Alcoholism is just one of the many problems associated with alcohol abuse. Approximately 17,000 Americans are killed in alcohol-related automobile accidents each year, and hundreds more die from alcohol poisoning. Alcohol has also been linked to crime, domestic violence, and child abuse. Obviously, public policy experts are always seeking ways to help reduce these alcohol-related problems.

One novel approach was suggested in a 1994 Newsweek editorial by writer and chemical-dependency treatment counselor Mike Brake. He believes that individuals should be required to obtain a “license to drink,” just as they must do in order to drive or own a gun, and to show these licenses when purchasing alcohol. Individuals would lose their licenses if convicted of an alcohol-related crime, and “from that point on,” he says, “attempting to buy or possess alcohol or being found with a detectable...