foolsgold66

It is a good thread, Autan, we just all need to skip any righteous indignation and talk about it. I didn't think you meant you were opting out on personal responsibility, at all. Lots of coverage of this type of subject in the Realm of Hungry Ghosts book. I'm not sure there is an an available place to discuss politics\government action re addiction here AT ALL though.

littlefish

Statistics are always fun! Autan you mention the availability of cheap alcohol as a factor. But what about the countries where this has always been the case? The US is not a pub culture. There are local bars and such, but it is not a neighborhood thing as it is in the UK. We have always had a large amount of booze available to us in the States for a long time.

And we had even more of it during prohibition!!!

I can see of course how a rise in the availability of cheap take home liquor will make it easier for the chronic drinker to drink more. But I don't think it will make problem drinkers out of normal drinkers, because normal drinkers will walk right past the liquor store, (off license?) just like they walked right past the pubs.

The cheap availability might throw a few people into the statistics in the beginning at a faster rate, but wouldn't they have ended up there anyway?