In looking through the police report in the Village Voice, I get the distinct feeling we moved into the twilight zone. It's really pretty funny, in a sad sort of way. Many of the reports, you can be assured, have to do with alcohol. We have a very high percentage of alcoholism in the Village. The traditional statistics used has been one in ten drinkers become alcoholics. Here, we would probably be closer to two or three in ten. When you add to that the horrible roads, you begin to get a sense of the danger involved. Dementia is another problem that we have to confront. Adding the two together creates some of the stories you read in the "police report." Enabling our drinkers is not going to help them or us. Allowing drunk drivers to simply go home after being stopped is a dangerous and misguided precedent. While it obviously helps the driver, and makes life easier for the arresting officer, it in the long run is going to cost the rest of us dearly. Hopefully, the police are not letting them drive home. If they take them home, that doesn't mean they will stay there. If they are subsequently involved in an accident, the lawsuits could be tremendously costly.
It doesn't hurt to drink. It does hurt to drink too much. The older you get, the less you can drink before intoxication. Medications are another factor. Dementia can be caused by too much alcohol over a long period of time. Your life will not get better by drinking too much. It will only get more distant.
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