Mildly Infuriating

Just don't be a dangerous, negligent person. It's really not too much to ask. If someone thinks it is, then they're probably one of the negligent ones.

I agree, and I think it's a reasonable expectation. We might not entirely agree on how to get there but I think we both want the same thing of personal responsibility and reasonable behavior.

I don't drink personally since I've seen it destroy lives and don't trust myself to handle it. But I do know people that have just done dumb people things (both drinking related and not) and have corrected themselves and moved on to better things and behaviors. Some would've managed despite a harsh punishment, but some really wouldn't have and would just have been a bigger problem in the end.

Because of those experiences, I see people resorting to substances as people in need of help and rehab more than ones that need dire punishments. But even with that said, punishments should match the danger one caused. I also definitely agree multi offenders should see escalating punishments though. More especially if they cause damage to more than themselves. It's one thing to pass out on a sidewalk, another to wreck some signage, or piss on a wall. But it's another thing entirely to drunkenly drive a car, and yet another to hurt or kill someone else because of your stupid choices.

It's a difficult line to walk that gives adequate reeducation and mental support, and one that gives punishment on a deserving level and forces a suitable amount of restituionary actions. I agree though that we would need to see some major institutional changes for any of the solutions you and I have talked about to actually work.