Change In Law Led To Binge Drinking
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Craig Kling suni...@pacbell.net
Subj: US OH: PUB LTE: Change In Law Led To Binge Drinking From: Jim White Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 12:09:09 -0700 Newshawk: Jim White Pubdate: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 Source: Blade, The (OH) Copyright: 2001 The Blade Contact: lett...@theblade.com Website: http://www.toledoblade.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/48 CHANGE IN LAW LED TO BINGE DRINKING Binge drinking in college represents something akin to what happened to society during alcohol prohibition. When alcohol was prohibited, beer and wine consumption all but vanished and was replaced with illegal hard liquor, and binge drinking became the norm for many people, including teenagers.
Twenty years ago, binge drinking wasn't really a problem on college campuses. Although alcohol consumption occurred, generally it wasn't a problem for most.
With the demise of 3.2 beer, and raising the drinking age to 21, young adults found themselves in between being a child and an adult. No longer were they permitted to consume low-alcohol beer in a legal and controlled manner, but were forced to consume it illegally, and, similar to what happened during prohibition, binge drinking increased and has become a problem.
The puritans among us must be made to realize that they cannot control the behavior of all the people all the time, that their vision of a drug- and alcohol-free society can never exist. That prohibition, even partial prohibition, is nothing more than a means of bringing out the worst in people.
Someday we'll realize that we can't protect our children by denying them everything, that they must learn through experience and that we need to be there when they are ready to learn so they have some guidance other than a simplistic slogan. Until we do, binge drinking is here to stay, and the consequences are far worse than allowing 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds to consume low-alcohol beer.
More kids die from drinking today than did 20 years ago, but change has caused that?
Jim White Oregon
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MAP posted-by: Beth
"Ryan Rochelle" jrroche...@hotmail.comdeleteafterthecom
Could you please explain how they were "forced"? They have a choice of whether or not to honor the law or break it. They choose, for reasons incomprehensibe, to break it. People have to eat. Poeple have to breathe.
People have to drink water. People do NOT have to drink alcohol.
And, given the apparent popularity of non "3.2 beer", what is to ***ume that many more would partake of it as opposed to the more potent potion?
However, fewer innocent people die. Primarily speaking, the drunk driving rate has been nearly cut in half since the drinking age was raised.
dustoff7 dusto...@swbell.net
Most of the time it the fact that they want to fit in and be accepted. If they don't "join in" then sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes they are outcast. Show me someone between 18 and 24 who doesn't want to fit in with the crowd. Not only is the "binge drinking" getting out of hand but also the so called "rave" parties which furnishes the needed recreational alcohol and party drugs to get them started on bigger problems.
Craig Kling suni...@pacbell.net
I just posted the article, ***hole. I feel no need to explain a thing.
sz ...@my-deja.com (Szasz)
I don't think its being ***umed, I think its actually quite evident that as strict anti-drinking policies have become increasingly enforced at colleges, incidents of "binge drinking" have increased.
The drunk driving rate was not cut by demonizing alcohol consumption on college campuses.
"Ryan Rochelle" jrroche...@hotmail.comdeleteafterthecom
That goes withuot saying - if someone chooses to move to Antarctica they're forced to be cold. While that may be correct, the deeper question still remains of why they would deem such a choice appropriate in the first place.
Perhaps those who make the choice to drink underage should take a harder look at why those laws are in place to begin with.
Whereas if drinking were allowed it would be lower?
Have any ideas on why it was cut, perhaps?
"Ryan Rochelle" jrroche...@hotmail.comdeleteafterthecom
Sadly, you are correct. What is troubling, though, is the "why" behind that. Why is there an impression that people, especially at that age, have to drink to fit in and be sociable? Many say that alcohol consumption is merely a choice, yet sentiments echoed in the above statement tend to see it as requisite for social acceptance. Why is that?
Craig Kling suni...@pacbell.net
No. They are only forced if they do not take adequate provisions.
Bullshit all the semantics you wish and avoid to consider the whole of human history regarding substances that alter. If there were not such a great drive to begin there would not be such tremendous alcohol and drug industries.
For all the bad*** authoritarian talk it amounts to whacking heads off the Hydra. The more you fight the more you loose is the nature of the whole affair.
Technology is just another human addiction. More effort should be put to fitting technology to human nature than to trying to alter human nature to fit technology.
Prohibitionists fight a beast that feeds on the energy expended against it.
Craig Kling suni...@pacbell.net
How long back do you suppose humans discovered that they cold not store fruit juice for any length of time without some alterations taking place in its nature?
Speaking of 'nature' - Do you think it odd that many humans seem to be opposed to tremendous numbers of other humans doing this and that which they do not approve of any humans doing?
Well, I once knew a lady who was greatly offended that nature was such that predators killed other creatures to live.
Hey - cats could not switch to a diet of cabbage and various bushes even were they to be creatures with ability to alter their own nature. - They could not digest the stuff and would starve to death.
So, what do you expect to accomplish to demand and make laws that great numbers of other humans should go against their own nature to fit your own mold of purity? - Maybe it would be best to focus more on the some of the more antisocial sorts.
Or just carry on as you do thinking the pinnacle of mankind is going to be able to depend on fossil fuels forever.
Elect me Emperor and I would see to it that communities had drinking establishments within walking distances of most folks places. - Well, I'd see to it that zoning laws were required to allow it even if it were near a quarter mile of a school
dustoff7 dusto...@swbell.net
I sad to report that the human species is a social animal. Do not take this the wrong way I'm NOT saying we are chimps or gorillas, but we are social just like they are. If you took 20 people into the mountains and placed them all over by them selves on 20 acres of ground at least 60 miles apart with no contact with anyone for shall we say 5 years, I would dare to say that at least 50% would commit suicide if not more. There might be 2 or 3 who would do ok with no problems the others would be so screwed up in their heads they could never recover. Everyone wants to be accepted by others of their age groups so that they feel wanted and needed. Its always been that way and saddky always will be.
(disclaimer- percentages only off the wall figures)
dustoff7 dusto...@swbell.net
Its sad that in this country they have to make and p*** laws so that we can protect ourselves form ourselves. It comes down to instead of a simple set of laws to protect us instead we do things sometimes on purpose and sometimes accidently that causes the more laws needed to be p***ed. Then they need to be revised and changed and modified and removed and replaced till what we end up with is instead of simple laws we have volume after volume after volume of laws that even half of which are forgotten about or are unenforced.
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