What people experience as positive does not need to be that. Using alcohol to not/postpone/avoid solving an underlying problem for unhappiness would be an example.
It's been basically 2 years since I've had a drink.
Before then, I drank socially-- a couple times per year I'd get buzzed with friends. Not all my social outings were buzzed.
But those hazy memories of being buzzed withe friends are little treasures that bring me smiles even long removed from them. My life is richer, and my mental health better, by virtue of hanging out with people this way and I miss it (this is a casualty of COVID).
Many memories of sober moments with friends bring joy, too. But they're qualitatively different things. I want both.
Preface: I say this as someone who has been sober from alcohol for almost 5 years.
Something can be a "net positive mentally and mood-wise" without also being something that is "not/[postponing]/[avoiding] solving an underlying problem for unhappiness".
