Source: U.S. drinking is up, but tastes, norms vary – USATODAY.com.

Consumption of alcohol hit a 25-year high in 2010, when 67% of Americans reported drinking alcoholic beverages, according to a Gallup poll. That’s a level unseen since the late 1970s, when 71% of Americans said they drank.

I could have told people this condition years ago. Yeah people want to drown their sorrows when things get bad and the last ten years have been pretty bad at least to those of us who don’t have $million accounts.  Just before I turn down my country road I pass “Skidrow  Bar & Grill” which is the main watering station for our small town. Whenever I happen to be coming home around 5 – 7PM the parking lot at Skidrow is filled with pickup trucks and the like. I’m not much of a drinker, any of those guys in there could put me under the table with no effort at all, so I don’t join them. But that isn’t to say that I don’t want to drown my sorrows.

Many compare the Great Depression of the 1930s to today. Even though we don’t have the percentage of people totally out of work that we had then I imagine that if we include those who are under-employed which includes many working in the fast food business around town the percentage would be almost as high.  Of course the 1%ers as the “occupy” folks like to call them are doing great. Their income as more than doubled when the rest of us have lost money!

But even with all the under-employed I really can’t compare today to the Great Depression for one simple fact. PROHIBITION.   Can you image having to suffer through these times without being able to drown your sorrows!!  Prohibition is the one of the thing that made the Great Depression so depressing!

But what do I know….