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Pointless Alcohol laws......

#82
Underage drinking is only a problem because people do what they're told not to. I live at a college where the ONLY thing to do on the weekend really, is drink.

As an 18 year old, social drinker, I'm confident in my feeling that underage drinking is a problem, and within my own group of friends, I've carried home more drunk guys than girls, but have walked every single one of them home to protect them. Drinking to the point of stomach pumping, or vomiting, or losing control is all too common here at college (not even a party school) and I often go weeks or months without going near the stuff.

People spent way too much time looking forward to drinking and losing control over themselves for a period of time, in order to "be more sociable" which I can also attest is not true. If you can't get the chick sober, I assure you that you can't get one drunk off your can.

From an 18 year old college student's standpoint: alcohol is a problem. I feel if you lower the drinking age, drunkenness will skyrocket at first, then taper off, but the whole portion of it being "taboo" is the biggest problem when it comes to drinking.
 
#83
RicPlaya said:
Was he staggering and weaving?
Did he do ANYTHING to indicate he was intoxicated?
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Good question. The exact circumstances was not mentioned (we'll never know for sure since this was related second hand), but the friend must have demonstrated something to give the police "probable cause" for stopping and questioning him, otherwise there would be grounds for a civil liberties suit.
 
#84
JansenW said:
Good question. The exact circumstances was not mentioned (we'll never know for sure since this was related second hand), but the friend must have demonstrated something to give the police "probable cause" for stopping and questioning him, otherwise there would be grounds for a civil liberties suit.
Click to expand...

Only reasonable suspicion is required for a stop and question. Probable cause is required for an actual arrest.
 
#86
JansenW said:
Thanks, I stand corrected. Perhaps there was something suspicious about the friend.
Click to expand...

My guess would be a person doing the "ive been drinking" stagger down the street while appearing to be young enough to possibly be underage. However, I wasn't there, so I can't say for sure.....
 
#88
My how times have changed. Just yesterday, my dad told me a little story about when he was a youngster growing up in Brooklyn. This is a story about a friend of his though, not my dad.
Now, this may or may not sound true to you (I didn't believe it), but he assures me it's totally 100% true, and my dad wouldn't BS me, he's a reliable source of info.
Anyway, here's a little story:
My dad went out with some friends one night. At the end of their evening, they're all pretty boozed up. My dad lived a few blocks over from the bar so he just walked home. His friend John was WASTED, so naturally he had to drive himself home.
Anyway, John's driving the car just completely sauced. From what I've heard (and I've heard the story a few times from uncles too) he was so drunk that he could barely even keep his eyes open or his head up, let alone drive a car.
He approaches a red light. He doesn't see the red light. He also doesn't see the cop car stopped at the red light. He doesn't even touch his breaks. He rams a parked cop car (I'm assuming it was about 30-40 MPH, though I can't be sure).
Now this is the part that I found unbelievable, yet by all accounts, it's true. The cops get out of their car and see that the guy is completely trashed. They get him into the cop car, they park his car in a nearby parking lot, drive him home and leave a note in the mailbox telling him where to find his car. He wasn't issued a ticket, a summons, a fine, or even the bill for the damaged police car.
 
#89
MikeyFingers said:
My how times have changed. Just yesterday, my dad told me a little story about when he was a youngster growing up in Brooklyn. This is a story about a friend of his though, not my dad.
Now, this may or may not sound true to you (I didn't believe it), but he assures me it's totally 100% true, and my dad wouldn't BS me, he's a reliable source of info.
Anyway, here's a little story:
My dad went out with some friends one night. At the end of their evening, they're all pretty boozed up. My dad lived a few blocks over from the bar so he just walked home. His friend John was WASTED, so naturally he had to drive himself home.
Anyway, John's driving the car just completely sauced. From what I've heard (and I've heard the story a few times from uncles too) he was so drunk that he could barely even keep his eyes open or his head up, let alone drive a car.
He approaches a red light. He doesn't see the red light. He also doesn't see the cop car stopped at the red light. He doesn't even touch his breaks. He rams a parked cop car (I'm assuming it was about 30-40 MPH, though I can't be sure).
Now this is the part that I found unbelievable, yet by all accounts, it's true. The cops get out of their car and see that the guy is completely trashed. They get him into the cop car, they park his car in a nearby parking lot, drive him home and leave a note in the mailbox telling him where to find his car. He wasn't issued a ticket, a summons, a fine, or even the bill for the damaged police car.
Click to expand...

:eek:
 
#90
vicenzajay said:
I've got to say that we've completely blown it on alcohol. While living 4 years in Italy, I was impressed with the way an italian family will introduce alcohol to children at a pretty young age - often watered down wine, etc.

This, combined with the fact that for most Italians, wine is something to be drunk while eating...not an activity all its own, results in a complete absence of a "mystique" about drinking that I believe causes many American youths to binge on alcohol when they get a chance to drink either legally or illegally (underage, etc.). We've created a taboo...that those young naturally consider something "special" due to it's special status.

