Pull the coolers down off the garage shelf: The issue of drunken rowdiness at Aloha Stadium has been put on ice.

Now that the stadium authority backed down on a proposed parking-lot drinking ban, those who enjoy a beer or two at pre-game tailgate parties can heave a contented sigh.

The burden of curbing the problem — and stadium drinking is a problem — has shifted off the ticketholder and onto the (we hope) sturdy backs of the security force.

The proposed ban had represented at least a measured step toward reining in drunkenness, but it ultimately may have been proven more trouble than it's worth. Ticketholders are allowed to buy drinks inside, and the authority seems even less likely to ban alcohol concessions.

Short of having the courage to ban alcohol, the authority is contemplating ways of toughening the consequences for drunken behavior, particularly at UH football games. It had better put some teeth into security enforcement, ejecting the offender or, in the worst cases, yanking the spectator's season ticket or calling police.

Otherwise, problems will mount to the point of real endangerment during full-house events such as the U2 rock concert in April. With 15,000 fans being admitted to the stadium floor, the security force had better be well practiced.