Roughly forty years ago, while enjoying the various relatively innocent components of my high school years including Student Council, JV Basketball and Speech Club, I had a surprisingly deep conversation with a close friend who had managed to develop a habit of drinking alcohol to excess nearly every weekend. I couldn't understand the appeal of such reckless behavior and shared my concern. My friend explained that the buzz provided by the booze helped him escape his perceived problems, at least for a few hours. I remember staring him straight in the eye and earnestly asking, "...but aren't the problems still there when you've sobered up?"