In the debate about Walnut Creek’s downtown bar scene, remember that alcohol is a drug

Yes, that’s right, alcohol is a drug, the most widely used in the United States. 

Whether it’s dressed up as glass of fine red wine, a boutique brew or an artistically designed cocktail, drinks containing alcohol alter mind and mood and play with some of the same pleasure-producing neurotransmitters affected by opioid pain killers, heroin, cocaine and marijuana. 

That means that downtown establishments serving alcohol are dispensing a drug.  

I know, I know. I'm spoiling everyone's fun. People don’t like to equate alcohol with drugs because, well, alcohol is different, right? Alcohol isn’t dirty – not like street drugs. It is associated with consumers who are sophisticated, educated and affluent, with people who are good, responsible citizens. 

A glass of wine with a meal? A martini before dinner? Is there anything wrong with that?
No. Indeed, the production and consumption of alcoholic beverages has a rich tradition in cultures around the world, going back to the world’s early civilizations. It plays a central role in religious and social rituals, and in the appreciation of good food and of life itself.  Scientific research also presents strong evidence that moderate consumption of alcohol provides of range of health benefits.

A lot of things I’ve just written about alcohol are true. But that doesn’t change the fact that alcohol is a drug. 

As for alcohol not being dirty? Alcohol actually causes more harm to individuals, families and societies worldwide than crack cocaine, heroin and other legal and illegal drugs, according to a 2010 study published by the British medical journal The Lancet. 

About two-thirds of American adults reporting drinking alcohol to various degrees. Anywhere from 15 to 17 million of those are alcoholics or have drinking problems. Thirty-four percent of people over the age of 12 are alcoholics or engage in what public health officials call risky drinking. Excessive alcohol use increases people’s risk for cancer and liver and brain damage. 

Abuse and addiction to alcohol has devastating consequences for people around the drinker. A new study says 7.1 million children under 18 live with parents with "an alcohol use disorder." America's "drinking problem," as one publication put it, costs about $225 billion a year in medical expenses, crime and lost productivity.


Where Walnut Creek’s downtown night life is concerned, alcohol-impaired drivers were involved in 1 in 3 traffic related deaths in 2009, resulting in 11,000 deaths. About 40 percent of violent crimes committed in the United States involved alcohol. Two-thirds of victims who suffered violence by “intimate” partners reported that alcohol had been a factor. 

The city is drafting an ordinance that would tie regulation of alcohol-serving establishments to public health and safety, rather than to land use. Treating the regulation of downtown's alcohol serving establishment as a health and safety issue is a good step. By the way, the statistics cited above come from agencies involved in public health and safety: the U.S. Department of Justice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Mental Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration.

The city wants more authority to deal with problem bars, Mayor Bob Simmons told the Contra Costa Times. The owners of downtown’s drug dispensaries – er,  bars – worry that additional laws would cut into their hours for alcohol service and cost them money and possibly their businesses.
In a letter to the city, the 15 members of the newly formed  Walnut Creek Hospitality Group said they are ready to go to court to fight against any new regulations that would hurt their livelihoods, according to the Times. 

Some residents would respond to bar owners’ concerns: “Cry me a river.” In an astute op-ed column for the Times, City Council member Kristina Lawson said that“Walnut Creek is a successful, thriving, family-focused community. But with success brings great responsibility.”

So yes, Walnut Creek has a thriving nightlife. A lot of that has to do with the more than 100 businesses in the downtown core area that are licensed to serve alcohol. Between midnight and 2 a.m., as many as 1500 people are at bars still open downtown, according to a May 2009 city staff report. 

I am no prohibitionist who wants the city to close up at 10 p.m  I understand people wanting to get together with friends for drinks.  I’ve been known to enjoy that pastime myself.  I appreciate the way a drink can be relaxing and intoxicating.  Of course, one might get a similar sedative effect from taking a Valium or Xanax, but a glass of nice wine tastes better and goes better with dinner.

