One thing not covered here is how someone’s drinking to excess effects those around them. Drunkenness doesn’t happen in a vacuum and I often see (and have experienced) that the poor choices made by drunk people and alcoholics truly damage others and relationships. This article doesn’t really look at the wives, children, boyfriends, sisters, and friends who can be hurt by ‘escapism.’ Not to mention the cumulative effects of shame, which undermine the core of the drinker.