Should alcohol be banned?

[Nihilego]

Basically, what are your thoughts on alcohol? Is it overall a good thing, a bad thing, does it not really matter, whatever, etc. It's true that alcohol helps people have a good time if they enjoy the feeling of being drunk. It can help make social occasions generally more fun and give people some good stories to tell in the future and that's all good! But on the other hand, it causes liver damage. It can cause a lapse of awareness and control. It's addictive to many people. It can have some very nasty side-effects in general.

So, considering these things and your view on alcohol, let me ask you this; should it be banned completely? With major positives but huge downsides is it worth allowing at all? Why?

That said, discuss!

 

[Shining Raichu]

It shouldn't be banned for the same reason no drug should be banned: if we are administering it to ourselves, no authoritative body should have the right to tell us what we can and cannot do with our own bodies. Personally, I don't drink. I don't like the taste of alcohol and I think in the long run it does more harm than good so I figure if I never start drinking I'll never miss it. I've been able to legally drink for the last three years and the most I've ever taken is a tablespoon of bourbon to kill the germs in my throat when I have a cold. However, this was a decision I made for myself, not one that anybody else made for me. That's the entire point.

 

[miltankRancher]

For me, alcohol should not be banned. Despite all its negative effects on the body, it still has some positive effects. The person administering it to himself should be responsible of the amount s/he intakes.

 

[Luck]

Sure, because banning alcohol has worked so well before. Banning anything popular will cause more trouble than it fixes, and alcohol isn't the exception.

 

[Keiran]

There's no point in banning it. It will only make gangs more powerful.

 

[Nihilego]

There's no point in banning it. It will only make gangs more powerful.

Can you explain this further? What's the link between gangs and banning alcohol?

 

[Magica]

Hahaha. NO.

There are no positives to it happening. The Prohibition in America was evidence enough of that.

I personally think they should just crack down harder on people who abuse it. It wouldn't be fair to people, like me, who are responsible and have it for good times.

 

[Guillermo]

alcohol is the epitome of a good time!

 

[Mr. X]

Can you explain this further? What's the link between gangs and banning alcohol?

The 'mobster' era back in the 20's and 30's was funded mainly by illegal liquor. The government made alcohol illegal, and it suddenly became more valuable and more people wanted to try it. No legal sources, so here comes the mob who start moving/selling alcohol. There were other sources of funding for them, but prohibition was what initially gave them their power.

But still, look at most gangs now. They gain most/all of their funds from illegal goods (cocaine, meth, marajuana) and activities (whoring, the occasional paid hit, protection schemes, stealing and reselling items and other things)

Edit - As for the topic question, while I think alcohol should be banned it would be pretty much impossiable to enforce. Weed is illegal, meth is illegal, cocaine is illegal and look at how good of a job the police do when it comes to enforcing it.

 

[Nihilego]

The 'mobster' era back in the 20's and 30's was funded mainly by illegal liquor. The government made alcohol illegal, and it suddenly became more valuable and more people wanted to try it. No legal sources, so here comes the mob who start moving/selling alcohol. There were other sources of funding for them, but prohibition was what initially gave them their power.

But still, look at most gangs now. They gain most/all of their funds from illegal goods (cocaine, meth, marajuana) and activities (whoring, the occasional paid hit, protection schemes, stealing and reselling items and other things)

Ah, right. I seem to remember something about that sort of thing actually; wasn't what they sold loosely named "moonshine" or something along those lines?

Edit - As for the topic question, while I think alcohol should be banned it would be pretty much impossiable to enforce. Weed is illegal, meth is illegal, cocaine is illegal and look at how good of a job the police do when it comes to enforcing it.

I agree with you about the whole "hard to enforce" bit. But why do you personally think it should be banned?

 

[Mr. X]

It's essentially poison.

While I agree that if a person wants to poison themselves with it, they should be able to, the simple fact is that people drive drunk even though they know it is illegal. You drive drunk, you can wreck a lot easier. And odds are, your going to wreck into another car possibly killing the people in the other car.

If alcohol only harmed the user, I'd be fine with it. But it doesn't just harm the user. It can easily harm another person.

Edit - They sold the most of that, but it was cheap and poorly made. It being cheap to make made it the largest item they sold, but they also supplied higher end stuff brought in across borders. Prohibition only made illegal making and selling alcohol for general use. Whiskey (Their are others im sure) could still be obtained legally if you had a doctor prescribe it to you as medicine. I don't know about this, but I'd be willing to bet that the mobs occasionally stole from medical stock alcohol and later resold it.

 

[Yoshikko]

Banning it wouldn't help anything, that goes in general for everything almost. What I don't understand is why weed isn't legal and alcohol is, in most places. Alcohol's effects on the body are way worse than marihuana's, and I agree with Mr. X on that it's just a poison essentially which doesn't only harm yourself but also potentially others around you. While that might not have everything to do with the alcohol, but also the person who uses it, there are definitely more complications with alcohol than with weed. But banning it wouldn't help a bit I think.

