There has been an ongoing debate present in the community about whether we should allow the sale of alcohol within the county. From the general consensus, people seem to think that it is a lovely idea. After all, those who truly want it can simply drive under a half hour and purchase it in Augusta or Cabot. So in the minds of the Searcy residents, “Why not just allow it to be sold here as well? And if it was brought here, we could take advantage of the tax money brought in by it.” Although this would be the most evident reality to see, there is a dark side to this ideology; one that growing up I was personally all too aware of.
Like the trickster genie in childhood books, not all wishes are granted without taking something away. We wish for easier access to the alcohol that many people can legally consume, but are we prepared for the rise in children illegally consuming it as well? We wish that less of our loved ones would die driving home from the stores a half hour away drunk, but are we prepared for that daily drinker who has already had a few too many and is now driving downtown to get just one more case? We hide behind the thought that, “We can tax it and use that money to improve our community.” But do you think of how much money it will cost to repair the damage that same alcohol causes, damage that would not have happened in the first place if we did not welcome it into our community?
When it comes to underage people acquiring alcohol, people often do not seem as concerned as they should be with the “wet county” idea. We all know that if they want it, they will find it; but why make it easier for them? I come from a town where the weekend goal was to not remember it come Monday. Half of the high school attended college parties or just blew through their parents supply in one night when they were out of town. Just walking into the store with an older friend while he picks it out for you is not a hard thing to pull off when the supply is ever present. But would that same friend drive them so far to buy it on their behalf? Or what if parents only kept it in the fridge on special occasions and kids didn’t have 24 hour access to it? I have watched several beloved friends succumb to the temptations of alcohol, and with such easy access, they had no trouble maintaining their new addictions. Their curiosity, given the abundant supply, became a habit. We have all been young and adventurous. So if you can’t purchase alcohol for yourself in White County, do not doubt that many underage people will take advantage of this new freedom as well.
As for our loved ones dying, we do them no favors by allowing it to be sold within the town. Indeed, a death by drunk driving is a terrible, avoidable incident, but how do you feel learning that the deceased was not even the one drinking but the one struck by the person who chose to take their chances and make it home after a night of drinking? Those returning along the outside of town are primarily a danger to themselves and whoever is unfortunate enough to let them be the driver. Statistically speaking, a large majority of those crashes involve only a single vehicle, but what happens if, instead of 10 people driving drunk, we have 100 driving around town looking for the next party? Now it’s not just the lives of those in the car that are in immediate danger, but the lives of everyone who is on or near a street at night as well. Saying that this amendment will reduce drunk driving crashes is ridiculous. How can increasing the amount of intoxicated people reduce the amount of drunk driving? But “Oh, they will be responsible enough to walk home or something.” These are the words of a sober individual. Once intoxicated, all logic is thrown out the window. Take my word on that one: I have seen them drive their bicycles right into a wall and look surprised. I would hate to see them actually find their car. Becoming a wet county does nothing except decrease the amount of drunk people driving home from out of town and massively increase the amount of people driving drunk within town.
Alcohol sales would increase the county’s tax revenue. Alcohol is a splurge that is easy to tax, and people will pay. Yet, what pays the firefighter, police officers and paramedics to respond to an accident caused by a drunk driver? Your tax dollars. What funds pay for incarcerating those individuals who get too rowdy at the bar and must be removed? Once again, your taxes pick up the tab. When it is Friday night’s bar crawl and all the local bars are stocked up and ready for a night of business, the local police now must have more workers on duty and pay them overtime to oversee the night’s drinking activities; I will let you guess where those funds come from. While we can tax the alcohol they choose to buy, we also must pay for the damages and hazards it causes to everyone else. So does that profit really mean anything with the expenses that it brings? And once we have a wet county, you better believe that people from out of town will come here as well and only add to the number of problems.
Don’t ask for the Gin Genie to grant your wish for a wet county, unless you are fully aware of everything it could bring to this town.
