MORE TO TALK ABOUT

The "Wasted in Wisconsin" series about drunken driving raises three
points:

1) Drinking is an addiction. Driving is not an addiction, drunken or
not. It is a choice. When a person with previous drunken driving
arrests drinks and drives, it is an act of irresponsibility and
defiance and should be punished.

2) Drinking kills people. Every day and everywhere, it results in
lethal diseases, trauma and death. But it is legal to sell, buy and
drink alcohol. Marijuana is also dangerous but illegal to buy, own and
consume. Why is there this discrepancy? Should both be legal or both
be illegal?

3) A measurement of the alcohol in a person's blood does not really
determine functional drunkenness. A first-time drinker with a
blood-alcohol level of 0.10% may be unable to walk, talk or stay
awake. A longtime drinker with the same blood-alcohol level is often
better able to tolerate alcohol and may function normally.

Alcohol use is a complicated social and cultural topic in many areas.
But we rarely see these three issues considered. Perhaps they should
be, vigorously, by the media.

Donald Wolfe

Milwaukee