This is in response to Alcohol can cause many nasty side effects (SN 4/2) by Craig Gunn.
I hope you are not serious, and only trying to provoke a response with this article. Have you completely forgotten that period during the 1920s known as prohibition? The U.S. Congress called for a ban on all sales of alcohol. During that time, organized crime increased exponentially. This period gave rise to such criminals as Al Capone, Bugsy Segal and even Joseph Kennedy. These men thrived off the illegal sales of liquor.
During this time, alcoholism increased throughout the country. You think by taking away our alcohol, we will just revert to some fictitious society you thought of in a dream? You think just by removing alcohol everyone will just get along all of a sudden?
I know people I dont like, and would like to fight, regardless of how much I have drunk. You see people having logical discussions in fraternities, sororities and dorms: I see people going to Canada and drinking like there is no tomorrow.
Also, I would like to say alcohol is not a physically addictive drug, at least not in my experience. I have been drinking for a few years, and I dont feel corrupted. I have only been in one drunken brawl in all the parties I have attended. In this fight, I was defending myself and my friends who were hosting the party.
Just because we choose to drink, that doesnt make us savages with our knuckles dragging on the ground. We are still capable of a rational thought and sometimes we even converse our ideas with others. In fact, on occasion I even enjoy having these logical discussions with my friends over a couple of drinks.
In conclusion, you are thinking of a dream world that is not possible. The U.S. government already outlawed alcohol once - it didnt work then, and it wont work now. If you want to remain sober, thats up to you, but I think Im going to keep on enjoying my Jack Daniels and Labatt Blue.
Brian Selewski
interdisciplinary studies in social sciences junior