Abstract
A discussion of the motivational aspects of alcohol use progressing from the magical and spiritual to the scientific discussion of alcohol as a drug among drugs. Emphasis is placed upon the recognition of the two major groups of substances available for human use; the magical and non-magical substances. These are carefully contrasted in the text.
Alcohol is discussed in terms of a non-magical substance, satisfying all the stated criteria. Its use by people is determined by education, not legal control; by understanding it as one drug among many, it becomes one more human resource in the family of human resources. The article stresses the need to examine people and their choices rather than the substances they use.
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