Yes, I do realize. But lots of people tend to abuse it. There are certain circumstances that drinking is appropriate, like ceremonies. But regular consumption of drinks can be avoided. In my household I was taught that you should never drink, unless you're at a wedding or something. It's what I believe and it's what I'm standing my opinion for.
Now refusing to get treatment when you know you have a problem is a different story; we're not talking about that. We're talking about people who have a problem, just like depression or any other psychological condition.
Everyone is raised differently. I don't think any alcoholic picked up some alcohol and thought, "Oh one day, I'm going to need to go to rehab." Stuff happens, life happens. People deal with those issues differently. It's not up to us to judge why they're abusing something - I don't care what it is. You don't know their story, their pain, or what happened to them. All you can do is offer to help them if you can; if your offer is refused, then go on with life. But surely don't judge and say that alcohol can be "avoided". Maybe that's true for you, but it isn't true for everyone. Psychological-wise, alcohol abuse is no different than any other type of addiction. Unless you've experienced an addiction yourself or you've seen one first hand, you can't say that someone can avoid something. Psychology is an interesting medical field. I'd suggest you look into it (along with neuroscience, since medicine seems to be an interest of yours).