booze britain

[cazzz1975]

Is this the reason for societys ills?

[fagidill]

No, i think it is all down to BAD PARENTING!

Had 1 of my children come home the worse for Drink I
would have come down on them Big time!! for not only
showing themselves up, But for showing up ME & THEIR
FATHER

[amonty1144]

No, the decline of morality and the family, is to blame

[stokemaveric]

there has always been a drink culture in this country,its just that drink has become cheaper and drinkers younger and with the opening of cheap off licences and the sale of booze in supermarkets its all to freely available to kids.....

[Ice.Maiden]

Many parents are so stressed and wrapped up in their own little livesm that they couldn't give a damn what their children are getting up to. Drinking to excess just seems a normal way of life to some people.

[Theland1]

Considering that most of the people causing trouble when drunk are in their twenties and thirties, parental influence is going to be a minimul factor here.
For underage drinkers, who also cause problems, fair enough, but not the majority of the problem drinkers.
During the first world war, the government introduced severe restrictions on the sale of booze including a 10pm closing time. That remained in force for many many years. There were still drunks and problems of course but nothing that came anywhere near the scale of the problems today.
I think we should return to those laws, and ban shops from selling any alcohol, other than specialist wine and spirit traders, selling goods at retail recommended prices. No bargain booze anymore.

[Booldawg]

TBH I dont think the problems any bigger than it was 25 years ago. I can certainly recall clutching onto a cheap can of Kestrel lager in sub zero conditions, walking around the small town I live in.

The medias penchant for producing low rate, 'fly on the wall' style docus like 'Booze Britain' is ramming the issue of too much drink down our throats on a daily basis. If you stand outside a few bars in a busy city centre at chucking out time then thats what you're going to see.

[fagidill]

Beer in britain is no way , as cheap as it is in Spain, a can of Lager is cheaper than a can of COCA COLA !!

And yet , i have NEVER SEEN A SPANIARD DRUNK EVER!
WHY? Baffling i know.

[andy-hughes]

There is mystery fagidill - it's a matter of cultural difference.

Europeans grow up with alcohol as part of family life - a glass of wine with dinner is normal and accepted.

The UK has developed a culture where being seriously intoxicated equates with a good time - look at the number of expressions we have for what is effectivey alcohol poisoning - 'trolleyed / legless / hammered / slaughtered / out of my head ...E etc. ad nauseum.

The government decided to some seriously flawed thinking, that extended pub hours would lead to a 'cafe society', which of course has failed to materialise.

Until we address the notion that being drunk is not a good way to spend free time, our alcohol culture will grow and grow, assisted by cheap alcohol, weak legislation, and failure of responsibility among adults and children.

There is no mystery fagidill, we are not Europeans, for which the Europeans are eternally grateful!

[New Judge]

And indeed, andy, for which I too am also grateful. The trouble is the Government is trying to bamboozle us into believing that we are!

[meglet]

I believe that the change to opening hours will result in a cafe-culture society that Andy Hughes refers, but not for another generation. Simply changing the law is not going to have an overnight effect.

But I do disagree with the selling of alcopops that hardly even taste of alcohol. They are sold in such a way as to attract kids (lurid colours, adverts such as WKD = wicked = alcopops mean a great time).