Alcohol should be banned like any other drug. Discuss sober only.

But other drugs aren’t banned. They’re regulated. Like alcohol.

No drugs should be banned, alcohol included, and it's ridiculous that they are. If people want to drink themselves, smoke themselves, snort themselves, or inject themselves to death then I say let them. It's their body, their choice, their right.

The US has already tried this. It was called Prohibition.

I'm with R2, everything should be regulated only, not banned. The same rules would apply for any mood-altering substance.

Yeah, OP!

It worked so well 100 years ago!!!

I'm shober and ready to shparkle.

No, not banned.

We joke a lot here, but I wish there were more consciousness that alcohol abuse is a huge problem for LGBT people in particular. There are many, many of us struggling with substance abuse issues. Many of us have overcome them. But there are a lot of aspects of gay male culture, in particular, that encourage alcohol and drug abuse.

I don't think it should be banned outright, but I do think it's hilarious that cannabis is still illegal in many parts of the U.S. when it's destroyed far less lives than alcohol.

Alcohol can be fun at the time, but you usually make horrible choices, could endanger other's lives, wake up with an awful hangover, and hate yourself the next day. Pot's never done that to me or anyone else I know. You don't usually hear about someone doing a lot of pot and throwing their wife out the window in a fit of rage. I think the country would be in a better place if we put pot in the water supply to mellow people the fuck out.

Any other drug?

OP is a 12-year-old girl trying to set a new post record on one of her threads of 10.

Didn't most of The USA recently legalise Medical Marijuana?

Drink water while consuming alcohol, and remember to drink some before you pass out. Do this to avoid a nasty hangover.

Bans do not work. Correction: They NEVER work.

Bans and "war against ..." are partly responsible why our society is such a shit show.

People choose (self) destructive means like drugs, alcohol, anger management issues, etc. to distract themselves from facing and dealing a personal issue. Creating a safe space where people are allowed to face and deal with their issues without judgement from others would help eliminate the need for distractions aka (self) destructive means.

First of all, banned is not a word one uses in 2020. I'm sure you meant to say, "cancelled".

People agreed with you OP, so we gave it a try.

It was an epic failure. Next.

It's easy enough to produce your own alcohol at home: lots of people do.

I quit drinking and took up prancercizing but it's an addiction like anything else.

What is worse than a dry drunk like OP? Everyone who enjoys a drink is an "alky." Fuck off. Just because you were a booze bag who couldn't keep their shit together why should it be prohibited?

R8 is right. Alcohol is a horrible destructive drug, like coke or crack. We should be limiting production and sales, especially near the 'hoods and encouraging people to smoke dope instead. Far fewer problems to deal with.

Has the AA troll resurfaced?

Apparently, R19.

AA is a cult!

We could replace bars with shisha cafes. I wonder if there is as much violence in these places in the Arab world as there is in our bars.

What the fuck are you talking about, R22?

So much crime occurs because of alcohol.

It's evil, but shouldn't be banned. All the other drugs shouldn't be banned either

Oh, bullshit, R24. Have a drink and relax, Mary.

The puritans are really hitting DL hard.

First, we get the barrage of fundie xtian nutbags spewing their crazy with various threads.

Now, we're getting the Women's xtian temperance movement redux bombarding us.

I have an idea. How 'bout you do you, boo.

As others have said, is OP a member of that AA cult? Do they serve Kool-Aid?

Banning things has not gone well in the past, as pointed out above.

I agree with the thought that all of these substances should be legalized and given the same treatment as alcohol, though. And I also agree that MJ is a lot less of a danger than alcohol and see no reason at all for it, specifically, being illegal. It never made sense.

Some turn to Jesus

Some turn to heroin

Some turn to ramblin’ round

I think it should be legal but it should be like tobacco where you’re not allowed to advertise it. The way our culture glamorizes drinking is so creepy when you stop to think about it.

Glamorizing or celebrating alcohol is hardly a unique Americanism.

And in no way is alcohol advertising "creepy," Mary R30. Look up the word.

It ought to be drummed into people that alcohol is a carcinogen in the same class as arsenic, benzene and asbestos.

