The Month of April has been designated as National Alcohol Awareness Month by the U.S. Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The idea was to raise awareness of the woes of alcohol abuse. Alcohol is a product that touches many of our lives, but it isn't for everyone. There are people that can not stop with one or two cocktails, and end up habitually caught up in the frenzies of the buzz. There are a large number of people that believe that more regulation is the answer, but for me it is better education. We have already proved that legislation was a noble experi
ment that failed when it came to the control of alcohol. We need to work with people and educate them to the problems of abuse of alcohol and to be able to find the early signs before they get out of control. There are no laws that will do this. We in the industry have a job to encourage the responsible use of alcoholic beverages and to watch out for people that are abusing it. It is through responsible sale of alcohol that it will be kept under control. There can be better management of the chronic alcohol abuser through awareness. Laws will drive the production of alcohol under ground again and make it more readily available to the under age and chronic abusers. There is not enough profit for the underground production of alcoholic beverages, but if we make it profitable again, then it will return to the methods of Prohibition.
Lets work toward educating instead of legislating as a solution to this age old problem. People helping people is where the answer is really going to lie. Friends can help friends and parents can teach their children when it is properly handled. Help all of us to be responsible for our own actions and lets not try to place the burden on someone else, especially not the government. It is a personal problem and not one of the legislature unless we don't take responsibility for our own use of alcohol. The government way has proven time and time again not to work, so lets try to be responsible for ourselves for once. ;o)
