THE pint of lager, the gin and tonic, lashings of wine and fizzy alcopops are among the sources of energy that make Jersey society tick. They are the lubricants that generate laughter, sociability and personal confidence.

Unfortunately, they are also the poisons that besmirch our late-night streets with vomit, encourage wanton violence, shatter family life, foment crime and prejudice health.

As humans have realised since their early history, alcohol is a very mixed blessing, responsible for some happiness and much sorrow, remorse and even death. Indeed, if it were a drug that had just been invented, it would certainly be banned. And it is debateable whether it would be put into class B, which prohibits cannabis, or categorised with class A substances such as cocaine and heroin.

All communities except doctrinaire Muslim states which ban alcohol on religious grounds tend to have alcohol problems. However, as far as we are concerned, this is no reason for complacency. We are, alas, at the top of the world’s Division One in terms of alcohol consumption and abuse.

It is possible that we find ourselves in this unenviable position – described in the latest annual report issued by Medical Officer of Health Rosemary Geller – because of our recent past. In the days of bucket-and-spade holidays, cheap booze was one of our main attractions. That budget booze was available to Islanders as well as visitors, and although cheapness is no longer the factor it once was, old habits and patterns of social behaviour die hard.

The extent to which alcohol consumption is ingrained in the Jersey way of life means that we cannot expect to see radical changes of attitude happen overnight. In spite of this, there are courses of action that our authorities can take to moderate consumption.

Price offers an obvious mechanism, but it is amazing how insensitive the affluent Jersey consumer can be to even major increases – though this must not lead to the relaxation of the general drive to increase duty on alcoholic drink or tobacco.
The other key areas where intervention is possible are education and law enforcement.

Schools must continue to warn children about the perils of alcohol, which in the past may have been glossed over in comparison with the risks of drug-taking. The full force of the law, meanwhile, should be applied on a zero-tolerance basis to those whose drinking leads to public-order offences and to violent behaviour in public or in the home.