Beer temporarily makes you care less about your problems, while not necessarily ignoring them. Hard opiates are for people who ***really*** just want to forget they exist. If you've ever met someone who's addicted to the stuff, you almost can't help but feel sorry for them. They should almost just be put out of their misery. That being said, I've met a few high-functioning opiate addicts, so I guess it's closer to alcohol than one would think.