One Policy That Should Not Change

When the laughing and jokes subside about the county freeholders possibly changing the existing prohibition against alcohol on county property, think about the recovering alcoholic.
Without naming anyone, I would bet there are at least three people virtually every reader knows who has been affected by the use or overuse of alcohol in some way. Either they are related to a victim of a drunken driving accident, have personally been crippled physically or emotionally by such an accident, or know someone who has.
Perhaps the scourge of alcoholism has entered their own lives, and they are either trying to reform or have taken the 12 steps to reform their old lifestyle and craving.
The freeholders ought to carefully consider these people when weighing their option to allow the use of alcohol in county parks and other facilities.
Has it been skirted in the past? Yes it has, and there is no denying that fact. Should it be permitted in the future?
Well, consider: There is a man who presently is an upstanding man, a veteran, and someone who would give you the very shirt off his back. At one time, in those wild, younger days, he was truly the life of the party. He would buy rounds for the bar, and they would reciprocate.
But then, he changed. He decided by himself, as only a person can do alone in the stillness of his soul, to quit drinking. To this day, he has not taking a drop of intoxicating drink, nor will he go near anyplace that serves alcohol.
Freeholders, would want to carry the burden, by allowing alcohol in and on county property, for being a party to returning that man to his former state?
Drug addicts who have reformed are keenly aware that even a tiny little bit of a drug, even a legal one, might turn them back into their former ways. Alcohol, too, is a drug, and just one beer, one innocent 12-ounce can after a nine-inning game on a hot summer night, could well be the key to starting a reformed alcoholic on the downward spiral.
There comes a certain responsibility with being en elected official, and I certainly would not want to be in their shoes. However, with that oath to serve the people comes the awesome duty to protect the weak, and certainly, the recovering alcoholic is one of them.
What is the message of even wider use of alcohol to young people? Let’s say they are of an impressionable age enjoying a play day in the county park. Children by the hundreds go there every day, especially in summer.
And let us say there is a well-meaning non-profit agency that has secured all the necessary permits to have an event to serve alcohol at a function in the park. We know that 99 percent of those who attend such events will be mindful of what is being served, and hold to the limit. But we know there is “one in every crowd” who may be half-drunk when they arrive, and add to the condition. What is some terrible accident takes place with those children? Would the sorrow be worthwhile to the county, when it could well have prevented the situation by maintaining the prohibition?
Let’s say there is a beef and beer for a truly worthy cause. What harm can there be in that, after all, it’s for a good cause.
Suppose, for the sake of argument, there is a teen of 18 or 19 who is in proximity to the event. Even if they do not partake, because they are underage, what message does that send to those very impressionable young folks?
It sends the message, “As long as you drink for a good cause, it’s OK.” Is that the real lasting message our society wants to send its young people who are already bombarded at every sporting event broadcast on television with messages to drink (albeit “responsibly?”)?
Then I go back to thinking about that chap who is recovering from a life of alcoholism. If there is alcohol allowed, he will likely never again go to any county park, and that would be a sad commentary on us and those we have elected to serve.
I have read the comments of those who read my story about this on-line, and hope that those tasked with making the ultimate decision consider the fact that here, in Cape May County; our law enforcement leaders acknowledge we have issues with drugs.
Perhaps freeholders should consider what school children are taught in Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) classes, “Just say no!”