The trouble is, continental-style drinking requires continental-style people, who sit quietly drinking away at cafe tables, not standing up shouting at each other in crowded bars trying to consume gallons of beer at a time.

The situation is already grave, if not grotesque, ... And to facilitate this by making drinking facilities more widely available is close to lunacy. It simply means that our towns and city centers are abandoned every night to tribes of pugnacious, drunk, noisy, vomiting louts.

People who get in trouble are those who try something new and go at it full throttle.

It is a great skill and it is not gambling. Most people do not have the strength to sit and wait for cards.

If you can't sit in a cafe quietly and be ignored, how can you observe human nature and write a story?

Maybe this is a transitional period with no impact. Maybe these young people get married, cut back drinking, quit smoking and their diet improves. I can't wait to find out.