AHS Views

Parents, or soon-to-be parents, usually consider the safely of their kids when they’re deciding where to live. Primarily, they want to stay away from inner cities, crime and heavily trafficked areas. But there’s one thing they may not consider – the convenience of local stores that sell alcohol.

A recent study on alcohol abuse found that kids who live within 1/2 a mile of someplace that sells alcohol are more likely to binge drink and to drive after drinking.

One thing I didn’t know is that in California licenses will usually not be granted to places that want to sell alcohol if they’re within 100 feet from a residence or 600 feet from a school. That’s good.

But, still, if you can make it more difficult for kids to get alcohol by not living close to a place that sells it – although that may mean a little more inconvenience for you when it comes to regular shopping or popping down to the local store, which also sells beer, to get some milk – you could avoid drinking problems with your kids and the need for addiction help services in the future.

If we’re lucky, it may even deter some adults.