<i>I wish it were easier to avoid their use</i><p>There are things you can do to reduce their need. A few things off the top of my head:<p>* Take shoes off at the front door (like Japan and a few other civilized places).<p>* Do not let the kids get on their beds wearing street clothes.<p>* Use hot baths and peroxide (in the ear) to help kill infection before it is so advanced that it requires antibiotics.<p>Of course, those things take work and are inconvenient, something many Americans seem allergic to. But if you really want to reduce antibiotic use, it absolutely can be done.