Greetings and Salutations....
Misc remarks interspersed.

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 18:37:59 GMT, "George" wrote:


"Brian Henderson" wrote in message
.. .
On 21 Nov 2006 16:00:28 GMT, "J. Clarke"
wrote:

If everybody became addicted then that would be a viable solution. Most
people do not become addicted and there's no way for any given individual
to tell whether he is one of the ones who will unless he tries it and
finds out the hard way.


While true enough, as has been pointed out elsewhere, if there
is a history of alcoholism in the past couple or three generations,
then, YOU are at risk. In a more GENERAL area, folks fall into two
catagories. Some folks HAVE an addictive personality, and some dont.
If one has an addictive personality, there is a greater than average
chance that getting into alcohol will mean a monkey on the back...and
not just a good drink with dinner. here is a link to ONE test
online that seems to cover it pretty well.
http://www.lifetimetv.com/reallife/h...iz_addict.html
Don't worry that is is focused towards women. The fact
of the matter is that it works for males too.

Of course you could just ban alcohol. Woops, tried that.

Very true. We have thousands of years of proving that
legislating morality is always going to be a failure. Far better
that we who are parents make a point to train the kids that alcohol,
in MODERATION, is an ok thing for adults...but excess is bad all
around.



But most people know if there is a history of alcoholism in their
families and can tell if they are a high risk candidate. In the end,
it's still personal responsibility and far too few have any interest
in taking it.

Well, that is true enough, although if one is sufficiently
depressed, or is sufficiently self-destructive, it is VERY easy for an
alcoholic to take that first drink, and, once one is truly caught up
in the nightmore, it tends to erode what strength of will that is left
and makes it far harder to NOT take that first drink.

Wouldn't happen to know a single _positive_ outcome from ethanol
consumption, would you? All I've ever experienced are negatives.

Clarke would make up something.
Well, actually, there are multiple studies (some by fairly
reputable organizations) that show that the moderate use of alcohol
can, indeed, have benefits in one's life. For example, I find that
there are times when a small (12 oz or smaller) glass of wine before
bed will make it much easier for me to get to sleep, and, I sleep
sounder and more restfully once I do get to sleep. I also have to say
that there are a number of meals where the interesting combination of
flavors and the cleaning power of the alcohol adds quite a bit to the
enjoyment of the meal.
Alcoholic beverages are not the problem. Abuse and overuse of
them IS the problem. Drink in moderation, all is fine. Get roaring
drunk - That IS a problem.
Regards and best wishes for a Merry Christmas
Dave Mundt