SPORTS AND BOOZE; BOOZE AND SPORTS

Ask almost any substance abuse counselor, and he or she will tell you
straight up: The biggest menace our society faces is booze.

It's not OxyContin. It's not heroin. It's not cocaine and it's not
marijuana, although all of those are certainly a threat and a burden to our
society.

The most money, the most heartbreak, the most illness and the most early
mortality comes in a bottle or can.

Why, then, a war on drugs that does not include the most lethal and
dangerous drug of all, alcohol?

Finally, someone is asking that question in the halls of Congress. Where is
the similar effort to fight underage drinking and alcohol abuse?

The alcohol industry spends $1 billion on advertising per year, the largest
portion of which goes to television, and the overwhelming majority of that
is aimed squarely at associating booze with sports.

Sports and booze; booze and sports. The singing frogs and guys playing
volleyball as the bikini-clad girls look on.

It's a great angle - link alcohol consumption with something considered
healthy and character-building. Beer goes best after an exhilarating game,
or while watching one.

Now there's even a proposed law change that would allow the sale of beer to
sportsmen and women while they play a sport - golf.

The Maine Legislature is considering whether to allow beer carts on golf
courses to help golfers replenish their fluid levels and steady their hands
for those long putts.

As Joe Golden, Springbrook Golf Club owner, pointed out in Sunday's Sun
Journal, this is absurd: "Madison Avenue has done a great job tying
athletics to beer," he said. If the bill passes, "kids out there would see
the beer cart going hole to hole. That message would be clear: 'Drinking
and golf go hand in hand.'"

He's absolutely right. Any kid watching sports on TV must grow up thinking
that you can't possibly do sports without having a couple of drinks afterward.

The alcohol industry says it is doing a good job of discouraging kids from
drinking. We would beg to differ, but, if that's the case, let's give the
industry a hand. Include alcohol abuse in the anti-drug campaign.

It's a drug; it does massive harm and it's illegal for youngsters to obtain
and consume. Let's sever the sports-booze link on TV and undertake a
vigorous campaign to dissuade kids from using or abusing alcohol.

We'd better get going with those TV ads.

The alcohol industry has a 50-year head start.