Six months ago, I made the big move to Utah from my home state of Florida. To no one’s surprise, I experienced a giant cultural shock.
Living in three previous states with family, all around the United States, I had never experienced a state so different from the others. It’s as if Utah were its own country and the church rules all. My main gripe is the way the state handles alcohol consumption. Why is it that no other state makes you drive to the liquor store to purchase alcohol? You can easily go to your local grocery store, and most have a liquor store attached—even gas stations will service you. You can’t even buy a bottle of wine at the supermarket. Even when you drive to the state liquor store, they are closed by 10 p.m. Also, what’s with the talk of walls being built in bars to cover up the beer taps? Is it really harming anyone, children included, to see beer being poured into a mug?
Being a young adult, I have seen much more underage drinking than in previous years. Maybe if it weren’t such a touchy subject, kids wouldn’t feel so tempted to experiment and break the law. I guess the fact that you don’t have to be part of a club anymore is a good start, but we are still nowhere near the rest of the country.
Then there’s the price—more than double the cost of other states? I guess you have to make your money some way, but it’s really not stopping anyone.
My main point of this letter is to say that it should be everyone’s personal choice to drink or not; we need to stop trying to make everyone think the same way here and get on board with the rest of the country. Everyone is entitled to his or her own beliefs, but I would appreciate it not being forced upon me. Let’s focus more on the education of it and stop making it such a taboo.
Erika Stutsman
South Jordan