Curbing alcohol consumption/Stupid people

narommy

Does anybody out there really think that any of the measures sugested in the article linked below would have any effect on alcohol consumption.

Maybe advising pregnant mothers, which should be done already. And advise women that they're more likely to end up pregnant, the more they drink.

But otherwise, Health warning labels??? That'd work cos nobody smokes since they made those warnings larger :rolleyes:.

As for restricting numbers of outlets, that would work cos nobody would walk an extra mile or so for a crate of beer. and absolutely nobody would drive. It would allow the offies to up their prices tho.

Putting up taxes would only encourage more drinking at home where shots would be larger and people sould get drunker. Drinking at home is good though because the pubs have riden us for so long.

My view is that people are stupid and there is nothing that the government can do about it. And they're getting worse.

And to add to the problem they get stupider when they are pissesd

Finally... How much did it cost to come up with that stupid report?

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2004/09/22/story167614.html

ShiverinEskimo

narommy wrote:

As for restricting numbers of outlets, that would work cos nobody would walk an extra mile or so for a crate of beer. and absolutely nobody would drive. It would allow the offies to up their prices tho.

Add to that the fact the most offies (at least in Dundalk here) now offer to deliver said beer, wine and spirits direct to your door with a big smile and an even bigger price tag!! yey!! Long live delivery boys...!!

leeroybrown

I'm being slightly cynical here, but it's a perfect situation for the government. They can keep pushing up the taxation level on alcohol in the interests of public safety/welfare until they hit their ideal revenue point. Nice.

jor el

I'd say it'll have about the same amount of effect as that stupid annoying ad on the radio at the moment. You know the one where the two silly biatchs are whinging about their friend being sick from drinking at the weekend. Pfft, I don't know anyone who hasn't made an eejit of themselves at some point when drinking, in fact it's part of the fun. It wouldn't make you dissown them afterwards anyway.
Why is it that we're not allowd to make up our own minds on this issue, if I want to get plastered then that's my business. The only thing I do dissagree with is the violence that sometimes springs from drink, but I think this is a wider social issue and curbing alcohol sales won't really make scumbags any less violent.

leeroybrown

The level of alcohol consumed in pubs is down a sizable chunk while off licence sales are up. This is good in my opinion. People probably drink slightly less when drinking at home and waste a lot less money in doing so.

Also, I can see the increasing level of mortgage debt (up around 30% in the last 12 months) having a larger and larger effects on peoples disposable income, and therefore their drinking.

narommy

I've jusy got another idea.

Buying rounds dhould be outlawed!!!!
Any every time you buy a drink you have to get a stamp on your hand and once you get 4 stamps you have to stop drinking. :rolleyes:

For any of you that looked in on the creatine thread a while ago, yes i don't drink. But it's my decision, the same decision everyone else could make. Nobody can be made reduce their consumption.

sliabh

I remain to be convinced that restrictions on access and higher costs will fix the problem. As with the smokes, higher taxes only work so far. As the costs go up people are just encouraged to get their booze from illegal sources (e.g. smuggled, stolen or home made)

But the main reason is that there are plenty of countries in Europe and elsewhere with cheaper and more accessible alcohol and they don't have our drink problem. So the issue here is not access but our culture. This is what needs to change.

But increasing the taxes is of course the easier thing for a politician to do.

grumpytrousers

It's the whole nanny-state thing again, innit. I'm an awful cynic, but jesus, if we're talking about 'improving the long term health of the nation'..you still have to die of something. I mean, feckit, yes, by not smoking, drinking, eating fatty food you may well live to be 90.

I DON'T WANT TO LIVE 90 YEARS WITHOUT BOOZE, FAGS AND THE ODD FRIED BREAKFAST.

regarding the drinking thing, there's no doubt that certain people feel under a lot more pressure in their lives now than say, 20 years ago. It's the other side of the Celtic tiger...you get a booming economy cos people work hard...people work hard 'cos they're under pressure to perform...going out for a sociable drink or two on a 'schoolnight' is frowned upon...you have to be up for the commute to work...pressure at work plus 50+ hour weeks tend to leave people

a) well-ish paid
b) determined that they'll have 'one good fookin night out'.

Binge drinking is a natural result. I'm not sure that much can be done about it. Labels on beer bottles. Gimme a break. Unless they put some right munter at the bottom of a Pint Glass and as soon as she looks fit you know you've had enough...(ladies, don't take offence, i'm sure we could get some equally unfit bloke for the bottom of yours)

ixoy

This new measures seem, as ever, ridiculous. My eyes, and everyone elses, will glaze over any warnings emblazoned on the bottle/glass. If you're the sort of person to read these labels and pay attention, chances are you're the person who already knows what they have to say.

