Binge drinking, price control & Government interference?

[Mr E Driver]

Multiple answer poll. How can the government stop binge drinking?

[Fittster]

Mr E Driver said:

Multiple answer poll. How can the government stop binge drinking?

Why should it stop binge drinking? There are plenty of laws in place to handle drunks.

The country shouldn't put personal freedom of choice after the whims of the NHS.

[Puggit]

I'm not sure youth clubs are the answer - we used to go to the pub straight afterwards

[grumbledoak]

C.S.Lewis said:

Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

You have been warned.

[illmonkey]

An other stupid 'a few ruin it for everyone else' scenario.

I certainly enjoy a drink, but don't go around assaulting people or causing havoc. Just because some twunts do, why should I have to pay?

I'm paying a premium to drink in the nicer pubs around here to get away from the idiots in the cheaper pubs, don't make me pay even more.

[bob1179]

Tougher penalities for those scumbags who cause the trouble.

Why should I be made to suffer because of other people.

It is the way Britain works now, penalise the majority for the feckwit minority.

[Chris_w666]

Puggit said:

I'm not sure youth clubs are the answer - we used to go to the pub straight afterwards

So did we.

But on that note Youth Clubs are categorically not the answer. From the age of around 13/14 kids do not want to be in Youth Clubs on a Friday or Saturday night, partly because they see it as a couple of days to let of steam without adults and mainly because they have the opportunity to drink and do whatever in the knowledge they are missing school tomorrow.

This is something that has gone on for as long as I can remember and our youth club that is full 5 nights of the week is dead on a Friday and has nobody willing to attend on a Saturday.

The true answer is to change the behaviour of the stupid and those that view the point of a night out as getting drunk. If this doesn't change then nothing ever will.

[MX7]

I don't think that price is the answer, but having said that, I don't believe you should be allowed to sell alcohol at a loss. It is too cheap sometimes. Sainsburys were doing 3 litre bottles of strong cider, and it worked out at about 50p a pint. It's not fair to the competition.

The first resort with any problem seems to be increasing the price. A friend got me a bottle of Stroh from Germany, and apparently it was about £6, so Europe seem to be able to enjoy cheap drink, and not have the same problem we have.

I think the way of solving pub drinking is to make it clear that the law about serving drunk people will be enforced. Thousands go to hospital every year, but how many publicans are prosecuted?

Edited by MX7 on Wednesday 2nd June 11:34

[Mr E Driver]

Puggit said:

I'm not sure youth clubs are the answer - we used to go to the pub straight afterwards

Maybe it's just me, when I was a kid it was youth club until 17 and then up to the pub but it did keep us off the streets and have something and somewhere to go.
I started having a little glass of wine in my early teens when I was with my Mum & Dad at mealtimes so I had a gradual introduction to it.

[Fittster]

Maybe the police could do their job?


Licensed premises
Anywhere that sells alcohol needs a licence to do so; it's a criminal offence to sell alcohol without one. The law splits places that sell alcohol into three groups:
Places such as pubs, clubs, hotel bars etc are licensed to sell alcohol to be consumed on and off the premises;
Shops that sell alcohol only for drinking away from the premises. That's why they are called "off-licences".
Temporary licences are available for things like music and beer festivals, but these will be classed the same as pubs and clubs.

Under age It's illegal to:
Sell alcohol to anyone under 18, or to someone you suspect is buying on behalf of someone under 18. The only exception someone over the age of 18 can buy beer, wine or cider for a 16 to 17 year-old to accompany a meal in a restaurant;
Buy or attempt to buy alcohol if you are under 18. You're also breaking the law if you drink alcohol on licensed premises if you are underage;
Be under 18 and on the premises of somewhere selling alcohol between the hours of midnight and 5am.

There are currently plans to give police legal powers to confiscate alcohol from under-18s drinking in public. Currently they can only do this if they believe a young person or group of young people have been involved in alcohol-related crime or disorder.

You can sell alcohol if you are under 18 where you are serving a sit-down meal in a restaurant.
At all other times, you can only serve or sell alcohol with specific approval of a designated supervisor, or someone authorised by them. This is required for every sale.
Drinking in public

Currently it isn't illegal to drink in public. However many areas have alcohol-free zones that target town centres and/or residential areas where there is a particular issue with drinking in public.
Some parks and other places have similar bans; including public transport in London. It is an offence to refuse to hand over alcohol to a police officer who believes you are drinking in these areas.

