STILL THE MOST ABUSED SUBSTANCE

Two recent Perspective articles related to alcohol and the Bush daughters.
Each author was making observations about all of the coverage and
commentary around the brouhaha.

Douglas Turner said, "Missed in all this yak-yak is the seriousness of the
issue of alcohol abuse." The [unnamed] person writing for The Economist
seemed more concerned with what he called "petty puritanism" and "America's
absurd insistence that people cannot drink until the age of 21."

Those of us in alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse education, prevention
and treatment [programs] are reminded daily that alcohol is still the most
abused substance. While it is legal for those 21 and older, it is still
classified as a drug, and abuse of it costs us emotionally,
psychologically, physically and financially.

The No. 1 killer of people 16-24 is alcohol-related automobile crashes.
Prohibition did not work, and I know of no organized effort in this county
to ban alcohol [again]. At the same time, none of us in this field wants to
see the age of legal use lowered for many reasons. Not the least of these
is that alcohol-related automobile deaths have decreased during the past
several years. That is in large measure due to the fact that citizens,
community leaders and law enforcement officials have sent a firm message
that drunken driving will not be tolerated.

With freedom comes responsibility. If only the abusive drinker or the
long-time smoker bore the consequences alone. But no, we all pay a price
one way or another. There will always be people in any society who want no
restrictions, e.g. no seat belts, bicycle helmets or age limit to drink
alcohol, but chaos would reign if all of us espoused this mantra.