[imperialism2024]

Part of the problem, I think, is that in this country it is assumed that no one has any self-control whatsoever. Depending on one's size, having a drink or two with a meal is not going to impair one's decision-making abilities. Unfortunately, as you have pointed out, the general public in America assumes that a person having a beer is a drunk, just like they think that a person carrying a gun is a criminal. The idea that there are gradations to behavior is lost on the public.