A Covert War Against Drinking - American Beverage Institute

These numbers are particularly disturbingsince numerous scientific studies link moderatealcohol consumption to longer life:• Researchers in Bordeaux, France, havefound that Frenchmen who drink twoto three glasses of wine daily have “asignificantly lower risk of death fromall causes” than do teetotalers. 73• Research from the TNO Nutrition andFood Research Institute associatesmoderate beer drinking with a lowerrisk of cardiovascular diseases. 74• Men who consume four to sixdrinks a week, according to aHarvard study, reduce their risk offatal heart attacks by 60%. (Of thisgroup, those who went from fourdrinks to five or six actually enjoyeda further 19% risk reduction.) 75• Some diabetics, reports The Journal ofthe American Medical Association, seemto enjoy a “strong reduction” in deathdue to heart disease by drinking lightto moderate amounts of alcohol. 76• “The science supporting the protectiverole of alcohol is indisputable; noone questions it any more,” says Dr.Curtis Ellison, a professor of medicineand public health at the BostonUniversity School of Medicine.“There have been hundreds ofstudies, all consistent.” 77How far has neo-prohibition progressed?In Wisconsin (often called America’sBavaria), Sheriff Paul Bucher unleashed hisdeputies to enter private residences “byforce if necessary” if they suspected minorswere drinking inside. 78 No warrants. Antialcoholfever evidently trumps the FourthAmendment. Meanwhile, SecurityLink ispitching a breathalyzer/video-camera arraythat permits police to check the sobriety ofAmericans in their own homes. 79A man’s “castle” is no longer safe, andneither is his tavern. It will probably surpriseyou to learn that “you can’t be drunk in abar.” So says Fairfax County (VA) PoliceChief J. Thomas Manger. 80 He claims thatpublic intoxication is an offense worthy ofarrest, and a tavern is a public place. ThisJanuary, officers burst into Northern Virginiabars in search of intoxicated patrons. Anyoneregistering over .08% BAC — the state’slegal limit for driving — was subject to arrest.Bar-goers with that unlucky fate “would betransported to an adult detention centeruntil they sobered up.” 81Here’s The Washington Post with onewoman’s story: “as the designated driver inher dinner party, Pat Habib was careful toconsume no more than one alcoholic drinkand follow it up with two sodas. So she wasshocked when a police officer singled her outof the crowd at Jimmy’s Old Town Tavernin Herndon and asked her to step outsideto prove her sobriety.” 82 That’s right. Thepolice forced her to prove she was sober —in a bar. Among the tactics they used to tellwho might be drunk: “frequent trips to thebathroom.” You’d think law enforcementAmerican Beverage Licensees | America's Beer, Wine, and Spirits Retailers11