Klaatu

I was drinking at 15 too, but in Belgium. There, pubs and 15+ yr olds weren't a problem (Well when I was there it wasn't).

Mew

wonderful

stilover

True. Wouldn't make much of a show without all the fighting. The point I was making though, is that the TV evidence shows it's not just underage or 18,19,20 year olds that get completely wasted and cause trouble.

A binge drinker is a binge drinker no matter what the age. You just hope the older someone gets the wiser they become.

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

Booze is dirt cheap here, we can drink 24/7 and we do not suffer from binge drinking or much alcohol related violence.

Maybe your gove needs to learn from the mainland europeans and have 24/7 drinking then you will probably get rid of the problem in next to know time as people will realise they do not have to come home from work and throw beer down their neck in the 3 hours they can have in the pub.

We here do not normally go out until 10 oclock, if that was the UK you would have 50 minutes of drinking time left.

PeteBrant

No, no I wasn;t aiming that at you - I was just making the point in general.

I think if you look through the ages, young drinker take time to handle thier drink - This isn't a new problem. I have no doubt I was a ****ing idiot when I was younger and pissed up. I am probably still an idiot now, but a completely harmless one.

PeteBrant

We already have relaxed the licensing laws, for exactly the reasons you have suggested.

It has a small positive effect overall - But pockets where it is negative too.

What you need to remember, is that us Brits are mad for it - All 24 hour drinking means is that we can go out at 8 and drink for longer.

Klaatu

It's nothing like in mainland Europe! But to extend, with the current "drinking climate" in the UK, would be a disaster similar to that of other parts of the world.

PeteBrant

Depending on where you are it is. Since it is at the discretion of the local council now, you will find that some areas you can stroll into a bar at 4am if you like, and other areas you can't.

Leslie

I dont think that the tax increase will make any difference at all to what the binge drinkers and alcoholics will obtain, one way or another, but it will be yet another scabrous excuse to charge us all a significant amount ot tax. Whether it makes no difference to what you can afford or not is just not the point.

Totally unfair to screw those who drink sensibly using binge drinking as an excuse, which was largely brought on by the long drinking hours which this lot sanctioned. Despite their announcement that crime has reduced and that long licensing hours has been the cause of that, as usual it is the Orwellian announcement that things are exactly the opposite to what is the real case!

Les

davegtt

Completely disagree with that tbh Les. I dont think long drinking hours have made much difference at all apart from maybe just spreading the time out at when the masses of people leave

PeteBrant

BBC NEWS | Politics | Review 'backs 24-hour licensing'

If anything it has cut binge drinking, and related incidents - Which again is not a new phenomenom.

We have a terrible habit of assuming that because the media start highlighting an issue, then it must be "new"

Abdabz

In 1992, every Friday night, me and my mates went to the local offy who I knew would serve us (or we would get an older mate to get the beer for us) then wew would drink cider/kezzy super/vodka till we threw up, tap off with some ladies, maybe have a fight, then go home...
In 2008 16 year olds are still doing the same, beer has gone up in price, but the key thing is that society / british drink culture hasnt changed at all...
The notion that introducing 24 hour drinking would curtail alcohol related problems in the UK was a smokescreen for Parliament to simply pass more responsbility to local councils and ease the burden on themselves.

The key difference in my home town is in 1994 there were appx 6 mainstream popular bars and in 2008 there are over 30... More people pour into the town centre than ever before...
In Europe there are rules around space between bars etc, which reduce the pub crawl mentality - this may help a little - but it's too late here now...

The simple fact is that Binge Drinking (whatever the definition of that is) is imbedded in our society now...

Fining those who lose control / increasing taxes / reducing the hours / reducing the number of licensed premises are all ideas worthy of consideration but none of them will solve the problem on their own...

PeteBrant

But todays report clearly states that violent incidents have fallen by 10% since the relaxation of the licensign laws - so they are having an effect.

Leslie

It was recently reported that it had been found that drink related crime and binge drinking had increased significantly since licensing hours were extended. This report today, by the govt. mind you, says that it has really reduced. My point above was they are well known for stating the opposite of what is really happening when it suits them to do so.

