What better way to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the end of Prohibition in America than with a cold beer. That's exactly what some of the nation's brewers did last week to mark the end in 1933 of our 14-year failed experiment in enforced sobriety. They had a party.

"April 7th is a day to recognize the past 75 years of beer and the beer community's contribution to Americans' quality of life. The explosion of creativity and innovation by those who make beer is an American success story," said Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewers Association.

Perhaps. But the end of Prohibition also fueled the explosion of drunk driving, binge drinking, accidents and violent crime that is beer's contribution to the dark side of alcohol's history. Untreated alcohol problems waste an estimated $184.6 billion dollars per year in health care, business and criminal justice costs, and cause more than 100,000 deaths, according to the Marin Institute in California.

This toll is mostly due to irresponsible drinking by a small percentage of people who don't know when to stop. It's also a prime example why legalizing other drugs is not the answer to the failed "war on drugs."

Dear Mr. Moyers: You confuse me. Not long ago, I heard you speak about how this war on drugs doesn't work, that it is time to emphasize treatment over incarceration, prevention instead of interdiction and more money going to promote recovery instead of raiding crack houses in the inner city or spraying coca fields in Latin America. Yet you also argue against legalizing marijuana, which is really mostly just a harmless weed a lot of people enjoy, like drinking a glass a wine or a beer. Aren't you speaking out of both sides of your mouth? — Lance R. in Reading, Pa.

Dear Lance: You're right — I do argue against the way America wages this war on drugs. It has failed over the decades because it focuses on the supply of illegal drugs instead of seeking to reduce the demand for them. When people like me get successful treatment, we no longer buy cocaine from Colombia or marijuana from Milwaukee. That doesn't mean, though, that I oppose efforts to seize illegal drugs. Or that they should be made legal.

Look no further than alcohol — the most used and abused drug in America — to understand the devastation they cause. And don't be fooled: Marijuana is no more "harmless" than beer to some people who use it. Any mood- and mind-altering substance can have devastating effects.

Dear Mr. Moyers: I know I am an alcoholic and shouldn't drink anymore. That's what I learned in treatment. For a while, I abstained. But then I started going out after work with the guys, and that's when I started getting high. I like the feeling without the hangover. I seem to handle it OK. Now I'm thinking maybe I can handle a couple of drinks, too. Am I crazy? — Ginger C. in Suffolk County, N.Y.

Dear Ginger: I don't know if you are crazy, but you are surely in denial. It is not unusual for people who are treated for addiction to replace one drug of choice for another hoping they can still experience the high without the consequences. Rarely are they successful. And more often than not, they end up once again using the drug that got them in trouble in the first place.

Addiction is about the loss of control over any substance. If you couldn't control your drinking, you can't control any other drug. Abstinence in recovery means just that: no booze. No marijuana. No nothing.

William C. Moyers is the vice president of external affairs for the Hazelden Foundation and the author of "Broken," a best-selling memoir. The paperback edition was released in August 2007. Please send your questions to William Moyers at [email protected]. To find out more about William Moyers and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.