[ahimel]

I can't stand the taste of alcohol; the most I ever managed to get down was 1/2 a beer. I didn't notice an effect, but since I was listening to a concert at the time, I don't think I would have.

I think it's unhelpful to try to classify alcohol as "good" or "bad". It has various effects on the human body, and you have to decide whether those effects are good or bad for you. Since in general it lowers conciousness and inhibits intelligence, I would say that in general it's bad. But there are certain circumstances where a single benefit could potentially outweigh that.

Alcohol does dampen social inhibitions. If this allows you to to discuss something with someone that you wouldn't be willing to discuss while sober, this could be a good thing. Or it could be a bad thing. But if you end up having a conversation about God and Truth and obtain insights from it, then it was a good thing this time. If a shot of Tequila is the only way you'll ever stand up to your overbearing mother and tell her that you're a grown-up now and you'll live your own life, then it was a good thing this time. If a beer or two is what it takes for you to talk to that cute guy and possibly develop a relationship, then it was a good thing this time.

My grandmother-in-law was instructed to start drinking by her doctor. She had some plaque buildup in her arteries, and he was concerned about prescribing drugs to a 90-year-old woman. So he told her to drink 1 glass of red wine each day, and come back in a month to see if it had helped. It had, with no ill side effects. So in this case, it was definitly a good thing.

A couple years ago, I tried a job as a financial advisor. The way that company was set up, that meant calling people to see if I could set up appointments with them. I had referrals from people I'd worked with, so it wasn't "cold" calling, but I'm incredibly shy, and I have a deep phobia about telephones, and the daily hour-long dial session just about killed me. My boss suggested that I go get a drink; it might help me relax just enough to actually complete a phone call. After a few successful calls, I might have learned not to fear it so much, but I was so scared that I screwed up every time.

The job wasn't right for me in a lot of ways, and I don't regret being fired, but I can't help thinking that I'd be a better person today if I'd faced that fear. If it had taken one drink/day for 2 weeks for me to do that, I would have said that alcohol was a good thing.

In an extreme hypothetical situation, suppose your fiance got shot, and your resulting sorrow caused your work performance to drop so much that you got fired. You come home to your empty apartment, pull out a bottle of whiskey and a gun, and sit there, trying to decide which one to use. In this case, although you are using it to numb yourself, to deliberately take away your conciousness of the current situation, I'd have to say that alcohol is a good thing. It gives you time to learn to get over it. And yes, it's entirely possible that you'll then have to learn to get over your new crutch, but it's still an improvement on dead.

I think the best option for you is the same one angelicfruit is using -- do a 30-day trial, and decide whether it's had a positive, negative, or null effect on your personal development.