Alcohol is the drug of choice of all the people coming into downtown to drink. Having lots of people downtown on weekend nights, hanging out in bars or moving from one to another, all getting buzzed or drunk, increases the likelihood of trouble  -- as we’ve seen in a series of brawls breaking out on weekend nights over the past few months. 

I can understand that some city leaders have concerns about fairness when it comes to deciding how late a bar can stay open. They don’t want to hurt the livelihood of a small business owner who says he is just providing a venue for people to relax and enjoy themselves.

But as Lawson said, the laws in this city “need to be firmly on the side of our residents, visitors and public safety officers -- not on the side of a small minority of businesses who cannot properly regulate and restrain their behavior and the behavior of their patrons.” 

These business owners  need to recognize that they are peddling a product that carries consequences for public health and safety.  With its new ordinance and with increasing police patrols on weekend nights, the city is showing that it finally is recognizing this reality as well.

Police activity prompts city to want to roll back hours that 1515 Restaurant can serve alcohol

Tony and Jack Dudum, the son and father owners of 1515 Restaurant and Lounge, will be in front of the City Council Tuesday, once again to deal with the issue of 1515's  closing times. In September, the City Council said they had to stop serving alcohol at 1 a.m. They wanted to be able to serve alcohol at their North Main Street bar and restaurant until 1:45 a.m. 

The Dudums went to the city Planning Commission and Council last summer, asking for permission to extend their hours and to be able to provide live entertainment and dancing. At that time, they could only serve alcohol until 12 a.m. downstairs and 11:30 p.m. upstairs. After listening to the Dudums say that the extended hours would bring them additional revenue and allow them to serve loyal night-owl customers, the City Council on September 15, 2009 came up with a compromise. It said that 1515 could serve alcohol until 1 a.m.

However, this extension was subject to a six-month probationary period. The period is up, and the question stands whether the Dudums should be able to serve alcoho past 1 a.m.

Unfortunately for the Dudums, the city says their restaurant didn't do so well during the six months. There were eight incidents requiring a police response. These incidents include an assault, two thefts, someone being arrested on a warrant, another patron being arrested for public drunkenness, and the restaurant's valet parking cars in handicapped spaces. In February, 1515 employees were caught drinking in the back of the restaurant.

In the fall, the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Department also suspended 1515's liquor license for 15 days. This suspension stems from a July 23, 2009 violation in which 1515 was found to have been serving alcohol past its designated closing time. In lieu of the suspension, 1515 agreed to pay a fine of $3,000.

Walnut Creek Community Development staff say in their report to the City Council that some of these incidents are not unique to 1515, but are typical of any downtown bar or lounge that focuses on serving alcohol. "With increased consumption of alcohol in the later hours, midnight to 2 a.m., the customers engage in more activities that require police intervention," the report says. "At 1515 Restaurant and Lounge, the six-month probationary period with a later closing time of 1 a.m. has coincided with an increase of police incidents."

The question about 1515 's closing time comes as the city wrestles with the question of how to balance public safety against the desire to encourage commerce in Walnut Creek and to keep the downtown a happening Bay Area destination for dining and entertainment. Right now, there is a lot happening in downtown. Walnut Creek is "over-saturated" with serving alcohol. State Alcoholic Beverage Control guidelines say that nine establishments in the downtown would be satisfactory to serve the public's need for alcohol. Walnut Creek has 99. 

The Walnut Creek police try to regulate businesses' alcohol use by staggering their alcohol cutoff hours. While some owners find these regulations unfair, the city says it considers each establishment's request to on a case-by-case basis. 

With regard to 1515, city staff is recommending that the business stop serving alcohol at 12:30 a.m. Staff says 1515 should also be barred from providing most live entertainment, except for solo musicians, and from offering reduced-priced drink promotions. 1515 can hold special events, which could include dancing, but it must receive advanced written notice from the police chief. Finally, 1515 must maintain a monthly gross ratio of food to alcohol sales of 65 to 35 percent.