Good luck with that, Mary OP.

I mostly stopped drinking about a year ago. After the first few months, don’t miss it much, although every once in a while crave a beer.

Weed has been a savior during this crisis. I rarely used weed before, but it’s perfect now. Don’t think I could deal with the anxiety from the election alone without it.

Zero negative consequences from it other than I get zero work done in the evenings.

Actually drugs and alcohol should be legal and regulated. Criminalizing either is a potent stimulus for crime and one the reasons we have so many in prison in the US.

Whatever, OP.

R33 believes in "drumming it into people." R33 can fuck themselves.

Mary R33 would have us believe that having a gin and tonic is as dangerous as coming on asbestos.

*chomping on asbestos

(but coming, too)

I nearly died during my last binge (five years ago). Got jaundice. It was horrible. So selfishly I'd love for booze to be banned. But why should normal drinkers be forced to not imbibe because of my demons? I have no issue with sweets. Like them every now and then. Should I not enjoy a cookie every now and then because my mother can't help but eat the entire box once opened?

No one feels good after drinking alcohol. If we got the advertising out of the equation I'm sure banning alcohol would not seem so far fetched an idea. I'm so glad so many of you agree with the general idea.

So many DON'T agree with you here, OP. The majority of respondents are not in favor of banning alcohol.

It IS a ridiculous and far-fetched idea; it was already done and it didn't work, dummy. You don't make something go away by criminalizing it. And you can't take something away other people enjoy just because you couldn't control yourself. Nor do you have no right to impose a law on something because you personally have an aversion to it.

You type slurred.

No, I type accurate and in complete sentences, OP, you dry-drunk bitch.

No, I type accurately, I meant to write. And by the way, OP, you didn't address either of my points:

1. The majority here DO NOT want liquor banned.

2. Prohibition did not make liquor go away.

You're incapable of intelligently arguing actual talking points. You're quite stupid and clearly a dry drunk. But it doesn't matter, because alcohol will never again be outlawed. Dummy.

I am sober 24 years now. My body chemistry could not handle the addiction. I know I can't ever have alcohol again. I don't feel others should be prevented from drinking just because I cannot. Most of the world can handle it properly and drink in moderation.

I'm also not going to say my grandmother should not have taken anti-depressants for 50-odd years. They helped her get through anxiety challenges the rest of us handle well and take for granted.

Sweeping assertions should never be the source of a demand for change. We are all different. We can't all be swept under a rug of someone else's making.

Jack Nicholson from As Good As It Gets.

That book by Alan Carr (so?) or someone “How to stop drinking” was an interesting take on it. It did open my eyes to how society normalizes the use of THIS addictive substance for some reason. I don’t agree with banning - but I do think we have come a long way in teaching people “having a drink” is not a merely a social thing. Like cigarettes, I wouldn’t ban.

The lockdown shuttering of bars is as close as we have come to eliminating the “normalization” of alcohol consumption. Interesting to watch.

I'd agree that alcohol can often be as addictive and has certainly caused all sorts of societal damage.

But, I wouldn't ban it.

Alcohol should be more potent; 99 consumptions and you die. End of. No more dragging on and on and on with liver cancer. Cigarettes should be the same as well. 99 smokings and say goodbye.

Add weed, caffeine and cigarettes to the mix op.

But seriously , I don't mind if it's banned or not, the illegal drugs and the alcohol should have the same treatment as the tobacco as well.

I have a few friends who are therapists and there's a move more toward harm reduction vs zero consumption, because that isn't for everyone.

Some people really need that boundary of, "I can never do this again." Others can't deal with that restriction. So the idea is to move toward harm reduction, reducing consumption, trying to introduce mindfulness and recognizing triggers.

I haven’t had a drink in over two months and I am surprised how easy it is to give it up completely.

The only time I find myself craving alcohol is if I have enough caffeine to give me that jittery feeling.

It’s like my brain says “that’s enough of the stimulant now I want a depressant“

So now I never have more than one cup of coffee a day.

R47, I respect you.

