Well, that's not strictly true, it's more about making the point that alcohol continues to plague our society unhindered, when in my opinion it causes so much more damage than cigarettes ever will.
Not just health costs - it's effects on our society are so far-reaching, I'm amazed that politicians continue to turn a blind eye. No one that I know of finishes work on a Friday, has a smoke, then goes home and beats up the wife and kids. Alcohol, on the other hand, contributes to so many costs that every taxpayer must bear.
Liver disease and drink-driving aside, there's the cost to the justice system, processing all the alcohol-related cases. The health services buckling under the strain of treating weekend drunks, ambulances been called to scoop the intoxicated off our streets, when their resources could be better utilised. Precious police staff used to enforce alcohol bans and man events like the Rugby Sevens, not to mention all the New Year hotspots.
The wage bill for our binge-drinking culture must be higher than the blood-alcohol readings of our most persistent drink-driving offenders, many of whom seem incapable of getting the message.
Consider too the poor old street cleaners who have the very unsavoury task of cleaning up the mess left behind after what many drunken idiots would call a "great night out". Hosing down piles of vomit and disinfecting doorways, relieving them of the stench left by p***heads relieving themselves.
It's disgusting and, sadly, it's just the tip of the iceberg.
Factor in the cost of alcohol education, which seems to be falling on deaf ears; and treatment plans, which are sadly lacking. Then add to that the damage to hotels and clubs caused in drunken fights, and the costs just go on and on. One can only hazard a guess at the true cost of alcohol-related problems because when you deal with issues like domestic violence we know that so many cases go unreported.
Let's not forget our sporting elite and those we class as celebs who have come undone very publicly with the help of a little or, in most cases, an excess of alcohol. Shameful is the only word that springs to mind.
I'm all for smoke-free initiatives but when they're dressed up to be for the health and wellbeing of us all, as a nation, you can't help but wonder why alcohol, which comes with far greater costs, escapes the same treatment. Why aren't there pictures of rotting livers on wine bottles, or images of battered women and kids on beer and spirits? Wine is just about cheaper than milk - if that doesn't get alarm bells ringing, what will?
No government, in my opinion, will have the balls to tackle the issue properly. They'll throw money at it but it will be to no avail. Then they'll crack open a 40-year-old bottle of scotch and toast themselves to a job well done, before heading off to an alcohol-fuelled dinner funded by the New Zealand taxpayer. Disgraceful!
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Sober or not, remember to smile loudly. Sometimes it's the only thing you can do.
