Risky alcohol use – why should we care?

Last fall when we released “It Starts Here –A Conversation about Alcohol in the City of Kingston” we had some interesting reactions.  Some were interested, some shared similar concerns, and some were unhappy and confused about why Public Health would be talking about things like alcohol policy.  Some see this conversation as another possible intrusion on the rights of individuals.

This past weekend’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations have once again brought the issue of risky alcohol use up as a topic of heated discussion. Is it really something to be concerned about or is it just people letting loose and enjoying themselves?

The Kingston Police reported several offences on their Facebook Page that kept them very busy:

• 96 Liquor Licence Act violations (most for open alcohol, as well as charges for public intoxication and underage drinking)
• 8 arrests for Public Intoxication
• 6 Noise Bylaw violations (all but one relating to residences) 
• 2 Highway Traffic Act violations
• 2 Criminal Code occurrences:
• Breach of Officer-in-Charge Undertaking by contravening no alcohol condition,
• Breach of Court Order by contravening not to be in the Queen’s University area.
• Impaired Driving
• 1 warrant executed jointly by the Street Crime Unit and Community Services Unit on an illegal keg party on Couper St.  8.5 kegs of alcohol seized as well as over $300.

Why do these offences matter?  As a commenter stated in the Kingston Whig Standard's “Aberdeen Party Required Extra Police” article on March 19^th, 2013

“Sounds like the main offenses were nanny state violations about open alcohol and the like.”

Is it as simple as that?  Are the main offences nanny state violations?  Some may think so, but let’s consider the impact that these offences have on the well being of a community.  Each offence has some level of negative effect on the Kingston community, some more than others. And as history has repeatedly shown, when alcohol is used in excess, harms are inevitable.  The impaired driver could have killed someone.  The illegal keg party could have led to a serious alcohol poisoning, or an assault.  The fire department needed to be called to clear the street because it couldn’t have accessed the street if there were a fire, which is a real possibility in the presence of risky drinking.  This is why we have the Liquor License Act and impaired driving laws, to try and balance the risks and benefits to society of this legal drug.  What about the costs to our health care system?  How many individuals ended up needing emergency care related to their own or someone else’s overconsumption of alcohol?  What if there had been an emergency requiring the police’s attention while they were enforcing liquor laws? What were the costs to the City for the cleanup of the street?  

This is what Public Health is about.  We work in partnership with agencies, community partners, and individuals to protect the health of the community and to promote health by creating healthy public policies that build strong and resilient communities.  We aren’t suggesting that celebrations such as St Patrick’s Day shouldn’t include alcohol, what we are asking is how can we as a community work together, young and old, student, citizen, employee, employer, business owner, etc to ensure alcohol is only a part of our good times?