[jly]

I'm not going to speculate on whether this is good or bad, but it's not exactly as simple as trading one buzz for another.

Many drink alcohol because they enjoy the taste of what they're consuming, plus any other positive associated feelings of consuming any beverage. Drinking alcohol is embedded deeply into human social behavior and in many cultures goes hand in hand with eating and other social activities. In fact, in many contexts, the fact that alcohol induces drunkenness is more of a liability than a benefit for many people.