Increased taxes just drive the whole thing underground, with more drinking outside controlled environments. It's either homes or fields in these cases. I can't see it actually stopping the drinking spirit.

What people need is an alternative. Besides the cinema, there's little Ireland offers for us in the evenings and at night. It's been like this so long though that I think even if there were alternatives, not centred around alcohol, a large swathe of the population wouldn't be bothered.

Here's a thought though - do you think you could all surivive without alcohol for a month? What would the country be like if we all went dry for 30 days? Would we survive socially or would our "craic agus ceoil" tumble apart?

But more importantly: 3000 posts! Jaysus!

grumpytrousers

narommy wrote:

I've jusy got another idea.

Buying rounds dhould be outlawed!!!!
Any every time you buy a drink you have to get a stamp on your hand and once you get 4 stamps you have to stop drinking. :rolleyes:

For any of you that looked in on the creatine thread a while ago, yes i don't drink. But it's my decision, the same decision everyone else could make. Nobody can be made reduce their consumption.

Should the barman be allowed send you home if you look tired?

Perhaps the doorman should ask if you'd not rather be at a night class...

to quote a bloke I went to school with..."Four pints -sure that's not drinking at all at all"

*edit*

I've just seen yer smiley. If you were being deliberately facetious/sarcastic...sorry...my irony detector is playing up:D

narommy

ixoy wrote:

What people need is an alternative. Besides the cinema, there's little Ireland offers for us in the evenings and at night.

I think we are being ridden on the cinema front too. €16 by the time everyting is included. And to make matters worse practically all the profits are going to one company.

I think Ireland has one of the highest cinema going populations in the world!

Lenny

Ahh, higher the taxes on alchol, more and more people are just turning to drugs. you lot should too, they'll save you a bomb, last longer and you might even have a better time.

Imposter

ixoy wrote:

What people need is an alternative. Besides the cinema, there's little Ireland offers for us in the evenings and at night. It's been like this so long though that I think even if there were alternatives, not centred around alcohol, a large swathe of the population wouldn't be bothered.

I agree with the rest of what you said but I don't agree with the above. There is as much to do in Ireland as there is in other countries. It's mostly a case that people usually don't want to do anything else. In other countries people do things during the day as opposed to the weekend. So their daytime activities are the highlight of the weekend and not their evenings out.

On the topic of reducing alcohol consumption I think a complete opening up of the alcohol laws would do this. Now I know that sounds counterintuitive but if alcohol was available on a (more or less) 24-hour basis and virtually everywhere (cafe's, restaurants, small sports stadia etc) people would have to learn to control their drinking themselves rather than the government controls controlling it for you. This would probably kill off a section of the population initially but it might get people to think about their consumption and do something to change their habits. Also allowing younger people to drink (u16 for example) would be also help imo, as these youngsters would then be under the supervision of supposedly responsible people and not off in a field or causing trouble on the streets.

ixoy

narommy wrote:

I think we are being ridden on the cinema front too. €16 by the time everyting is included. And to make matters worse practically all the profits are going to one company.

I think Ireland has one of the highest cinema going populations in the world!

Yep, I don't have the figures to hand but I recall that Ireland's got the world's second biggest cinema going population after the U.S.

Now there are ways of cutting down the cinema costs. If you're lucky enough you can get offers like the UGC Unlimited card or student discounts. The real exhorbant cost in cinemas is - suprise - our old favourites, food and drink. Unlike pubs however it's a lot easier to bring your own in rather than fork out for their fare (at least the times I've been it is). Pubs don't allow you the same freedom. Of course if we all brought in our own food and did cinema cheaply like I do, all the cinemas would close given a large cut of their profits comes from all those who went to the lobby to get themselves a treat.

narommy

Imposter wrote:

people would have to learn to control their drinking themselves rather than the government controls controlling it for you. This would probably kill off a section of the population initially but it might get people to think about their consumption and do something to change their habits.

I'd endorse that policy. Would it work for drugs. Free drugs for a year, Wipe out most of problem cases.

But both of above would involve a lot of funerals and funerals involve a lot of drinking

Boggle

I agree with the rest of what you said but I don't agree with the above. There is as much to do in Ireland as there is in other countries.

No mate - theres not.

Spent a few years in Belgium as a yungfla and trust me when I say this - there's a whole lot more to do... I remember there being local festivals all over the place every couple of weeks, the local park would throw on a big (FREE) fireworks display every year, there was an abundance of bowling halls, there was ice-skating, artificail ski slopes ... oh yeah and the pubs stayed open all night, there was no age limit on beer and you could buy pints with your chips....

