CompuServe Messages

Almost all alcohol commercials are aimed directly at alcoholics. That is a cold, hard fact, and bitterly logical in the light of another cold, hard fact: 85% of all alcohol in the U.S. is consumed by 15% of the population, and you can well guess who they are. Many people in this country (around the world, for that matter) entertain a massive illusion that alcohol is somehow different from other drugs, and alcohol distilleries and breweries are somehow different from poppy, marijuana, coca growers, manufacturers. Other than the fact that the alcohol industry has little to fear from the law and has to pay tremendous taxes, the two have a great deal of similarities, the chief one being that they make most of their money of the human beings that are addicted to the substance they sell. The Pharmaceutical industry makes a nice bit of change off the few million houswives, etc… addicted to their "controlled, perscribed" substances, too. While I am not against drugs (alcohol included) per se, I do feel it is important to cut the BS and see the industry and substance for what it really is. The other cold hard fact is that 85% of the population is not alcoholic, a similar percentage can be applied to the smaller population segment that does, or has tried other, illegal drugs. End of rant. <g>. John Tissavary (LUNA cie)