[eggy]

I think it is because society tolerates alcohol abuse more, and the delineator between alcoholic and non-alcoholic is biased.

See my other comments in this thread. People openly admit to their peers being hungover when showing up to work, or bragging about their crazy, drunk weekend. There's a lot of denial about alcohol's impact on society, and what constitutes an alcoholic when it is legal, and widely accepted. Just substitute heroin or meth for some of the things people say about their alcoholic adventures, and you will see this very clearly.