Being drunk and disorderly in a public place is illegal;

The licensee of a premises has discretion over who they allow into their pub (although they are bound by discrimination laws). You don't have any rights to get served.

It's illegal to:
Sell, or attempt to sell, alcohol to someone who is drunk;
Buy alcohol for someone who is drunk;
Allow "disorderly conduct" to occur on the premises;
Not to leave a licensed premises when asked by the police, the licensee or someone acting on their behalf.

[ApexJimi]

How is binge drinking defined?

I mean, I generally don't drink during the week, I sometimes don't drink at the weekends either.

I tend to hit the pubs on a Sat night maybe once or twice a month, and in those sessions, I'll have on average about 9 drinks.

Am I a binge drinker?

[MX7]

ApexJimi said:

How is binge drinking defined?

I mean, I generally don't drink during the week, I sometimes don't drink at the weekends either.

I tend to hit the pubs on a Sat night maybe once or twice a month, and in those sessions, I'll have on average about 9 drinks.

Am I a binge drinker?

In the paper yesterday, it said 4 pints in a day. I think most of the UK would be described as bingers on occasion.

[Mr E Driver]

ApexJimi said:

I generally don't drink during the week, I sometimes don't drink at the weekends either.

I tend to hit the pubs on a Sat night maybe once or twice a month, and in those sessions, I'll have on average about 9 drinks.

Am I a binge drinker?

You could reasonably tick two boxes that would reflect that.......


It is difficult to define binge drinking but the government might see it as some one who spends Fri/Sat night drinking enough for you to not act normally or do something you wouldn't do sober?

I prefer to drink quality (usually red wine) than quantity and the last time I finished a bottle in a night was election night over about 9 hours!

[ApexJimi]

Don't get me wrong, I can just as easily nurse a couple of good ales or single malts throughout the night - I don't aim to get wasted, I just go with the flow of the evening and how I am feeling at the time.

I am told that, for example, my parents who drink a couple of glasses of wine per day are in a healthier position in regards to alcohol than I am, because I go without alcohol for relatively long periods then have a good few drinks in the one day / evening.

[Gaspode]

Fittster said:

Why should it stop binge drinking? There are plenty of laws in place to handle drunks.

The country shouldn't put personal freedom of choice after the whims of the NHS.

But why should I have to cough up more tax than I would otherwise have to? Massive healthcare bills are regularly incurred by stupid twunts who think its ok to get completely smashed on a Friday and Saturday night, turn my local town centre into a war zone, and get carted off to casualty suffering from alcohol poisoning and stab wounds?

Want to stop binge drinking? Bring back the drunk tank. Anyone picked up for being drunk and disorderly gets immediately chucked into a communal cell and left there until Monday morning, when they have to go before the beak and get fined. No release until the fine is paid.

[sidicks]

Gaspode said:

Want to stop binge drinking? Bring back the drunk tank. Anyone picked up for being drunk and disorderly gets immediately chucked into a communal cell and left there until Monday morning, when they have to go before the beak and get fined. No release until the fine is paid.

Wot he said!!

Seems common sense to me - penalise the few that act recklessly, not the majority...

Sidicks

[Mr E Driver]

Install a card terminal in A&E and anybody with a drink related injury has to pay for their treatment?

[Frankeh]

Binge drinker, reporting in.
I'm a mostly subdued drunk, so leave me alone.
Pick on those chavs that down a bottle of sainsburys own vodka then go looking for fights.

[james_gt3rs]

Frankeh said:

Binge drinker, reporting in.
I'm a mostly subdued drunk, so leave me alone.
Pick on those chavs that down a bottle of sainsburys own vodka then go looking for fights.

Most drunks are either very silly and weak, or just friendly. It's the few that get aggressive that ruin it for everyone, and they're always chavs.

[plasticpig]

The problem is people get tanked up on cheap booze before going out to the pubs and clubs as they can't afford to get pissed at pub/club prices. I don't necessarily object to a minimum price per unit for alcohol. I don't drink cheap booze anyway so it's not going to affect me.