Incidentally, I would be very curious to see comparisons between the average amount of alcohol consumed per day in the Mediterranean vs. the rest of Western Europe, because I suspect the higher per capita consumption in the former is due to drinking less alcohol more often. Doctors have been telling us for some time that a glass or two of wine per day is good for us, but obviously chugging three bottles once a week is not the same, even if it works out to the same amount per year. Obviously, the behavioral effect of moderate drinking without intoxication are very different than those of binge drinking, and arguing only abstinence prevents embarrassment and tragedy while other parts of the culture glorify excess is no more helpful with alcohol than with sex.

I agree with her primary contention BECAUSE I disagree with her primary supporting argument that alcohol is not a disinhibitor. The highlighted factors all add up to impaired judgement and reduced inhibition. That does not mean anyone does anything they were not already inclined to do, but simply that drunkeness reduces or destroys their rational coherent self-restraint. In other words, alcohol but DOES indirectly encourage selectively breaking general social rules. It weakens or eliminates our psychological barriers against violating rules in ways we desire but recognize as unhealthy. Many people routinely and enthusiastically do things while drunk that they would never consider, despite temptation, while sober, because they forget, dispute or simply no longer care about the consequences that would deter them if sober.

Of course, as I have also long contended, that does not make alcohol an excuse for appalling behavior; it clearly demonstrates that when a person acts disgracefully while drunk the PERSON, not the alcohol, is the actor. Part of the embarrassment in such behavior is the general perception the person was always inclined toward it, but that inclination remained hidden until the alcohol revealed it; that perception seems largely accurate. If your best friend and boyfriend get drunk and sleep together, the alcohol merely opened the door to what both already wanted to do anyway, even if neither would ever do it sober.

The idea alcohol somehow excuses such behavior is thus very dubious. Knowing alcohol fosters submission to irresponsible temptation, we should be vigilant against temptation while drunk rather than indulging it and simply blaming alcohol later. That would also alleviate the placebo effect of people behaving deplorably while drunk because they expect to do so; people would know (as most eventually learn) that, drunk or not, their behavior remains THEIRS, not the alcohols.

Again, the author makes a number of good and valid points, but the following sentence best illustrates how I think she exaggerates their effect:

I would very much like to see a study showing "even when people are very drunk... they are perfectly capable of... behaving as though they were totally sober." I imagine most law enforcement would find that study interesting, too, but I have difficulty believing drunken black outs are psychosomatic, or that people fall over and puke on their shoes solely because they expect they will. The authors own earlier statements refute that notion.

The fact is, we know alcohol reduces our inhibitions by ever greater amounts, but we remain responsible for our actions because the absence of restraint motivates nothing. We can and should acknowledge and publicize both aspects of that, discouraging drunkneness because it impairs judgement but also encouraging people to heighten rather than relax their vigilance when alcohol impairs judgement. Alcohol makes it more difficult to walk a straight line and speak clearly, but concentration and will nonethless allow people to do both long after alcohol has begun impairing the ability. Moderation should be encouraged at all times; no amount of will enables walking and talking when blood alcohol content reaches acutely toxic levels and, while an unconscious person may not be responsible for choking on their own vomit, that unaccountability benefits them little.