R51, you're incoherent. You actually sound drunk.

Haha "a dry drunk bitch"

Love that r46. The bitch part I don't care for so much. I'm high on life! I don't need no alcohol, um, bitch.

Really, OP? The why are you carrying on about it like Carrie Nation. Sorry, hunty--a dry drunk can be spotted ten miles away.

Hilarious how OP wants sober people "only" to weigh in on whether alcohol should be banned--and even sober people don't agree with her!

[Quote] how OP wants sober people "only" to weigh in on whether alcohol should be banned

Of course. Can you trust drunkards to think clearly?

What about food? Bad diets and obesity kill more than anything else.

Show us your body, OP.

Well, R58, judging by the posts from dry drunks here, sobriety doesn't make them think any clearer. And "drunkard"? What century are you in?

R51, alcoholism doesn't give anyone liver cancer. It gives alcoholics cirrhosis of the liver. God, you really ARE dumb.

R60, are you serious? It does both or one of the other or neither if you're lucky. Do you know how to use Google?

Calm down, R61. Heavy alcohol use can damage the liver, leading to inflammation and scarring, which might be why it raises the risk of liver cancer. Cirrhosis is more prevalent. Okay?

See what harm alcohol does? The body is saying no!

White trash trump people need to get sober and face how miserable they are.

The US had a version of this called Prostitution but gangsters got involved so now it’s illegal except in Nevada chicken restaurants.

[quote]r18 Alcohol is a horrible destructive drug, like coke or crack.

I thought this said [italic]"like [bold]cock[/bold] or crack'[/italic] (!!)

I have some sympathy for the OP. He may not be a dry drunk, but someone who has had the misfortune of being in a relationship with a alcoholic. I was in a relationship with a chronic alcoholic for seven long horrendous years. And it can really do your head in, reading the story of Carrie Nation R57 posted reminded me of just how much. At my lowest ebb I would have been all in for an alcohol ban like OP, as I hated the vicious trap I'd fallen into. I'd read the story of Carrie Nation at the time and had idle dreams of going back in time and giving her a ton of Semtex and a bunch of IED's and detonators and such

Eventually I got myself out of that mess, and met my new partner, and with that and Al Anon found a sense of perspective. I came to recognise that the problem was the person, not the substance, and that plenty of people are perfectly capable of drinking in moderation without turning into monsters.

Now I wouldnt support a ban/ Prohibition, but I do think curtailing advertising like R30 suggests has some merit. Also educating the public on its carcinogenic properties would be a good idea. And we should face the fact that there some people who we really should step in and prevent from drinking - repeat drink drivers, people like my ex - effectively Prohibition on an individual basis for the absolutely worst alcoholics that damage other people around them and clearly have no ability to control over their drinking at all. Prohibition on a society wide basis wont work and isnt necessary

We tried it and it led to lots more crime.

[quote] Now I wouldnt support a ban/ Prohibition, but I do think curtailing advertising

People don't take up drinking because of advertising.

Is there an AA equivalent for drama queens?

"The lockdown shuttering of bars is as close as we have come to eliminating the “normalization” of alcohol consumption. "

But, it's consumption is completely normalized at home. True, there are plenty of people who don't drink at home and or don't drink as much at home as when they're out. But, it's still completely normalized. And obviously there are a ton of people who drink at home.

The one area where you can say it's become denormalized is probably workplace lunch or work generally. That happened a while ago.

I love it! We made SO much money off of it last time.

CUNTS R US

Banning it would certainly be a boost to Canada and Mexico, smuggling would go through the roof.

It would also pretty much destroy any foreign tourist industry that The US has left after the pandemic, though you might get a few extra Salvation Army members from The UK.

r57, this lady busted up a saloon with Carry Nation back in 1901. She explains afterwards that she was a teenager when she helped Nation with the deed, and that, at that time, thought it was a noble thing to do. Later in life, however, she had a change of mind, and would enjoy cocktails.

Dyke Gone WiLd! ^

My cocktail says drink me. I make life more fun. Everyone knows that.

There won't be any ban. What a ridiculous thread.

