Social cost is too high to pay for Ford’s ‘buck a beer’

It’s the smell that woke me up and saved me — an acrid and artificial searing. My shoe, too close to the wood stove, was smoking, about to burst into flames, with my foot in it. I knew then that I had to quit drinking.

I had gone alone to my cabin in the woods of P.E.I., a simple place I’d built 20 years earlier on a 10acre clear-cut. As a painful introvert, the cabin and land were a safe space to reconnect with my estranged father and then be a dad myself.

That is, until I nearly died there, passed out in what almost became a tiny cabin tinderbox. What hurts me still, five sober years later, is that I came so close to depriving my sons of a father and destroying the special shared space where we had bonded.

Second chances come with responsibility. So that’s why I must speak out about Premier Doug Ford’s boneheaded “Buck-a-Beer” plan. Frankly, it’s B.S.

No one chooses to be addicted to alcohol. It’s a slow-moving choking weed that often germinates innocuously with after-work wine, growing to an uncontrollable daily impulse. Addiction is increasingly seen as a response to the mental anguish of emotional trauma. In my case, I used wine to hide from the lingering pain of sexual abuse I experienced as a child.

But this isn’t about me. It’s about us. Ford said Ontario would act “smartly and responsibly” while lowering beer prices. It’s insulting, particularly to people in recovery, when he says that he “trusts Ontarians to know when they’ve had one too many.”

There’s nothing smart or respon- sible about “Buck a Beer.” Here are some facts:

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health notes a direct connection between alcohol consumption and increased traffic accidents, heart and liver disease, violence, suicide and child abuse.

The Canadian Public Health Association reports that alcohol costs the Canadian economy $7 billion in lost productivity, $3 billion in health and social services costs, and $3 billion for policing. And how do you measure the cost of lives lost and families destroyed?

Alcohol has its place. I’m not suggesting prohibition. But it’s ironic that Ontario’s artisanal brewers (who arguably produce the best beers), are least able to afford “buck a beer” because their production costs are higher than those of large brands.

So, small business in Ontario will also suffer unless overall consumption rises. And with greater consumption comes higher social and health care costs.

In short, the premier’s insistence that “buck a beer” will result in no additional cost to taxpayers is either stunning ignorance or a flat-out lie. Either way, he needs to be held accountable. Instead of glorifying the $24 two-four, our leaders should be promoting recovery, responsible consumption and healthy lifestyle choices.

So, if you’re feeling uneasy today, take note: That bad smell is our feet on fire. It’s time to wake up and take a clear-minded stand against policies that threaten our communities, our economy and our kids.

Stuart Hickox is a community-based social marketing specialist living in recovery in Ottawa.