Their is no "mystique" that alcohol holds over the young people in Italy - and this, in my humble opinion, is healthy. It encourages responsible drinking as a companion to good food and company - not a forbidden elixir to "use" to foster good times and crazy behavior.

It was very obvious when a group of young Americans would be eating and/or drinking in the same restaurant or locale while we were in Italy...they usually wound up stupidly drunk, shouting, and generally making @sses of themselves. It was really a shame given the fact that moderation in all things really leads to a much healthier attitude all around.

Jay
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I was getting at at the beginning of this thread. Prohibition and the subsequent lesser laws really backfired for us.
 
#91
vicenzajay said:
I've got to say that we've completely blown it on alcohol. While living 4 years in Italy, I was impressed with the way an italian family will introduce alcohol to children at a pretty young age - often watered down wine, etc.

This, combined with the fact that for most Italians, wine is something to be drunk while eating...not an activity all its own, results in a complete absence of a "mystique" about drinking that I believe causes many American youths to binge on alcohol when they get a chance to drink either legally or illegally (underage, etc.). We've created a taboo...that those young naturally consider something "special" due to it's special status.

Their is no "mystique" that alcohol holds over the young people in Italy - and this, in my humble opinion, is healthy. It encourages responsible drinking as a companion to good food and company - not a forbidden elixir to "use" to foster good times and crazy behavior.

It was very obvious when a group of young Americans would be eating and/or drinking in the same restaurant or locale while we were in Italy...they usually wound up stupidly drunk, shouting, and generally making @sses of themselves. It was really a shame given the fact that moderation in all things really leads to a much healthier attitude all around.

Jay
Click to expand...

What he said. Alcohol is not a problem in itself, irresponsible drinking is a problem.

Incidentally, the British attitude to such things is a lot closer to the American model then the (much healthier, IMO) European one. :rolleyes:
 
#92
JansenW said:
Good question. The exact circumstances was not mentioned (we'll never know for sure since this was related second hand), but the friend must have demonstrated something to give the police "probable cause" for stopping and questioning him, otherwise there would be grounds for a civil liberties suit.
Click to expand...

From what he told me, he was just walking normal. He obviously must not have been out of control or else the cop would not have let him go.

I also know the kid is a heavy drinking, so he can hold his alcohol pretty good. So staggering and the sloppy drunk walk are unlikley.
 
#93
How about the no cigarettes in bars law? (Not to change the subject) even as a smoker, I realized I actually appreciate the law. I had absolutely hated it, now I smoke less and don't reak after two minutes in a bar. In fact the smoking laws have worked insanely well to slow smoking rates. So my final verdict IMHO is that its a good law, killing our civil liberties actually helped on this occasion...

:: puts on flame retardent suit ::

IMVHO...still pot is safer, easier, has beneficial effects, has never had one fatality and is completely illegal, go figure. I was also gonna mention how it had been around for thousands of years prior to alcohol and is the oldest medicine known to man... but found out how alcohol has been around for about 9000 years "Chemical analyses of organics absorbed and preserved in pottery jars from the Neolithic village of Jiahu, in Henan province, Northern China, have revealed that a mixed fermented beverage of rice, honey, and fruit was being produced as early as 9,000 years ago. " (wikipedia).

Q: How many things have been around for thousands of years that are still prevelant in culture?

A: Sex, drugs and Rock and Roll
 
#95
KoskoArts said:
:: puts on flame retardent suit ::

IMVHO...still pot is safer, easier, has beneficial effects, has never had one fatality and is completely illegal, go figure.
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I agree. Marijuana is rather harmless. One thing I will never understand is why this plant is so demonized in this day and age. Alcohol, booze, ciggeretts, and fast food are somehow accepted though.

If I was a parent I would rather my kid smoke the stuff rather then drink.
 
#97
You know I have a bunch of friends who quit smoking entirely. Good guys, but they all started drinking harder and listening to country music... it was enough to scare me away from quitting.

Also, honestly the people I know who smoke are generally smarter and more open-minded than those that don't. Although, theres many people out there who would become lazy and worthless on it, it has the opposite effect on me, but those people definitly shouldn't smoke.

Overall though, you can't beat chillin in the pocket with a stoned haze...






...nothing against country music :cool: ...




...:hiding: ...even though I $&@*ing hate it :ninja:
 
#99
KoskoArts said:
IMVHO...still pot is safer, easier, has beneficial effects, has never had one fatality and is completely illegal, go figure.
Click to expand...
I don't really care about weed one way or the other, but just one question, what beneficial effects does it have? i have never heard that one before :)

my thoughts on beneficial effects of pot would be a guy thinking about robbing a bank but smokes a joint instead, and instead takes a nap and forgets the whole thing :)
 

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