I agree that alcohol is very destructive. However it is not consistently destructive in the same limited number of ways, but a whole litany of acute and chronic ways. And a large number of people use it in moderate or greater amounts without it causing disease and death.
As to cancer, it is at least 100 different diseases, caused by a combination of cellular malfunction *and* the inhibition of those factors that destroy malfunctioning cells, *and* the inhibition of the recognition that cancerous cells are malfunctioning.
In many ways, cancers behave almost like intelligent things. This is why there is a “rule of three” in oncology. If you attack cancerous cells in one way, they will *adapt* to protect themselves from the attack. So optimally, you use three different techniques at the same time, to overwhelm its defenses.
Since cancer requires more nutrition than normal cells, it has to persuade the body to create more capillaries to feed the cancer. And the list goes on and on.
Naturally, the body continually makes, then destroys, malfunctioning cells. The cancer must overcome this to survive.
Cancer often has a genetic component. Carcinogenic substances as well as ionizing radiation can make cancer happen.
My point is just that alcohol is very carcinogenic, even in 'moderate' doses.
I think most people don't know this. There is so much social pressure to drink, and so much alcohol-industry marketing that makes drinking look cool and fun.
And then there are the multitudinous articles trumpeting the purported health benefits of some kinds of alcoholic drinks, e.g. red wine. Later studies showing that these health claims don't pan out, don't get nearly as much attention.