Navy changes alcohol sales policy
For some reason, its news that the Navy has decided to stop selling alcohol on it’s bases between the hours of 2200 and 0600, says the Associated Press;
The Navy’s top admiral has ordered a series of changes to the way the Navy sells booze. Chief among them, the Navy will stop selling liquor at its mini marts and prohibit the sale of alcohol at any of its stores from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
“It’s not going to fix everything, but it is a real step in the right direction,” said David Jernigan, Johns Hopkins University’s director of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth. “Historically, the military, as elsewhere, has viewed these problems as individual problems to be dealt with by identifying the individual with the problem. While that’s important, the research shows it’s much more effective actually to look at it as a population problem and to deal with things that are affecting everybody across the population.”
Yeah, well, it’s really not going to fix anything. I’ll have as much money to buy liquor before 10 o’clock as I would after 10 o’clock – it means that Navy people will have to plan ahead for their drinking.
Just like the sexual assault problem, the suicide problem and any other number of problems that the civilians have decided are unique to the military, the military is only trying to be seen as doing something, no matter how useless it is.
Category: Military issues
The only thing this does is keep Sailors from buying alcohol after the club closes and going home and getting more sloshed or when they realize the party has run out of booze from refilling at the package store on base.
It’s a semi-hollow attempt to show the Navy is trying to do something to stem alcohol related incidents like DUI and the like. Also, it means there will be a huge run on the package store at 2230 every weekend.
Also, since business at the package store or mini-mart will drop dramatically now during those hours, they can close them and save more money on costs.
We must do something
This is something.
We must do this.
What!? Sailors like to drink? I dont believe it.
*hides bottle behind back*
It will increase the DUI rate since they will run off base, for the single guys living in the barracks. Since they will have to play “whose the most sober” game and make that guy do a run until most stores close up liquor sales of beer sales at 2am. However, the appearance of doing something means we are doing something right? I mean most places have gotten rid of the on base clubs to stem DUIs only to see the problems migrate to the on base food places and bars (like the bowling alleys or some chain restaurant) and in a few places in CONUS they were looking at just closing the bars all the way. Now they are limiting beer sales? Go out in town and tell me how that has prevented public vagrancy with rules on how long bars or 7-11 can sell malt liquor/ beer/$2chuck and I will sell you stock in the OK City to Tokyo Bridge company that will build the longest 8 lane highway from OK City to Tokyo.
Some 40 years ago, a Naval officer invited a man to talk to others about alcohol and alcoholism. The man used a chalk board and laid out, with humor and in plain and straightforward language, what this alcoholism business is all about. His name was Joe Martin. He was a Catholic priest and, some would say, a saint. If you have never seen Chalk Talk, take a look. It has changed many, many lives over the decades. It’s a helluva thing to have at the ready if ever you need to help someone. As for the hours alcohol is available, whatever. It’s not when someone buys it but how they react to it and what they do under its influence.
http://www.google.com/#bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&fp=1b4129eae9a3b2a2&q=navy+alcohol+chalk+talk+father+martin
As usual, the military in it’s typical fashion, is reactive versus proactive. God forbid they treat their personnel as responsible humans capable of making an adult decision.
Oh yeah… this will help…(sarcasm) As a data guy… I’d honestly like to know what is the sales count of alcohol between 2200-0600? My guess it is pretty damn low.
One thing that will have some impact on drinking in port is to bring back an alcohol ration on ship again. Let the sailors buy a few a day on the boat and they will not feel the need to make up for lost time on shore.
I hope the Navy is smart enough to track any increases in off base traffic violations, injuries and deaths after 2200. How are the 2nd shift sailors expected to keep up with their fellows who work days and mids?
What? No more beer machines in the barracks? Oh, snap!
Looks to me like nothing has changed since 1967. Or 1972, either. It certainly won’t keep any sailor from having a 3-day binge on shore liberty, will it?
No. It won’t.
PH2–there haven’t been beer machines in the BEQ’s since the mid-80’s.
I’m thinking of my time in Pearl, where the normal routine after work/underways was to pack up, head off the boat, and hit the mini-mart on the way to the BEQ (being single and all.)
All this is going to do is what has been pointed out before–send guys who shouldn’t be driving out to get alcohol when they could have otherwise walked and avoided an arrest. This policy is doing nothing more than screwing the junior or single sailor living aboard ship or in the barracks. It won’t solve jack, probably create more ARI’s/DUI’s, but hey, at least someone’s doing SOMETHING.
God forbid we treat the troops (Soldiers/Sailors/Marines/Airmen) like the adults they are – and hammer the few miscreants accordingly.
After visiting our son at Sheppard AFB last year (and Lackland 2 years in a row) and seeing how little there was for young airmen to do, and knowing about all the problems with drinking, sex assault, etc., I came up with an idea.
Why not have a ‘downtown’ type of area on each base, consisting of restaurants, arcades, theaters, bars, bowling alleys, shopping, etc.? It would provide a fun place to socialize where there is also a measure of supervision. You could put out a bid to companies like Disney that have already successfully created such areas elsewhere so it wouldn’t cost taxpayers. Maybe there’s a revenue split as well. There could be a shuttle system, to provide rides to places too far to walk to. Maybe the shuttle is funded by a fee for each purchase in the area.
Besides touristy places like Downtown Disney, we have several new neighborhoods in our area that built something similar, if not as large. It keeps people in the area and gives them a place to go where they can bike or walk instead of drive.