Funny though - they had no alcohol problems of note and no fights at closing time!! (there was no closin time)

grumpytrousers

Also, it's NOT true to say that there's plenty else to do. Where I live, I'm 40 miles from the nearest cinema, probably the same to the nearest bowling alley. If you're sans car about these parts, the only thing to do of an evening *for the most part* if you don't want to stay in is go to the pub.

yes, there are things like the local drama/musical group and night classes, but that's about it...(and they would only tend to run during the winter months)

Imposter

Boggle wrote:

No mate - theres not.

I bet every one of them amenities had a bar too?

There are things to do. When's the last time you went hiking up a mountain, for a cycle, to the zoo etc. All of these are things people could do. The ones you mention still all involve drink, if you want it. It's similar to the super pub idea. Most people complain about not being allowed into some pub/club which charges a lot more than other pubs which have no bouncers, cheaper prices and possibly other advantages depending on your point of view. So why don't they go to the cheaper bar? Why do they pack themselves into these hell holes and then complain the next day about the money spent and how they didn't enjoy themselves? I bet your answer is quite similar to why they wouldn't go somewhere else other than a pub.

Gurgle

Lenny wrote:

Ahh, higher the taxes on alchol, more and more people are just turning to drugs. you lot should too, they'll save you a bomb, last longer and you might even have a better time.

I agree with your point (even though it was a troll).

But if everyone quit drinking & took drugs instead, we wouldn't be too long waiting before the drugs were legalized and taxed to protect our health.

sliabh

Gurgle wrote:

I agree with your point (even though it was a troll).

But if everyone quit drinking & took drugs instead, we wouldn't be too long waiting before the drugs were legalized and taxed to protect our health.

And they would still be cheaper than they are now when they are illegal.

ixoy

Given today we come in 2nd in the world in beer drinking, this topic is appropriate. From today's Indo :

The Department of Health's task force on alcohol has recommended a range of new measures to reduce the harm caused by alcohol in Ireland.

In a report published today, the task force said alcohol-related problems cost Irish society €2.65bn last year.

The report said the Irish were among the highest consumers of alcohol in Europe and spent around €6bn on alcohol every year.

It said Ireland was found to have the highest level of binge-drinking in a study of seven European countries, while alcohol was also a factor in 30% of all road accidents and 37% of all accidental drownings.

The task force has advised the Government to tackle the problem by restricting the number of outlets where alcohol can be sold, increasing taxes on alcohol, requiring that health warnings be printed on alcohol products and making pregnant women more aware of the damage caused by alcohol.

The body has also recommended a range of measures to protect children from alcohol, including changes to advertising regulations and regulations to prevent under-18s from being hired as bar workers.

Responding to the report, Health Minister Micheal Martin said: "We need to change the cultural attitude in relation to alcohol and we all have a part to play in reducing the alcohol-related harm that costs our society so dearly."

Well Michael, thanks for that. How about working to get thse culture attitudes shifted rather than just saying it?

What is interesting though is the statistics on accidents (seperate to violence)... surely that alone is worth a perception shift? Or, since most of us here are never going to be the perpetrators of these accidents, can we ignore such stats?

Kone

Boggle wrote:

Spent a few years in Belgium as a yungfla and trust me when I say this - there's a whole lot more to do... I remember there being local festivals all over the place every couple of weeks, the local park would throw on a big (FREE) fireworks display every year, there was an abundance of bowling halls, there was ice-skating, artificail ski slopes ... oh yeah and the pubs stayed open all night, there was no age limit on beer and you could buy pints with your chips....

Funny though - they had no alcohol problems of note and no fights at closing time!! (there was no closin time)

Have to agree with you there Boggle, I have spent some time in Belgium over the last 2 years and I have to say I am simply amazed at the amount of public festivals/parties/events that are held, it's great!

I remember one night when I went out with a group of belgian mates to a public party in the park across the road from the royal palace, Music all night long and a great crowd, it was a great night indeed and at about 2am when it started to rain we decided to go have a wee drink to finish off the night so off we went to find a bar/pub, we found so many before we all agreed on Delirium, which is a late bar with the most chilled out bar staff, no fights, no pushing or shoving and no aggression at all.

Beats the sh1t of Dublin and it's skanky overpriced pubs with it's snotty staff and agressive and drunken customers!

/Kone

Gurgle

sliabh wrote:

And they would still be cheaper than they are now when they are illegal.

Well it would take several years of adding 50c per gram at budget time.

Lenny

lol