ten ways in which harm minimisation horrifies me

WHY AUSTRALIA'S HARM MINIMISATION POLICY FOR ALCOHOL IS NOT THE BEST IDEA.
Warning: this is rEALLY dISJOINTED and iNCOHERENT.

1. Harm minimisation should have a number of elements. Reducing supply (which is where the you-can't-buy-alcohol-until-you're-18 deal fits in) and reducing demand (which is what the government fails at - because alcohol these days looks more appealing than ever). And, our half-hearted harm minimisation clearly isn't working for alcohol - look at the bleeding stats - how is this any better than zero tolerance? Both are blanket techniques; Zero tolerance goes, "I'm gonna pretend that teenagers don't always rebel against authority", the second goes, "I'm gonna pretend that teenagers don't listen to anyone but themselves." Clearly neither technique will work for EVERYONE, but the stats show that our former techniques worked better. Australia has a teenage binge drinking level three times that of the United States’ – who are infamous for their hard stance on liquor (drinking age of 21, years of prohibition, arresting parents for serving alcohol to underage teens etc). Clearly the US is doing SOMETHING right with its young people and alcohol. So they’re not perfect – they’re a bit more obese than we are, and they marched into Iraq first – but they do have a few good pages in their book, why can’t we copy these? You may bleat that "there's no drinking age in Europe and they don't seem to have our problem" but remember, it's not that we don't have a drinking age, it's that we have one that we don't enforce at all.

2. Anyway, “Harm minimisation” is such a negative word. I mean, “HARM” and “MINIMISATION” are both negative words. Why don’t we think about “GOOD MAXIMISATION?” Okay, it does sound a tad utilitarian, but I don’t think it has to be. It’s just about thinking positively. In order to maximise our health, we encourage people to do things that will benefit them the most – abstaining from drugs and sex (ever wondered why nuns don’t get cervical cancer?), eating adequate amounts for survival, taking a break for fresh air, sunshine and exercise...

3. Where do you draw the line? There’s now “harm minimisation” for alcohol, for heroin, yeah why not let’s apply it to crystal meth? X percent of teenagers are going to try ice, so let’s set up ice rooms for people to try ice and get it over and done with in a safe environment! “Oh but alcohol is so good for you socially!” say many adults, “What harm could possibly come of offering a bit to my kid?” It’s a widespread belief that alcohol makes you happy, relaxed and amicable. But this mystifies me – since alcohol isn’t designed to make you cheerful – it’s a DEPRESSANT. I feel that our response to alcohol is primarily a learned, psychological response. The mind is an extremely powerful thing – if you believe alcohol is a necessary ingredient of a party because it turns you into a cool chick, then the alcohol is going to make you into that uncool chick when you don’t have it. You are now dependent on alcohol to make you feel good.

Note that I have no objection to people who drink moderately for alcohol's medicinal value – I accept that there's a J-curve with cardiovascular health.

4. “The mind is a powerful thing”, I reiterate. Treat people like sheep and they will become sheep. If you are broadcasting this expectation, “teenagers will drink and there is nothing we can do about it,” then of course they will follow this expectation. I find it really disappointing that it’s acceptable for adolescents to go about breaking rules just because. Okay, I’m no angel; I break my share of rules. But before I break a rule, I always analyse it. I think, “Why is that rule there?” And I don’t mean I scream, “Why is that fucking rule there!” and then throw something sharp and pointy at it. I mean I ask myself why people put up that rule. For example, “Why can’t I have visitors over at my house when my parents are away?” I realise the rule is there because my parents don’t want me to get hurt – they don’t want me to get raped or robbed. And so I can calculate what my rule-breaking will do – if, say I have my friend over for morning tea? Will I get raped? No because she’s a girl, and she’s straight (even if I'm not). Will I get robbed? No, I’ll be with her the whole time, and I trust her.

5. It's part of our postmodern world which was based on moral relativism - what is right and what is wrong surely can't depend wholly on context! Then you end up with nihilism and anarchy...oh the pain! Haven’t we moved on? NEXT.

6. Moreover, research has shown that teenage brains are not fully developed yet. They aren’t ready to make their moral decisions all on their own. Heck, most people probably aren’t...

7. ...that’s why you can’t just educate the individual, you have to restructure society so that people make better choices. We know half the problem in Australia is the "drinking culture" and the way getting intoxicated is a rite of passage. Why don't we change the culture instead of moaning about it and encouraging it? I think that'll give us greater long-term benefits than this "harm minimisation" crap which is just going to produce a generation of middle-aged people with virtually no midterm memories (because that's what binge drinking does, morons!)

8. The other "root of the problem" is perceived to be that teenagers get drunk because it’s “in the nature of teenagers to rebel”. I think that the real root of the problem is that teenagers want to be someone they’re not and this disturbs me a lot. (See #10 for an elaboration)

9. Harm minimisation vilifies those who want to do “the right thing”. By making it acceptable to drink underage, people think this is the right thing to do. If you don’t drink, there is something wrong with you. Ironic isn’t it? Of course then these people are going to change their minds once they see their good behaviour is actually being punished.

10.When alcohol is used in the context of most teenagers' lives, it's for a very sinister purpose - to become someone else because they're not happy with the way they are.

Girls, in particular, often use alcohol "to relax and meet guys" (to quote a real interview I read). Why? Because I think that as far as society has come with encouraging women to stand up for themselves, there is still a social taboo about young being "forward" with young men. One of the interviews I read in high school that made a huge impression on me was with a 15-year-old who was asked, "If a girl makes the first move, is it a turn-off?". He said yes, which HORRIFIED me.

And it's not just gender inequality that alcohol can mask. I've seen it turn shy boys and girls into semi-naked tabletop dancers. I can't understand why it's such a sin to be reserved. For about...oh, a year? I've had an on-off infatuation with a particular fellow who's extremely reserved. I don't think I've even hugged him. But I don't mind it at all; I consider it to be part of his unique, old-fashioned charm. It's back to those old sayings about adolescents having faith in themselves instead of investing all their faith in society when it comes to "what makes a good person". Alcohol takes this to a whole new level, unfortunately. AND IT HORRIFIES ME.