There is a concern I have about alcohol. No, this isn’t going to be an editorial advising all drinkers to stop or even to promote the use of the dreaded firewater. It involves another issue entirely. Namely that of drinking and driving.
Yes, I agree that alcohol has long been a scourge of First Nations in the Americas. Science even bears out the fart that this is a serious problem. It has been proven that it takes generations to overcome the possibility of becoming an alcoholic. Something to do with genetics and DNA concerning addiction.
It is indeed a hard road to overcome alcohol addiction, but as any organization that deals with addictions will tell you, the choice to end any addiction is determined only by the addicts themselves.
This choice is a personal one for anybody, addict or not. Perhaps this is why my mother during the federal government’s crackdown on alcohol on reserves offered to
smuggle in alcohol for me. She knew she had a choice to continue or stop drinking and freely chose to stop. She wasn’t an addict but did drink socially.
What made her angry was that I wasn’t given the same choice she had. While I never took her up on her offer, I loved the sentiment behind it. My mother wanted me to be able to make the same choices as she did freely and without being forced into it. She also felt I was a capable adult who could make those choices on my own. As she said, she hoped she had raised me right. It was a sort of recognition that I was a functional adult in my own right. The apron strings were cut and she realized that. She gave me control over my own life freely and wisely.
So what does this have to do with drinking and driving? I’ve tried to establish the argument that you really can’t stop people from drinking, as they have to decide for themselves.
But during the time they are taking to decide, you can help protect them and other people. Drinking and driving, as many Crees can attest, is not only dangerous, but also life-threatening. It is also seems to be more accepted within small towns than cities. In the case of the Crees, the bars are usually further from home. I do not think there is one Cree community that is connected by road to Radisson, Chibougamau or Demaraisville that has not seen drinking-and-driving fatalities.
But what can we do? I have a few simple solutions. My dad, when he felt he had too much, used to give his car keys to the bartender or catch a ride with an unimpaired driver or call for a taxi. He felt this was better as he didn’t chance injuring someone, himself or wrecking his car. He also didn’t want to lose his driver’s license. He talked about the responsibility that came with a car.
In cities, there are programs to promote designated drivers: the party’ers who don’t drink and drive home all those who do. As I said, this editorial doesn’t address drinking, but rather the possible consequences of getting drunk.
Cree Band Councils can take the example of provincial programs like Operation Red Nose. This is a program involving volunteers who drive drunk drivers home. In Montreal this program has even become a business. For a $20 membership (which includes your first drive: $ 10 each time after), you get a driver to take your vehicle back to your house so you still have your vehicle the next day. Given some of the distances if such a business existed in the North, the rates would probably have to be higher.
The last idea I have on this topic for the bands to fund a shuttle bus. It would make therounds between the community and the bar(s) on a timetable so you could even leave thevehicle at home. Once again the possibility of saving even one life would be worth it. Soif you can’t or don’t want to stop drinking, at least stop drinking and driving. Not only isit the law, but it makes life a little safer for all of us.