Banning alcohol would have horrific results. There's a reason liquor stores are being considered "essential services" with the virus pandemic going on -- it's one substance where withdrawal can easily and quickly lead to death. Even harder drugs aren't as lethal when it comes to withdrawal.

I agree with other comments about bans being terrible in general. I think a variety of drugs should just be regulated - everything, including cocaine, opiates, and so on. I really don't understand the weirdness about it and it would solve many problems for the 20% of the population that always has and always will have, addiction issues (unless some ground breaking science/ medical research happens.)

Somehow it's okay to have half the population on antidepressants, anxiety meds, take over the counter drugs, alchohol, and so on, but don't you dare take these other types of drugs, that might make you feel too good 🙄 US is so uptight, we can't even get codeine without a doctor 🙄

I have a few theories about substance use -- one is that certain addictions only hit certain people harder because a particular substance corrects a bio brain problem for them, but it's a double edge sword. Hence a person being an alcoholic, but doesn't get hooked on something else. The other is that synthetic drugs are thriving (meth, pills, etc.), because crack downs on better drugs, that are at least natural in some forms. I rather see people getting pure regulated drugs from a safe source, than see people do meth, made in some trailer, with cold meds and lighter fluids.

There's also the matter that many addictions stem from environmental stresses. Some lead to permanent brain chemistry issues, but abuse, financials, work, and whatever, can still contribute to the amount of drug use. It's difficult to solve a complex problem when health care is inadequate, or nonexistent. That's why just "banning" will never work in solving anything. It's lazy and pointless. It fuels illegal trades and puts lives in danger.

Many natural narcotics were used all through history. Hell, we've had presidents taking cocaine to work through colds. They used to put opiates in tampons. All like it was nothing. I highly doubt the addiction issues were any more than they are now. Why? Bans never work.

Besides, alcohol is too easy to make at home. How do you ban people from that? Let's try fixing people, making smart decisions on regulation, and changing culture, instead of forcing moral compliance that doesn't work out.

[Quote] it's one substance where withdrawal can easily and quickly lead to death. Even harder drugs aren't as lethal

If we know this, hello! allowing it out there is like keeping asbestos in the walls or lead in our paints.

[quote]People don't take up drinking because of advertising.

Did they take up smoking because of advertising?

Alcohol doesn't need advertising, R81.

Alcohol withdrawal does NOT easily and quickly lead to death. What a bunch of nonsense you Marys are spouting.

Alcohol is banned in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It's really easy to get hold of in both places.

Alcohol was readily available during Prohibition as well.

Is weed hard to get? Becuse that's currently illegal. And no, it isn't. What a stupid, nonsensical argument OP is attempting to advance.

There WILL be crooks. No reason why Wall Street should not be regulated just because it has crooks. No reason why the tax code should not exist just because there are tax dodgers.

Some people will do anything they can to drink surreptitiously. One elderly lady told her family she had quick drinking. It was obvious to them she hadn't. They never found her supply. She later said she always hid her bottle in the vacuum cleaner bag.

Another lady I knew poured her vodka into a vase in the living room she always had a bouquet of flowers in. The flowers may have died sooner, but at least they were happy.

,,,that's "quit" drinking.

My Friend used to carry Vodka around in half pint water bottles.

Everyone knew though.

The difference between a person sneaking alcohol and going into a speakeasy because it's illegal is completely different. Luckily, this country will never be so foolish again as to make it illegal.

By the way, OP's post is greyed out and lined through--a solid DL rejection of her argument of prohibition.

There's no lack of fools here r89.

And you're the biggest fool of all, OP. Congrats.

Is OP recently sober and has to ruin it for everyone else?

Yes, she's a dry drunk who's been sober a few months and the only answer she sees in her shaky attempts at staying sober is to post about banning alcohol for everyone. She's new to sobriety, poor thing. She'll probably fall off the wagon a few times but hopefully will figure out quietly it's not about the world but herself.

R93 - you’re optimistic Muriel.

Give up OP, DLers are booze bag alkies, drinking away their days 'cause they old.

I eat shit.