I often wondered how communities and the people who live in reserves managed without having a bar where alcohol is served. I live in a community where there are two bars. When the community of Kuujjuarapik opened the second bar, stories and predictions of the downfall of society rose with a fury but subsided when the drinking at homes lessened and the amount of booze ordered from Radisson went to an all time low.
I come from a so-called ‘dry’ town, where the bar is over 100 kilometers away in Radisson. A gate was put up and raised the hopes of controlling the flow of alcohol into Chisasibi. This tactic only raised the pressures of individuals to drink even harder and faster! Within two decades, the amount of money spent ouside of the community rivaled the amount of funds used to finance small countries. I’ve compiled a list of pros and cons of why or why not a community should think of having a bar in their town.
Pros
You know where loved ones are at all times
Profits stay in town
Walk to the bar
Owned by community or members
Corporate meetings can be held in town
Bootlegging will drop
If membership driven, you are accountable to them
You are inside and warm during the winter
If you misbehave, you can be barred
You can drink one or two beers
You get to keep your license if you walk
People get to live longer
Profits can go to social programs, sports, etc…
Cons
No idea where your loved ones are
Profits go south
Drink and drive
Owned by greedy people who don’t care when you leave the bar at closing time
Corporate meetings in town where bars operate
Bootleggers are kings
You are accountable to no one
Freeze to death
Misbehavior is rampant and ignored
You can drink one or two cases of beer
You can lose everything if you drink and drive
Unnecessary deaths
Profits go to owners early retirement
And so on and on… I may seem to be in favour of drinking but this is not so, I’m in favour of a controlled environment that encourages individuals to drink responsibly. I’ve seen many problems arise from people who’s drinking goes unchecked. I’ve seen entire communities evade this problem and try many methods of controlling drinking from outright banning, checking baggage, breaking laws, you name it, but I’ve seen only one community where there is a bar and I have to admit, that having a bar is by far the best solution to many social problems. It is not the cure of all cures, but if it means that it will save lives, then it is worth it.
