It is always appropriate to urge moderation regarding the use of alcohol. This is more so at a time when we are approaching the festive season.

Moderation is an attitude which demonstrates human maturity and responsibility. It is the word which doctors use about diet and exercise. Where we do not attain a sense of moderation regarding food, drink and exercise, we risk putting our health and perhaps our life at risk.

Alcohol affects people differently. What is manageable for some can be a problem for others. This applies to all, whatever one's age. Yet, particularly worrisome is the effect that the abuse of alcohol has on young people.

Many factors come into play in this social evil, not the least of which are peer pressures and group involvement in surroundings which are unwholesome and which may prevent certain young people from maturing enough in their own good time and becoming really happy and healthy human beings.

Parents, first and foremost, should be conveying to their children, by word and deed, a responsible approach to alcohol. As is well known, it is the family that most powerfully influences young people in the area of alcohol. Indeed, the example given by parents in all things is foremost in the formation of the young. The child picks up how the father and mother cope with the pressures of life and can easily be led to imitate behaviour patterns learned at home. Parents must take special care to provide positive examples lest the temptation to resort to unhealthy habits be communicated to their children.

Particular emphasis needs to be made, of course, regarding drinking and driving which has become a serious issue in many societies. It cannot be stressed enough that drink driving is irresponsible and unacceptable. Where people still refuse to recognise this, they risk putting their own life and the lives of others in danger. It is telling that, as reported yesterday, about a third of drivers who died in road accidents in a 10-year period were over the alcohol limit, although this is not to say that drink was necessarily the cause of accident in all cases.

In some people, alcohol triggers the overconfidence of being able to handle anything. Driving safety is something that just goes out of the window when under the influence. Recent US statistics of teen drink driving suggest that a teenage boy with blood alcohol content (BAC) levels of 0.05 per cent is 18 times more vulnerable to crash his vehicle than a boy who hasn't consumed alcohol. Moreover, in girls, this vulnerability increases to 54 times over her non-drinking counterpart.

The message has to be loud and clear to adults and young people alike: In order to drive safely, a person has to be alert, capable of making decisions based on what is happening around them, and executing them. This coordination while driving becomes more difficult under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol leads to loss of coordination, poor judgment, slowing down of reflexes and distortion of vision, all of which may lead to an accident.

It would indeed be a great gift for future generations if we were brave enough to promote a culture of moderation and responsibility rather than excess in our drinking habits. If we could create attitudes towards alcohol use that are conducive to a better and healthier way of life, then indeed we would be leaving a wonderful inheritance to future generations.