Les

subaruturbo_18

how long till were a dictatorship and not a democracy?

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

We do drink too much in this country but I dont think taxing it to death is the answer, perhaps its part of the answer but even if they double the price it would just mean people would find the money somehow or start brewing illicit alcohol solely for getting p1ssed, it happened in America during prohibition and if it gets too expensive over here Still's will start popping up or alternatively just pop over to France and flog it out of the back of a van.

It's so embedded in our culture to drink, our reaction to any event, positive or negative is to have a drink, which is fine if its just a couple to take the edge off something bad or enhance something good but we don't know when to stop, with alcohol, less is more but somebody keyed up for a night out with a few beers on them isnt the best to judge when they have had enough as guess what it impairs judgement and less is more becomes more, more more, you don;t have a better time, invariably you feel worse, your inhibitions go and you dont get really any drunker you just create a bigger problem for the next day.

I am no bettrer than anyone else, I love a drink, A couple of cans and a couple of glasses of wine which I suppose is a Binge but I kind of know when to stop nowadays, sometimes I just have a few because I feel I should, because its Friday and the week is over. Booze is now stronger than it was, look at Stella, used to be the strongest you could really get (short of Special Brew which was just for tramsp) and was "Reassuringly "expensive, we used to treat ourselves to one pint of Stella, now I can by 24 cans of it for 20 quid.

I think the problem has crept in as in the past, like Junk/Fast Food things used to be a treat, something to have as part of a special occasion, as a kid my dad never bought booze really, I remember the Christmas shop, couple of bottles of lemonade, coupll of coke, some Quality Street and four small cans of Heineken, that was it, nowadays people at Christmas, fill two trolleys with booze as to raise their game from the normal week on week consumption they have to buy vast amounts to feel like Chrsitmas is any different. So it all went wrong when occasional went to habitual, same with food, as a kid a McDonalds was a twice yearly treat when forced to shop for school clothes as a bribe but now some kids get taken several times a week ?

Same with everything really, too many tv channels, too many gadgets, too many diversions, we are overloaded and cant cope.

We need a return to simpler times, which wont happen as people demand choice and big business is there all the time thinking of new ways to sell us stuff we dont need, you used to be able to get a Mars bar, now you can get numerous things labelled as Mars, Cake Bar's, Drinks, Ice Cream's etc, and because you like a Mars bar you want to try the alternatives and usually whilst sat flicking through 300 channels of crap.

I just feel a bit overfaced, I used to get the most out of things, 4 channels on tv meant you watched something you might ordinarily not or go and do something else, now you just flick, I used to buy one game for my computer, play it to death and get the best from it, now I get bored, I used to read a lot.

I think I need to bin most of the electronics, not buy beer each week, cancel Sky and go outside more often.

davegtt

And then you'll pop outside, not know what to do with yourself and end up walking in the local pub to socialise. Well thats what I do anyway

lozgti

Jacko.Spot on.

I know this is atheist.net but still think the Godless society has an awful lot to do with everything.

Everyone seems to worship shops now and get drunk for some reason.Oh,and ot would help if kids were scared to death if the school/parents/police could kick them so hard up the backsides if they were caught drinking.

But we won't because we are all pathetic now

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

I will look after your PS3 and Plasma screen TV until you change your mind

OllyK

Replace godless with apatheic and self centred and I'd agree with you.

robby

so pubs are no smoking areas - people who like a smoke with a drink now stay home with a few cans, increase tax on cans - go figure.......

the gvmnt are losing a fortune on tax from smokers so increase tax on beers instead - strange how spirit prices don't increase, especially when you see that the ministers all drink spirits not lager, etc

no i'm not a smoker - never have been but do have sympathy with them and the pubs

Leslie

The police have said that crime and violence have increased with the extended drinking hours as well as more binge drinking as was also discovered by a report using the Freedom of Information act.

Les

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I think our drinking culure is similar to Gun culture in America in that its had years to get this bad, we generally would be opposed to any legislation even for our own good (as opposed to revenue).

You can take my can of Stella,

"From my Cold Dead Hands"

PeteBrant

That's quite possibly true.