and homelessness Mental health issues in the US are traditionally pointed at as being the root cause here. * Heavily impairs coordination and judgment 1) So does unadulterated anger or emotional instability onset by traumatizing events. 2) Only in excess. Minimal amounts do not yield this result; with traditionally accepted hardcore drugs, the opposite is true. Sample 100 people drinking 1 beer worth of alcohol and poll their physiological response. Envision another group of people taking 1 snort of Cocaine or 1 shot of Herione. A single dose of socially defined hardcore drugs like Heroine or Cocaine has much stronger effect than 1 drink. * Is a date-rape drug, aiding in many college campus rapes I agree. It can be used as a date-rape drug and has been cited as a factor aiding in many college campus rapes. I do not feel this qualifies it as a hardcore drug. * Increases risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, seizure, nerve system damage This is not a qualifying criteria for a hardcore drug. The same can be said for people working in poorly ventilated industrial zones in 3rd world countries with toxic air pollution. * Increases health risks when mixed with almost any drug/medication So do most over the counter pharmaceuticals. Most substances that induce physiological effects, when mixed, yield indeterminate results in a random person chosen from a population, hence the legal disclaimer in every OTC drug commercial.