Since the very ancient days people used to consume alcoholic drinks and alcohol has played a major role in society and religion.
History tells us alcoholic beverages have been widely used as medicines, antiseptics and analgesics as well as relaxing stuff.
According to the free Internet encyclopedia:

"An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol.
Ethanol is a drug, and depressant, and even though alcohol is a legal drug in most parts of the world, many societies regulate or restrict the sale and use of it.
"

Consumption of alcoholic drinks may be a necessity for cold region countries, but for hot region countries it is not at all a must.
So, why do people consume alcoholic drinks? Most of the people drink for the sake of drinking only, they do not have any proper reason for doing this.
Perhaps you may be also one of them.

• People generally consume alcoholic drinks because they think that after drinking they feel themselves out of their frustration and bad feelings.
  
• A lot of people think that they feel themselves relaxed after consumption of alcoholic drinks.
  So they drink just to relax, forget about their tedious and hard work for a while.
  
• A number of guys have compassion that alcoholic drinks have a quality to make them feel to hangout with their friends, so they drink this purpose.
  
• For some people consider drinks as funny and just for fun they consume drinks.
  
• There are many who feel themselves as witty and more attractive.
  
• Some of our friends have an idea that they can not survive without drinks.
  
• A number of people use to drink to maintain their social status.
  

But alcoholic drinks, like any other thing, in excess are bad and make the people addicted.
Almost the people really don't know why they drink.
It is noteworthy that drinking never stops you feeling sad, it always makes things look worse.
Drinking is good if you're in a good mood, bad if not.
Whichever may be the reason, people start drinking and later they find they are addicted and find themselves unable to stop drinking.
Alcoholic drinks always push people deeper and deeper into the dark corners of the life.