 Why did the bartenders water down the Joe's drinks?
He'd never make it unless he somehow managed to PICK A CRIME By RICHARD R. SMITH Illustrated by [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction May 1958. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] "Hank said you wanted to see me," she said when she stopped beside Joe's table. He reached into a pocket, withdrew five ten-dollar bills and handed them to her. The girl counted the money, then placed it in her purse. Joe noticed a small counterfeit-detector inside the purse before she closed it. He gulped the remainder of his drink, almost pouring it down his throat. "Hey. You trying to make yourself sick?" "Not sick. As the liquor settled in his stomach, he waited for the warm glow. "No. If I get drunk, I can join the AAA and get free room and board for a month while they give me a treatment." The CPA robot bartenders saw to it that anyone got high if they wanted, but comparatively few got drunk. Each bartender could not only mix drinks but could also judge by a man's actions and speech when he was on the verge of drunkenness. At the proper time—since drunkenness was illegal—a bartender always watered the drinks. Joe had tried dozens of times in dozens of bars to outsmart them, but had always failed. And in all of New York's millions, there had been only a hundred cases of intoxication during the previous year. "If you're that hard up, I don't know if I should take this fifty or not. As an answer, Joe handed her his CPA ID card. When she handed the card back, Joe fought an impulse to tear it to pieces. He'd done that once and gone through a mountain of red tape to get another—everyone was required by law to carry a CPA ID card and show it upon request.
 Drunkenness was illegal.
 To avoid having to provide a room for anyone too drunk to leave.  To avoid chaos in their establishments.  To keep the patrons purchasing more and more.  Drunkenness was illegal.