Honest question indeed. Here are my 2 sats about it.

Alcohol in moderation is a great benefit for the body and spirit.

First and foremost, we have to distinguish between the good stuff and the mass produced garbage. I say stay away from the garbage fo obvious reasons. The good stuff is either expensive or produced in smaller quantities and usually kind of remote.

Let's take two examples. Hard alcohol (whisky) and wine (red). Whisky or similar is a good choice for treating the cold. Where I come from is also a good truth serum. A manner is discussed both sober and a bit drunk. If it makes sense both times then it is so. Culinary speaking, it's a good choice before certain meals and it's also a way to compensate low blood pressure. It goes well with certain cigars (another taboo btw). I do not recommend the daily use or the abuse in any way. Drink responsibly, it goes without saying. There is a very good reason why 21y was chosen as a limit in the US.

Red wine has a very long history. I think it was first produced in Armenia after the great flood. Now it is widely distributed. It was used in religious ceremonies for reasons that I won't get into here and now. It was used in the Ancient Greek Mysteries, again I won't expand on why or how it was spiked. The fermented grapes have certain qualities that go along very well with the human body. Again, it's good for lower blood pressure, to say the least.

As a general rule, it is wise to consume stuff that grows locally or from the region you were born. There are races not accustomed with alcohol. They should not drink imo or be very careful with it.

As for the reasons it's prohibited or chastised more and more lately, I think there are many reasons. Chemical, pharmaceutical and synthetic drugs will take its place moving forward because there is not a foundation of knowledge of what are the benefits of consuming alcohol in certain moments. It goes much deeper with the planting and harvesting of the ingredients depending on the Moon phases, but that's a subject for a book and for not a single note here on nostr.

Hope it helps and definitely do your own research. Mind has to be tuned in a certain way and alcohol must be respected, otherwise it's a recipe for disaster. Cheers!