Its enough to make a man drink!

Tweet Three stories appeared in the paper today all related to alcohol: two of them were about how drunken young men had ended up in court for their various misdemeanors that has left two young women with the life long scars, both physical and emotional, as a result of those encounters. The other alcohol related article was to do with Champagne quaffing Health Department Staff enjoying some Pharmaceutical Company perks on overseas trips, all of which produced a bit of "holier than thou" response from certain quarters.
To paraphrase the US astronauts on an ill-fated way to the Moon many years ago: "Mission Control: we have a problem": and the problem is alcohol.
Now we all know that there really aren't any benefits from smoking tobacco, apart from keeping heart specialist and Oncologist in business: so from a health point of view, that's a definite "No No" as far as I'm concerned. But what about alcohol then? The figures there are almost as bleak: domestic violence, MVAs, various head and neck cancers, damage to unborn children, liver and brain damage: and yet.... we still see in the media that there are positive health benefits for some middle aged people from modest alcohol consumption as it reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, and we all know that heart disease is the biggest killer of all!
So where does that leave us?
Firstly, prohibition doesn't work: it never has and I suspect, never will. BUT, we have to learn from the facts; for the vast majority of people who drink, we need to drink less; and certainly we have to teach each and every generation of young people, that Binge drinking is dicing not only with your life, but also dicing with the lives of others.
Secondly, I have to ask why is it that you can buy soft drinks, milk and water in containers of varying sizes, and yet when it comes to alcohol there is so little choice - especially with wine bottles? There is no "if" about it: we need to promote safe drinking habits and that means less is best. The chemistry of alcohol's effect on the brain is that after a couple of drinks you go from "chilling the system" to poisoning the system - there is no middle ground: so after that first or second glass you are actually paying good money to make yourself feel ill!
As for those Health Dept honchos who are probably feeling very ill from the exposure they've received in the press, you should know that there is no such thing as a free lunch!
PS If any "Company" wants to send me to Vienna, business class, and put me up at the Intercontinental for a couple of weeks .... I am open to all offers, but be aware that I will naturally pass the information onto all my dear followers: I might even send them all a postcard!