just like alcohol which kills many people every day through a wide range of means, such as motor vehicle accidents, alcohol overdose (you should see the Emergency Depot in any hospital on Friday and Saturday nights), liver disease and many forms of cancer, from oral to the bowel and metastases. and then add in the violence that starts with alcohol.
for most of us alcohol is a fairly safe drug, just as all other drugs, when used sensibly.
the problems arise from misuse or not understanding whats in the drug one is taking, eg. tequila, vodka etc seem innocuous but many suffer severe reactions when taken, either by naivety or through others wanting to get others drunk beyond sensibility, eg. date rape, and the same applies with criminal suppliers wanting higher profits by mixing ingredients in otherwise relatively safer drugs.
legalisation/regulation is being done in many nations. the evidence has shown, eg Amsterdam, Thailand, US states, that legal regulated sale of drugs results in less crime, less deaths, less violence, less desperation due to high drug prices, increased productivity etc..... dyor Wang.
but I know too that this is hard to accept due to the very anxiety you write of.
