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If you’ve visited a college bar on a Friday evening, you may have seen a man drowning his sorrows after being rejected by one of his fellow co-eds. A recent study on fruit flies the University of San Francisco proves that ordering another beer may be more than a social norm.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reported on the study,

Male fruit flies, rejected in their attempts to mate, turn to alcohol-soaked food, researchers reported today in the journal Science. Scientists think the discovery, along with evidence that the behavior seems to be driven by a small molecule in the brain, may open a window onto the self-destructive actions of alcoholics and drug addicts.

If the brain is triggered to prefer alcohol in tense situations, this is all the more reason why parents and other responsible adults need to have the opportunity to help young people learn how to handle alcohol responsibly.

Choose Responsibility Blog

A bill proposed by Minnesota state representative Phyllis Khan (DFL-Minneapolis) would enable 18-year-olds to consume alcohol in bars and restaurants but not purchase liquor in stores. Kahn speaks of her motive for proposing this bill:

I’m totally appalled by people going out on their 21st birthday and getting totally smashed.

Khan also argues that the 21-year-old drinking age has led to higher rates of binge drinking. Read the full article on Khan’s bill and reactions from college students here.

Choose Responsibility Blog

From The Globe and Mail:

“I was shocked. My Jeremy told me about a friend from school whose parents let him drink. Not only that, but the kid has parties at his house where there’s drinking. His parents willingly facilitate it!”

Underage drinking is a contentious issue. Parents agonize over whether it’s okay – even beneficial – to allow teenagers to drink at parties at their house. While some parents do all they can to block their teens’ access, others will even supply the alcohol.

“We feel that by allowing our son to drink in our home and with us, there’s a better chance he’ll develop a more moderate, responsible approach to drinking – rather than drinking becoming this wild, rebellious thing. By the time he is of legal age – if he chooses to drink – he will better able to handle it in a more mature manner.”

Century Council Blog

University of Tennessee law professor and Instapundit blogger Glenn Reynolds has published a persuasive commentary in today’s Wall Street Joural on Alaska State Rep. Bob Lynn’s latest proposal to lower the drinking age to 18 for members of the military. Reynolds wrote:

Defenders of the status quo claim that highway deaths have fallen since the drinking age was raised to 21 from 18, but those claims obscure the fact that this decline merely continued a trend that was already present before the drinking age changed—and one that involved every age group, not merely those 18-21. Research by economist Jeffrey A. Miron and lawyer Elina Tetelbaum indicates that a drinking age of 21 doesn’t save lives but does promote binge drinking and contempt for the law.

Safety is the excuse, but what is really going on here is something more like prohibition. A nation that cares about freedom—and that has already learned that prohibition was a failure—should know better.

Reynolds then goes on to make the political argument for Legal Age 18:

Republicans are supposed to stand for limited government, freedom and federalism, but it was under a Republican administration—and a Republican transportation secretary, Elizabeth Dole—that states were forced to raise their age limits or face financial penalties. That was before the tea party, though. Perhaps today, when Republican leaders across the board are singing the praises of limited government, it is time for them to put their money where their mouths are and support an end to the federal drinking-age mandate.

Read the rest of his commentary here.

Choose Responsibility Blog

Drink Driving Law in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom drunk driving law imposes the following penalties for alcohol related driving offenses:Being in charge of a vehicle while intoxicated and over the legal blood/alcohol limit, without actually driving, can result in a license disqualification, up to 3 months in prison and a maximum fine of £2,500.

Driving or attempting to drive whilst over the legal blood/alcohol limit almost always results in a minimum 12-month driving ban, a fine of up to £5,000 and up to 6 months in prison for serious or aggravated offences. In almost all cases, there is rarely anything a lawyer can do to prevent a disqualification from driving. There are very few opportunities for a drink driving solicitor to mount a successful “technical defence”.

Refusing to supply police with a breath, urine or blood specimen when properly requested can result in a similar penalty.

Under current drunk driving law the police have the legal right to request a breath sample for analysis from anyone who is driving under any circumstances. They also have the power to require a breath test if you are attempting to drive or driving in privately owned land which is accessible by the public. Currently, 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath is the prescribed alcohol limit which is equivalent to 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The request for a breath specimen must come from a uniformed officer with one of the following three conditions being satisfied:-

1. there must be good reason to suspect a person has consumed alcohol
2. the officer has reasonable cause to suspect a moving traffic violation
3. it must be believed that the driver stopped was involved in an accident

If a roadside breath test is positive or if the person refuses to provide a breath sample then the driver will be arrested. At the police station, the driver will again be requested to provide a breath test sample for analysis. The driver will be charged with an offence if the second test results show positive for over the limit alcohol consumption. It is not necessary to have a drink driving solicitor present at the time of the test and the driver does NOT have the right to insist on a blood or urine sample.

If a person fails to provide a breath sample at the police station for any reason without a valid excuse, criminal charges will be pursued and will result in the same penalties as if the person had tested positive. Under current drunk driving law it is rare that a successful technical defence can be made by a drink driving solicitor. A person who is unable to provide a breath test for health reasons should inform the police officer immediately.

Drunk Driving Lawyer – DUI Lawyers DWI Attorneys help

Today’s article in USA Today entitled, “Website warns athletes that alcohol can lead to prison, death” is a good reminder about the dangers of underage drinking. The article describes how the New Mexico Activities Association is launching a website (lifeofanathlete.com) to remind high school athletes about the dangers of alcohol abuse. On the website, the story of Gabe Gurule is told. Gabe, a former three-sport athlete at an Albuquerque high school who was being recruited by several Big 12 schools, drove drunk on Thanksgiving 2005 and killed three innocent people. He’s now spending his time in the Central NM Correctional Facility in Los Lunas.

Perhaps the most telling part of the article is to point out that the program stresses to high school athletes that even occasional alcohol use can have an impact. They say, “A single night of partying, according to the American Athletic Institute, can undo two weeks of training. It can also have more serious results.” Gabe proved that.

For parents of high school athletes (or even non-athletes), this is a good reminder of why we must continually talk with our teens. Please start the conversation if you haven’t already. It may be your teen you prevent from becoming a victim or a prisoner in a correctional facility.

Blog to Eliminate Drunk Driving