> sure Americans tried prohibition and all that but its not gloom and doom

> Why can't you voluntarily try to influence your alcohol consumption by paying a "alcohol tax"?

Gujarat in India is a dry state. UP has an alcohol tax of 69%. Hasn't stopped people at all, in fact such rules have backfired - loopholes, alcohol tourism, illicit production causing all sorts of havoc.

> I mean I have never consumed and never will so why is it that your society finds it acceptable?

Neither have I. But the problem lies exactly where you're heading. I've had a ton more pressure to drink in India where teetotalism is considered ideal, than in the western world where drinking is considered a lot more acceptable. Funnily enough, the more "taboo" or "socially less acceptable" something is, the more the people who partake also force you to do it.