Opening hours/Binge Drinking

[Joe Black]

Will Binge drinkers be encouraged to drink even more?, possibly...

Perhaps they'll just drink the same but go out a bit later and simply postpone any problems to a later hour...or perhaps people will still drink the same but over a longer time period and reduce the amount of drunkeness.

The main problem with the UK and alcohol as far as I see still come to two things, one the culture, and secondly (perhaps because of the culture) the number of places which promote excessive drinking, e.g. 2 for 1, happy hour etc, etc.

The idea though that its going to bring in some sort of cafe society like France/Belgium where you see people sitting in a bar drinking a mint tea, or having a quiet drink at 1am after a night out isn't something I envisage too soon.

[xondo]

It seems to me that the British binge drink culture has nothing to do with opening hours, when abrod these "binge drinkers" are usually legless before the locals come out for a drink at 10pm. Still continue to pour beer down their thoats like there is no tomorrow.

Mine is a glass of red wine, cheers.........

[milanbenes]

I think selling alcohol at all in the UK is offensive and does not
take into account Britain's multicultural society and is insulting
to those for whom alcohol is not part of their religion

Milan.

[Xenophon]

I think selling alcohol at all in the UK is offensive and does not
take into account Britain's multicultural society and is insulting
to those for whom alcohol is not part of their religion

Milan.

Beautifully inflammatory post. Doubtless purposefully so, but can someone please bite nonetheless?

[wobbegong]

A similar point was raised by Jeremy Clarkson when there was an outcry about the increasing traffic on the roads. I think someone worked out that if the number of car sales continued inexorably that by say (should there be a date here?) there would be something like 27 million vehicles on the roads. Clarkson pointed out that in this case every road user would have to be driving two cars at once!

That's assuming a zero growth in population and immigration.

[DodgyAgent]

That's assuming a zero growth in population and immigration.

No it was assuming a consistent growth rate, but my point was that the original statistic did not take population growth into account

[shaunbhoy]

The long and the short of it is that there will be no discernible fall in the amount of booze being drunk. However, that said, the same amount will be drunk over a longer period which will tend to reduce the rate at which people become out of control. There will be no need to yamsing your pints as the clock will not be ticking to the same extent it is now. Furthermore, there will be a marked drop in associated violence as drunken people can leave the pub whenever they are ready and flop into a waiting taxi to go home to chuck up, avoiding the volatile situations we currently see when literally thousands of bladdered imbeciles, all miffed at being turfed out of the pub whilst in the midst of enjoying themselves, are simultaneously hoofed out to fight over a handful of taxis.

[Dundeegeorge]

It's a nice theory

but the uptake on the allowed increase in drinking hours may not be that high, so nothing will change, but because the media will no doubt focus on this for a while it will be reported as if armageddon is happening (to a greater extent than it already does).

[The Lone Gunman]

I predict a rather large scrum for taxis at 5 to midnight in most places.