Drinking In Alabama

This is a "Letter to the Editor" that I sent to the Bham News regarding 2 editorials in the Saturday edition. Thought you might like to see it.


I read with interest the statistics that were given in a recent editorial that
"43% of Alabama's highway deaths last year involved alcohol." The very same paper also contained a letter from an out of state writer chastising Alabama for holding on to some of the vestiges of Prohibition. While the success or failure of national Prohibition may be debateable, some things are obvious.
Making beverage alcohol more available to more people has never, ever been shown to decrease the use of it.
Furthermore, while many are right to be quick to condemn drunken driving, they are blinded to the other obvious costs to our society. Our dept. of public safety chief was quoted by the news as saying, "Drinking and driving is a dangerous combination." Well, put!
And I would add:
Drinking and fatherhood is a dangerous combination. Would anyone deny that many abusive fathers are driven by alcohol.
Drinking and motherhood is a dangerous combination. Mothers are harming the precious children born to them(as well as their unborn children) at alarming rates.
Drinking and teenagers are a dangerous combination. At a time when they should be learning to make wise decisions, their judgment is impaired.
Drinking and working is a dangerous combination.
Drinking and any public event is a dangerous combination.
Todays young and old could learn something from an old book on this one, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise."(Proverbs 20:1- NKJV).

It is true that laws will never prevent all alcohol abuse, but they can discourage it, and I am for any law that does so.
David Courington