First time I was at Kunsan Air Base, ROK, I couldn’t drive a POV. So when we got off work after 0030, we could either go to the front gate and hope for a taxi or spend the next hours in the rec center until the first bus came at 0545. Most of the time we just stayed in the rec center playing pool and having a few pitchers. No sexual encounters, no tearing down the place, just a few beers and a bit of unwinding from a typical night on the flightline. Of course all that has changed now. The rec center doesn’t serve beer after 0100 and the powers that be don’t let military personnel live off base there anymore. Funny thing is, it’s easier to get an STD on base than off.
25 years ago, the running joke on the boat as it pulled into PI was that we’d all meet for tea and cookies at the Christian Science Reading Room (yes, it really did exist on Magsaysay.)
Now, assuming a ship/boat ever pulled into Subic, that’d be about the only place NOT off-limits, and then everyone would have to be back on board by 2200.
I weep for the Navy of today. No way in hell that there’s a balance. We worked hard, we played hard. Now, they just work hard, and get hammered if they try to play.
I’m buying up all the package stores/7-11’s outside every Naval base. I’ll only have to have people there between 2130 and 1100 the next morning. AND, the taxi/car services are going to start up big time. Eff it if we can’t get on base- we’ll wait at the gate.
I’m going to be a billionaire…
From what I read in the media it only applies to packaged beverage sales. If you don’t have what you need by 2200, you deserve to go dry. Just another knee jerk. We try to shop at Sam’s Clubs and other discount retailers when travelling (Arkansas Sam’s only sells Arkansas Wines, ugggghhh) and frequently find better prices and certainly selection than at the Class Six, although Navy pricing seems to be the best of all. Exceptions would be the Fort Bragg Class Six which I rate as outstanding. While not quite comparable to Travis and McChord with regards to their wine selection, and Famous Grouse Scotch in the 1.75 is four bucks more than at price gouging Little Rock Air Force Patch, still an excellent store. As a FYI, we purchased three cases of wine at the Fayetteville, NC Sam’s – great values.
“Why not have a ‘downtown’ type of area on each base, consisting of restaurants, arcades, theaters, bars, bowling alleys, shopping, etc.? It would provide a fun place to socialize where there is also a measure of supervision.”
They do have that stuff,,,, movies, fast food, libraries, computer/ video game places,,, but NO WOMEN!!!
What the hell happened to the EM clubs?
That’s where you went to party, get a few drinks, get food if the chow hall was closed, shoot some pool. And Special Services and the hobby shops – did that all get eliminated or something?
Beer in the barracks — that was Great Lakes. It was New Year’s Eve weekend and I wanted to get my paycheck. I ran into this MM2 named Squirrel. We played beer poker for about an hour – whoever lost the hand bought the beer (PBR) – and then we went to the payroll office, and then to the club in a motor pool pickup. The streets hadn’t been plowed, so you couldn’t walk anywhere.
Ex-PH2, I don’t know about the Navy, but in the early 90s,the Army began to phase out the EM/NCO/O-clubs. Kind of a shame. Like some have pointed out, this wont go over well, kinda like the 6 pack per man limits in the B’s.
This will just require better mission planning.
Two words:
Bilge Wine!
Look it up … A half retarded monkey can make it and every truly qualified seafairer has done it.
So I guess all the guys will resort to cough syrup, after shave, and bilge wine.
It has happened before.
But what do I know?
Master Chief–you show me an Engineering Department that didn’t have or make their own hooch, and I’ll show you an Engineering Department that wasn’t worth a shit.
Ain’t no O-ganger flashlight been invented that can find every hiding spot in an Engine Room.
EX-PH2,
The E6 and below clubs were eliminated under the idea that most of the DUIs and ARIs were coming from there in the Safety Center’s review of the stats in the mid 90s. At least in the Navy. Then the Marine s have slowly done the same thing as well. By the turn of 2001 the clubs short of the CPO and O clubs were turned into nonalcoholic areas which combined libraries, internet cafes, arcades, pool table halls and coffee houses. Some of have tried to have restaurants or snack shacks but those have closed due to lack business. Heck I have seen some military only beaches or pools on military installations turn into nonalcoholic arenas with lifetime bans by the MAAs/PMOs.
So now with a three day weekend or any weekend its hitting the exchange and loading up with as much beer or booze as you can carry. Party until it runs out or time runs out and spent Sunday recovering and hoping that the Barracks watch doesn’t throe you under the bus to the DAPA rep.
Bottom line, you criminalize the most trivial of items, you turn otherwise honorable people into criminals.
So this is what it has turned into.
So it’s gone from 3-day drunks on shore liberty and back to work, to binging and hoping you don’t get caught? And it’s because there’s nothing else to do, right?
Geez, I was always too busy if to do that, even if I had duty. If that’s what it’s deteriorated into, then it’s just pisspoor management at the top and those people have no idea how to run things.
Who.Gives.A.Fuck.
While that’s important, the research shows it’s much more effective actually to look at it as a population problem and to deal with things that are affecting everybody across the population.”
So, because of a few problems, everybody gets fucked….yep, sounds like the military…
I remember in 88 it was 18 for beer 21 for hard stuff.
And there was a ribbon for DUI.I remember a Command Master Chief telling us boots all the best places to go that were off limits and the best tattoo places.
How things have changed.
I’m not a big drinker, but this announcement, along with the magazine ban, really peeved me off! Our military is being wussified before our very eyes. THIS is an example of why I’m out at the end of my enlistment. The military is changing for the worse, and it started waaaay before this admin.
@27–I’ll tell you who–people who give a shit about their people, who are pragmatic enough to realize 1–sailors WILL be gettin their drink on, 2–it’s better to do it where you’ve got your shipmates watching your back.