I don’t think it would be right or proper to control for killing other people due to alcohol use even if you could. The social externalities of alcohol use are a separate question from the private benefits.
I agree that there’s some merit to treating alcohol’s effects on you and others separately, but if we do that, shouldn’t we then also work to exclude some of its benefits as “social externalities”? Like the whole “alcohol → socializing → mental well-being”-pattern?
You should exclude the mental well-being of the others you socialize with while drunk, yes. But that’s not going to show up on your personal longevity.
I don’t think it would be right or proper to control for killing other people due to alcohol use even if you could. The social externalities of alcohol use are a separate question from the private benefits.
I agree that there’s some merit to treating alcohol’s effects on you and others separately, but if we do that, shouldn’t we then also work to exclude some of its benefits as “social externalities”? Like the whole “alcohol → socializing → mental well-being”-pattern?
You should exclude the mental well-being of the others you socialize with while drunk, yes. But that’s not going to show up on your personal longevity.