Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine on underage/abusive drinking.

Dan,

You are correct about what has been going on in France--and other European countries--re DWI.

Let me point out that while the DWI stats have been rising in France, it is also true that per capita wine consumption has been falling while spirits consumption has been rising. Could there be a correlation to DWI?

Or even towns. The town of Rockport, MA, had been dry for nearly a century, ever since the Women's Christian Temperance Union went on a rampage and smashed all of the barrels and bottles at all of the public establishments in town. They only just voted to allow alcohol sales in restaurants a year or two ago, after persistent complants from their restaurants that they were losing tourist trade to the town of Gloucester, next door.

-Paul W.

We had a similar situation here in Oregon, where the college town of Monmouth was dry up until a year or two ago. No dry counties, though, and the state controls all liquor laws other than dry/not dry.

Let me point out that while the DWI stats have been rising in France, it is also true that per capita wine consumption has been falling while spirits consumption has been rising. Could there be a correlation to DWI?

Sure Tom. Interpreting correlations can be something of a Rorschach, but I’d put my money on the increase in spirits consumption being part of a broader change in the use and place of alcohol in society. What we call globalization is known for good reason in France and elsewhere as Americanization.