Alcohol ban has no effect--who do we blame?

Dear Editor of the Web@Devil of Arizona State University online:

In response to your story about Police: Alcohol ban has no effect

Frats say they've complied with new ASU rules

by Kristi Eaton published on Monday, February 20, 2006 http://www.statepress.com/

Seven fraternities on Alpha Drive have remained dry since a Feb. 1 alcohol ban, but the ban may not be affecting the number of alcohol incidents.

ASU Department of Public Safety police logs indicate a decrease in alcohol incidents on campus since the ban went into effect, but officials said they haven't seen a decrease in incidents on Alpha Drive.

"[The ban] hasn't done a whole lot to stop it," DPS Officer Mark Aston said. "[Fraternities are] just trying to be a lot more careful. They're doing more to not get caught than actually observing the ban."

My response to your community and the Arizona State University is this:

Remember, the alcohol problem is not only a university issue, but it is a community wide dilemma. Just like crime, you cannot push it out of one neighborhood into another and think that you are preventing crime. Involve your community with solutions and participation in preventative activity themselves.

For your reference, according to the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 12.6 million Americans aged 12 and older were heavy drinkers (five or more drinks at one occasion on at least five different days in the past 30 days), and approximately one-fifth (20.6%) of them participated in binge drinking (five or more drinks on one occasion at least once in the 30 days prior to survey). Additionally, in 2000, the illegal use of alcohol among teens was extremely widespread. About 27.5%, or 9.7 million young people between the ages of 12 and 20, reported drinking alcohol in the month prior to being surveyed. Of these, 6.6 million (18.7%) were binge drinkers and 2.1 million (6.0%) were heavy drinkers. Sixty-two percent of 12th graders and 25 percent of 8th graders reported they had been drunk at least once.

The drinking alcohol subject has to be addressed at all levels of our society. Pushing and shoving was never allowed when I was in elementary school. We should still hold that standard today when it comes to pushing the blame onto someone else and shoving the responsibility to another entity.

Go to my website for more detailed information and links to facts.