Drinking to Health

It's not too often you hear about Canada coming up with a good approach to a social problem, but this one doesn't sound too bad: giving whinos wine.

The Shepherds of Good Hope shelter in Ottawa is home to the Managed Alcohol Program, where 25 homeless alcoholics are served up to 5 ounces of home-brewed wine hourly from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. under medical supervision.

Over 16 months, 17 MAP participants cut their emergency room visits by 35 percent, had half as many clashes with police and cut their drinking from 46 to eight drinks a day, the study said.

I've never bought into the idea that alcoholism is a disease. Don't send me a hate mail: I'm not saying it's bunk, I just never bought into it. In any event, this experiment seems to militate against the idea that one drink of alcohol triggers a chemical reaction that sends an "alcoholic" into a trailspin of drinking that can't be controlled.