 

[Azzurra]

Alcohol shouldn't be banned; it should just be consumed in moderation. Like pretty much everything else.

 

[Jake♫]

People need to know their own bodies: If they can handle drinking, how much they can drink, and if the negative effects of it are going to outweigh the positives. You need to think about family history: Does alcoholism run in your family? Yes? I might be wise to think about not drinking alcohol. You need to be responsible for yourself, and it should be your decision if you want to drink it or not.

tl;dr: I like cats

 

[Ayutac]

My very first thoughs:

Should alcohol be banned?

Did he just…

Yeah. I went there.

Yes, he definitely did.

I think you summoned up all positives, at least all I can think of at the moment.

It's true that alcohol helps people have a good time if they enjoy the feeling of being drunk. It can help make social occasions generally more fun and give people some good stories to tell in the future and that's all good!

To say it nice, I don't like this reasoning. Drinking is a common way to acquire some guts, may it be for jumping of a house (because of a bet (where the person sure was drunk too)) or for speaking to a girl/boy. I simply believe you should be able to do that without any help of drugs, because you should stick true to yourself (much philosophical and yes, I don't like parties) (maybe that's just my ideal of a human being).
Next reason would be feeling good, maybe because of all the bad thoughs will just fly away. Would be the reason for drinking out of despair, too. For the latter it's just my very own opinion that you shouldn't close your eyes from the truth and just try harder to solve your problems or seek for help.
But I can still understand you just need a good time from time to time. But it's my deep belief you can always have one without drinking.

And when you start drinking, you're taking all the risks and you know that. You can never be 100% sure you can control yourself this evening. (I'm very creative when it comes to think of improbable situations, which could still happen.) And even when you only destruct your own body, that's not really "I'm okay with destructing myself.". Because the only thing you're okay with is that you you don't suffer now. Nobody is able to predict what the Future-You will think of the Now-You for drinking and maybe give Future-You some serious disabilities.

Sadly, there is a lot of personal and philosophical opinion in my post. And the following sentence is that, too: People who drink alcohol on a regular basis are selfish.
You can disagree with my in many points (and if you have reasons besides your opinion I would like to hear it), but you can't deny alcohol's bad effects are way bigger than alcohol's good effects.

At least I'm able to have all the good effects of alcohol without drinking it and having any bad effects and I believe anybody could do this.


So, I would personally welcome a prohibition, but it's pointless. Alcohol is too much accepted by society, in contradiction to weed. The only effect would be having the (few willing) cops to look out for alcohol smuggle instead of doing something really useful for society.
A prohobition would cause a lot of butthurt and if someone with good ideals had done it (the only kind of person who would do it ever) the majority would kick him/her out of position before he can do anything more good and a corrupt one would take his/her place.
It would take about ten years to see the next generation grown up and see how they do live without alcohol (or illegal with, lol) and because nobody could predict the outcome, nobody (who wouldn't be against the prohibition itself first) would support such a wild experiment.
It makes me sad, but this tradition lies to deep.

 

[Whistle A Tune]

No no no. Alcohol is like part of our culture, it's too accepted and been around too long. It's like tobacco, which I'd like to see banned, but it isn't going to happen.

Actually, I think that the *American* drinking age should be lowered to 18. If we're considered old enough to fight for our country, I think we're old enough to drink in our country.

 

[psyanic]

No. Alcohol is a responsibility in a way. After that first sip, you know what you're getting into. If you can't handle it, well, no one knows your body better than you.

Also, it can help your health. I'm talking moderate drinking, like one or two drinks a day. Why would you ban something that helps you? Because people abuse it... But that's a minor setback.

 

[Mr. X]

No. Alcohol is a responsibility in a way. After that first sip, you know what you're getting into. If you can't handle it, well, no one knows your body better than you.

Also, it can help your health. I'm talking moderate drinking, like one or two drinks a day. Why would you ban something that helps you? Because people abuse it... But that's a minor setback.

Wine yes, but I think this topic is more about the stronger stuff like Vodka, Whiskey, Gin, and Tequila.

 

[psyanic]

Wine yes, but I think this topic is more about the stronger stuff like Vodka, Whiskey, Gin, and Tequila.

Oh and dark beer. Healthy benefits of tequila, vodka can help prevent Type 2 Diabetes, so moderation is really the key. Jeez, even whiskey can help prevent heart disease. It varies with the drinker and some other factors though.

 

[Mario The World Champion]

I would have to say no, despite it being bad for you if you drink the heavy stuff way too much. It reminds me of the 20s and prohibition and even then, people would still drink. Sure, the times have changed and gangs these days are into more illegal ways of getting their money, but a ban on alcohol will be near impossible to enforce. And I bet you people will cry foul because the government is interfering in their lives again.

We might as well deal with having alcohol in society forever. And about alcohol being poison, people who drink don't care, until they go kill somebody with their car or they die themselves. Like Ryan Dunn.