Alcohol poisoning

[tonicha]

We drink and we enjoy it - but we'll go days or sometimes, in my case, months without.

When we lived in Chipping Sodbury, in the High Street, going back 10 years ago, the amount of panes of glass we'd have to replace, the amount of bleach I'd have to use, to clean the front step, a mostly men piddled on the front door step - obviously too far away from the next public loo, so let's use that door step attitude.

And the noise, from the fights we'd have every week-end was just so annoying, we'd stay in the kitchen, in the back of the house, which meant the lounge was out of bounds at the week-ends.

I'm assuming it's worse now, than all those years ago.

And having more money doesn't make it any better, just means they're daft as well as stupid.

[Workingman]

Kathy, Ton, and many others, you describe things as they used to be.

We got 'drunk' as in silly stupid in order to have FUN. Nowadays it seems that to get blitzed and incapable is the aim: where is the FUN in that?

I had a contract on Fridays and Saturday nights and had to go through Leeds at 6 am in the mornings. There would be fleets of police vans in the city centre mopping up the drunks in order to take them to God knows where: NHS, A&E?

[Kaz]

Absolutely Ton, and that's in a well heeled area!

[Suff]

I recall, as I'm sure WM does, what happened when our forces got to Germany and were allowed access to unlimited drinking hours. Some had to be put into Jail for 10 days or more to dry them out. Drinking to excess was seen as a badge of honour as was how violent they managed to make it before being picked up by the Polizie and dumped back at the barracks with choice words of disdain, if not actually spending a night in the cells before being deposited back to their lair.

Fortunately for the Germans they were able to bar significant parts of the local drinking and night club scene from all British military.

It was, quite simply, a bunch of people who needed structure in their lives being given unlimited access to something they had no experience with. In Germany it was not a problem to have round the clock drinking as the society did not tolerate abuse. British society had gone the other way. Expecting abuse we had limited drinking opportunities AND we didn't tolerate abuse.

What was done by Blair and Brown with their licensing extravaganza was to set loose a bunch of people with little structure in their lives when other constraints had also be removed. Result? What we saw in Germany in the BAOR. Without the controls of the Military and without society doing something about it.

Where we go from here I have no idea. My two younger daughters are idiotic binge drinkers and, fortunately, they don't have so much of an opportunity to do it. Where my grandkids will go is anybody's guess. The 21 year old is currently not drinking. Although I expect him to come to social drinking later. The 16 year old is likely to run off the rails like his mother, but we'll see.

I'm all for community service and an alcohol ban. 200 hours in an orange suit cleaning up the puke, urine and devastation, for a first offence, 400 to 1,000 hours for successive offenses, until they get the idea. For the Alcohol ban I'd have them submit a blood sample every morning at 8am until the community service was over.

If we don't get at least some control over them now, then it's going to be impossible to live within 2 miles of a nightclub or late opening pub. Better to express societies disgust now than live with the reality in 20 years.

[miasmum]

I think we should have drunk tanks. Throw a few in each one, keep an eye on them, but in the morning, no one leaves until they have scrubbed it clean.

[Workingman]

I think we should have drunk tanks. Throw a few in each one, keep an eye on them, but in the morning, no one leaves until they have scrubbed it clean.

Not a bad idea!

In response to Suff. An abiding memory of my first stint in Germany was the Station Warrant Officer's presentation to new arrivals.

What went on in camp, stayed in camp, but doing similar outside of camp would bring down the twin forces of the German police and their RAF counterparts. It was not unusual in the first few month for people to be restricted to camp for 28 days, or more, till the message sunk in. If annual leave had already been booked that was hard lines, you were not allowed past the camp gates till your time was up..

We did have those sorts of restrictions in open society with drunk and disorderly, and causing a nuisance laws, but once 24hr drinking came in they were not applied. Could that be part of the problem we see today?

[Weka]

It's the breakdown of community and lack of social responsibility with the "I'm a precious snowflake" mentality where mum and dad will fix whatever I do wrong so I don't need to worry.

Make them clean it up, including mopping up the mess at a&e and send them to counselling.

Some (but not all) could be drinking to oblivion for very valid reasons (to themselves)

[Suff]

Interesting point.

Community service at A&E midnight to 6am regardless of work commitments the next day would be an interesting one too. They could see, stone cold sober, what their idiocy leads to...

Not that I expect it will change them much. They are not listening and there seems to be no sanction. Drunk and disorderly, if applied enough, would be enough. Especially if linked to the insurance on your car....

The biggest problem is that everyone seems to want to talk about it in government but nobody really seems to want to fix the problem...

[Workingman]

Local police now have body cameras so drunk and disorderly should be easy to prove, and there should be a minimum fine - £250, at least.

Send the fixed penalty to the drunk with a link to view the incident with a strong hint that 'not guilty' is not an option. Double the fine if not paid within 28 days and treble it if it goes to court and 'guilty' is the verdict.

[Suff]

Well they do it for parking..... Not doing it for this just says "it's not important enough"...