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The trouble with the statement is it’s absolutely right and it’s absolutely wrong.
College students are back. And sure as the semester starts, there will be parties — with alcohol.
But the statement is also absolutely wrong because it assumes the only demographic segment in the Winona area to have a problem with drinking is the college-age students. As if graduating from college, or passing the age of 22 somehow makes a person impervious to drinking too much or causing a ruckus while under the influence. One cursory look at the daily police blotter will tell you college students aren’t the only ones struggling with liquor.
In a series of articles the Daily News published a couple of years ago, doctors and law enforcement officials talked about drug use in Winona. Sure, there was some pot. And Winona’s cocaine market wasn’t bad either. Yet far and away the most problematic drug in Winona was the only one that was legal — alcohol.
How many police calls have alcohol involved in them in some way? It’s not just about driving under the influence. It’s not just about public urination. It’s about domestic abuse. It’s about damage to property. It’s about rides to detoxification facilities after being found passed out on a sidewalk.
This isn’t an endorsement for prohibition. That didn’t work. But neither is this an endorsement for one single solution.
We know what the problem is: Winona drinks too much. That includes college-age folks, high school teens, middle-age workers and those who are old enough to know better.
Defining the problem is the easy part, however. The causes are much harder to pin down. It could be folks are celebrating. They’re drowning their sorrows. They’re trying to fit in. They’re trying to loosen up. They enjoy the buzz. They’re addicted. They’re inexperienced and don’t know their limit. They’re doing it to defy authority. Self-medication. They’re seeking oblivion — and on and on.
With that in mind, some folks may drink too much for no reason at all.
But as the school year begins, which also kicks off an unofficial collegiate partying season, it’s time for the community to take an honest yet painful look at our community. We applaud Winona State University for embarking on an alcohol awareness program. Education like that is key.
We also need to educate the community. We hope leaders like Sheriff Dave Brand and Winona Police Chief Frank Pomeroy continue to participate in law enforcement initiatives, especially when it comes to drunken driving. We hope they continue to help the community see crime as they see it — often the result of bad decisions and too much drinking.
We hope that law enforcement, city leaders and bar owners consider eliminating specials like all-you-can-drink. While those may be good gimmicks to get people through the doors, it also encourages binge drinking and guzzling way too much alcohol.
We hope that lawmakers and university officials consider the recent work of the Amethyst Initiative, which seeks to lower the drinking age to 18. While the idea may be counterintuitive, it’s worthy of consideration. The organization, which seeks college and university support, is campaigning to rethink the drinking age because so much of the trouble with alcohol on campus is binge drinking, especially by underage drinkers. The “forbidden fruit” effect of alcohol tends to encourage risky behavior not found as prevalently in those who are older than 21.
We also hope legislators consider a really wonderful piece of legislation that came from Winona’s model Legislature — that’s right, high school students — which would have put a tax of a few cents on drinks to help combat drunken driving and fund alcohol awareness programs. Let the proceeds from drinking and alcohol fund part of the solution.
It is indeed time for school again, and that means homework. It’s time for us to start working on a solution that doesn’t make Winona run dry, just run more safely.
By Darrell Ehrlick, editor, on behalf of the Winona Daily News editorial board, which also includes publisher Rusty Cunningham and online editor Jerome Christenson. To comment, call 453-3507 or send e-mail to letters@winonadailynews.com.
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