Reply to: alcohol, violence and pikeys

[BoredBloke]

how about raising the drinking age to 21?

That's what I would do. At the moment young kids can get booze because a 16 year old can look like an 18 year old. However a 16 year old does not look like a 21 year old.

What I would also do is keep the pub age at 18.

In addition to this I would also bill the parents of the kids the equivalent amount it has cost in police man hours to deal with their little darling rather than just telling them off.

Increasing tax on booze would not stop kids drinking - they might drink less, but it wouldn't stop it - but since everybody would now have to pay more tax, I can't see the government resisting this one.

[pisces]

Don't blame alcohol. It's just the accelerant of already existing disease.

[Churchill]

Well Churchill, clearly you don't have even the basic wit to argue with me.
So: Touche!

Not at all, just decided to meet some friends at t'pub.

You should try it some time.

[Moscow Mule]

I think it is more to do with attitude and am not sure that the price would be effective as a control.

I do have a vested interest I will admit because I do drink an unhealthy quantity of wine, but ....

I spent a weekend in Reykjavik recently and despite the fact that beer cost £6 per pint in the pub, I have never been to a place where there was such a mass collective mission to get truly drunk and disorderly on a Saturday night.

It is usual over there to stock up from the state controlled (and expensive) liquor shop (that closes at 6pm) and drink at home earlier in the evening. Then head out to the bars and clubs around 10pm - 11pm. The fact that the centre of Reykjavik is very compact helps concentrate all the action. Then they absolutely go for it until around 5am.

The authorities take it in their stride - the street cleaning machines all appear at 7am on the Sunday morning to clean up all the debris.

I was warned by a couple of locals that they do get a lot of trouble with drunken violence and that I should take care later on and watch out for people deliberately knocking into me to start a fight. But I didn't actually see any violence, just people completely incapacitated from the drink.

Going by that lesson, restricting the availability of wines and spirits, and raising the price of all alcohol, is not going to make the slightest bit of difference.

Perhaps alcohol should be reclassified as a class A substance because that works




Ah, I think I see what will happen if alcohol is made prohibitively expensive

All scandinavians are complete booze nutters. Especially the Finns - you will never see a more manic drunk .

[bogeyman]

The long winter nights must just fly by.....

[Francko]

ANyone see the Sky report last night on alcohol and violence? Following the police in warrington on a saturday night. Sadly, what they showed was typical of any town centre street at the weekend.

The problem then is how to stop the alcohol related problems such as violence and kids who can't stand up straight they are so drunk. My answer is to tax the hell out of alcohol, £8 a pint in pubs.

Just a thought...

Teach them how important is to eat. Let them learn how to cook and give a good example. It is much better to have a good meal with 2-3 pints rather than just 4-6 pints straight and a takeaway after. Drinking is not wrong. Only drinking is bad and especially before eating. It was sad that many friends I had in the UK would consider a waste to pay 20-30 quid for a meal but they'd spend the same amount on liquids that won't be enjoyed after a certain limit. If you look at the alcohol consumption you will find out that Spain and Italy do actually consume more alcohol than UK and Ireland but the number of alcoholic people in the mediterranean is much lower. I said that Jamie Oliver is one of the most important man of the century in Britain. Let's hope people do start to realise how food is important.

[Gonzo]

ANyone see the Sky report last night on alcohol and violence? Following the police in warrington on a saturday night. Sadly, what they showed was typical of any town centre street at the weekend.

The problem then is how to stop the alcohol related problems such as violence and kids who can't stand up straight they are so drunk. My answer is to tax the hell out of alcohol, £8 a pint in pubs.

Just a thought...

I think it is more to do with attitude and am not sure that the price would be effective as a control.

I do have a vested interest I will admit because I do drink an unhealthy quantity of wine, but ....

I spent a weekend in Reykjavik recently and despite the fact that beer cost £6 per pint in the pub, I have never been to a place where there was such a mass collective mission to get truly drunk and disorderly on a Saturday night.

It is usual over there to stock up from the state controlled (and expensive) liquor shop (that closes at 6pm) and drink at home earlier in the evening. Then head out to the bars and clubs around 10pm - 11pm. The fact that the centre of Reykjavik is very compact helps concentrate all the action. Then they absolutely go for it until around 5am.

The authorities take it in their stride - the street cleaning machines all appear at 7am on the Sunday morning to clean up all the debris.

I was warned by a couple of locals that they do get a lot of trouble with drunken violence and that I should take care later on and watch out for people deliberately knocking into me to start a fight. But I didn't actually see any violence, just people completely incapacitated from the drink.

Going by that lesson, restricting the availability of wines and spirits, and raising the price of all alcohol, is not going to make the slightest bit of difference.

Perhaps alcohol should be reclassified as a class A substance because that works




Ah, I think I see what will happen if alcohol is made prohibitively expensive

[DimPrawn]

I'm proud to say I've never touched the stuff. Anyway, wow beckons and the missus needs a hand with a quest. cheerio.

The long winter nights must just fly by.....

[Board Game Geek]

Smoke something more mellow

I'm proud to say I've never touched the stuff. Anyway, wow beckons and the missus needs a hand with a quest. cheerio.

[Moscow Mule]

Ban alcopops, that's probably the main reason for the excessive drunkeness, especially with the young female population.

That's so 1990s Baggy - all the cheap slappers are into their pinot grigio these days.

[BrilloPad]

I think the problems are caused by absentee fathers.

[bogeyman]

That's spooky timing, because I have just genuinely written an email 2 minutes ago to someone and said "Person X gives me the impression that I am dealing with a mental patient".

How weird is that ?

It's like when reading a book or a website and listening to music, and the word you hear the singer saying is the same one as you are reading that exact moment on screen or in print.

tbh, a vampire home for board game wow goths sounds like a fantastic idea to spend my snowbird days.

Talking of which, how does anyone else expect their final years to pan out ?

Packed off to a home, eating soggy biscuits served by non-english speaking staff and systematically abused for self-urination, or something a bit grander ?

Smoke something more mellow

[Board Game Geek]

Shouldn't you be in a mental home - or some other sort of public institution?

That's spooky timing, because I have just genuinely written an email 2 minutes ago to someone and said "Person X gives me the impression that I am dealing with a mental patient".

How weird is that ?

It's like when reading a book or a website and listening to music, and the word you hear the singer saying is the same one as you are reading that exact moment on screen or in print.

tbh, a vampire home for board game wow goths sounds like a fantastic idea to spend my snowbird days.

Talking of which, how does anyone else expect their final years to pan out ?

Packed off to a home, eating soggy biscuits served by non-english speaking staff and systematically abused for self-urination, or something a bit grander ?

[bogeyman]

Ah sorry Churchy, all is forgiven

Oi ! Who dissed board games ?

I'll whupp yo posterior at a game of Settlers of Catan or Axis and Allies homeboy.

Shouldn't you be in a mental home - or some other sort of public institution?

[Board Game Geek]

Ah sorry Churchy, all is forgiven

Oi ! Who dissed board games ?

I'll whupp yo posterior at a game of Settlers of Catan or Axis and Allies homeboy.