The last month or so has seen a welter of broadsides on the subject of alcohol regulation from the public health episcopacy. Missives came thick and fast, all advocating draconian controls and arguing that these are needed to save us from our base instincts. Some derided Government inaction on one hand, while their authors posed as kindly but concerned uncles on the other. They regard proposed controls as just a step in a longer process of making alcohol a rare treat for a select few.