Throughout history, alcohol and other similar intoxicants have been prevalent within human society. Humans have relied on using alcohol as a way of pleasure for centuries, and many cultures and religions around the world have alcohol consumption within their respective practices. Whether it is wine, representing the Blood of Jesus Christ, worshipping the Ancient Greek God, Dionysus, or Beer, that is most prevalent in engineering culture. Alcohol has been a staple of human existence and society. Keeping this in mind, the abuse of alcohol has never been more prevalent, with, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 88,000 deaths occurring per year due to alcohol, along with 1 in 6 Americans binge drinking. Alcoholism is a modern-day…show more content… Restorative Justice, according to the Government of Canada, is defined as “an approach to justice that seeks to repair harm by providing an opportunity for those harmed and those who take responsibility for the harm to communicate about and address their needs in the aftermath of a crime.” With this definition in mind, it is important to highlight how Harold Johnson outlines the idea of Restorative Justice in his book and, specifically, how it is shown to help society more than punishment. One way that Johnson outlines this is through his own family, with the death of his brother, Garry. Garry was killed in a drunk driving accident and as a result, his immediate family suffered greatly, but none more so than Brennen, Garry’s son inflicted with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). In Johnson’s words, “There was only one person in the world who could give Brennen the constancy of love and care he needed, and that was Garry” (119). And so with his death, Brennen went on a dark path, with him being incarcerated. The killer, a man by the name of Hillary Cook, was not a bad person but because there was no support, after the death of his wife, he had turned to alcohol to deal with the pain. For his crime, he was sentenced to three years in prison (Johnson, p.113). Thus leaving his thirteen-year-old granddaughter behind. This cycle of death,…show more content… The fact that in Northern Saskatchewan, only eleven prosecutors handled a total of 16,500 cases (Johnson, p.99) does not help the fact that for many prosecutors, incarceration can be a very tempting option. This is one of the many reasons, one can assume, that the Northern Alcohol Strategy, or NAS, was created and implemented. The government of Saskatchewan’s stated purpose of NAS is “The Northern Alcohol Strategy (NAS) empowers and inspires communities to have important conversations about the unhealthy uses of alcohol.” This aligns with how the book presents NAS. Within the book, Johnson speaks about his own experience in being a part of NAS in La Ronge and educating and advocating for the people of northern Saskatchewan against heavy alcohol abuse. Johnson’s experience with NAS showed that understanding alcohol and all its effects is key to preventing more alcohol-related arrests and/or deaths. In a psychological study, it was stated that perceived awareness and caring from parents, and logically, elderly figureheads, tend to affect the drinking patterns of the youth especially for the better. Thus setting a precedent that the Northern Alcohol Strategy’s efforts in advocating for stricter alcohol laws while educating the population, the youth especially,
