ABSTRACT
The renewal of interest in alcohol policy in recent years raises basic questions about the relation of the individual and the state. The main idea behind objections to paternalistic legislation is that the state should only enforce valid duties. Individuals cannot have dutites to themselves. Individuals can only have duties to others. Common interests can be individual interests but they are not private interests. Common interests are called common because they are basic and shared by every individual alike. The fundamental motive for government is not autonomy. The fundamental motive is welfare and security. A widely discussed norm for so-called safe drinking has been Anstie’s Limit. In the United States roughly eight or nine out of ten drinkers drink less than an average of one ounce of absolute alcohol every day. A crucial point seems to be the degree of invasiveness of the governmental restriction.
