President George Bush hammered home in his 2006 State of the Union address that America is addicted to oil. He has since been touting the pursuit of alternative sources of energy.

With all due respect to the president, this is nothing new. We need more than being told what we already know. No doubt Mr. Bush was trying to awaken those who refuse to believe there is an eventual end to all natural resources, oil included. Perhaps he was trying to make more palatable, to those who oppose it, the idea of drilling in the Alaskan wilderness.

Some of us remember that as children we were told the Alaskan pipeline was all but a sure cure for our dependence on foreign oil. What happened? Our appetites became all the larger for the slick, black stuff. The oil that flows through the Alaskan line is reportedly not very high grade, and a great deal of it is sold to Japan. So much for salvation. Will it be more of the same if oil drilling begins in the Arctic and other Northern climes that are presently off-limits?

Most of us, at least those over 40, remember the oil and gas shortage of the late 1970s. Jimmy Carter was president. He took a real beating over the shortages. There were long lines of frustrated, angry people looking for a gallon of gas and someone to blame.

Carter’s answer was to begin conserving energy. He encouraged keeping thermostats in dwellings at 68 degrees. People were encouraged to drive their cars less. Solar and wind power were being seriously explored.

Does the message sound familiar? Conserve what we have and develop alternative and renewable energy sources. The message bridges a 30-year span. We obviously paid little heed to it then, so what makes anyone think we will listen now?

At that time, we only had pickup trucks, station wagons and vans as gas guzzlers. Today we have SUVs of every style and make that few will be willing to give up. Conservation? Let the guy next door worry about it. Even those with more fuel-efficient cars want to make sure they have their share of petrol.

The American auto industry took a major hit during and subsequent to the gas shortage of the Carter years. Small and more fuel-efficient Japanese and German cars made a big splash in the United States. It was comparable to the earlier arrival of foreign musicians who became known as the British Invasion.

U.S. auto makers struggled mightily then to fend off the invasion of small foreign cars and are still struggling these many years later.

In the Carter years, the big Cadillacs and luxury cars that once ruled the highways became an increasingly rare sight. Recreational vehicle sales were in the drink with no rescue in sight. People began thinking small, and thus were born the compact and subcompact autos, which became industry-standard sizes.

There was some reprieve from the move to smaller vehicles during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. The “boats,” as some larger vehicles were referred to, began to resurface, and we have what we have today. Think big – very big - SUV and RV. Think Hummer.

Aside from payments, the cost of insurance and how it drains a wallet to gas these babies up, one can see how the oversized vehicles would be attractive. The new boats of the highway can represent prestige and success. They can also represent the fact we have not learned much over the last 30 years. The magic carpet of lubrication was pulled out from under our feet then. It is happening again, and yet we act surprised?

People want someone to blame. Aim is being taken at politicians and the oil industry. Some people are actually becoming fired up over oil company executives receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in retirement packages. People say they are outraged that oil companies are again posting record profits.

Oilmen and politicos certainly share some of the responsibility – or blame – for high gas prices. We consumers are also to blame.

When the gas-guzzling party was being crashed in the 1970s, we spit out our broken teeth, shook off the dust and went at it again, as if the party would never end.

Think alcoholic or other addictive behavior. The same stupid, self-destructive behavior is repeated again and again with the unrealistic expectation that each time the results will be different and favorable. We keep spitting out teeth and dusting off the dirt after we are slammed to the ground with our addiction to oil.

Ask anyone who has done it. Breaking an addiction is extremely difficult and at times seems impossible.

We have to agree with Mr. Bush that alternative energy sources are critical to our survival as a strong nation, but who will step forward and try to effect genuine change? If someone does take that brave step, he or she should first knock on Jimmy Carter’s door to learn just how painful the price of change can be.