Drinking Culture

 I can remember going to parties when I was at college & drinking far too much. I can remember a very active social life once I started working & drinking played a big part. I can also remember being drunk more times than I care to admit. None of this resulted in my doing any harm to anyone thank goodness. I just became very merry & suffered a loss of inhibition. Although I was having fun, my judgement was impaired & I now feel lucky that I didn't do something I would live to regret.

My youth is a far cry from the drinking culture of today, seen in the clubs & bars of cities every weekend. People set out to get completely drunk. They start drinking before they even leave home. People become loud & boorish. Some become aggressive & some lose it completely. People are injured, sometimes permanently & sometimes people die.  A & E departments across the country are filled to overflowing. Medics must get to the point of wondering why they do what they do. Maybe we should start charging for drink related hospital treatment - It is a lifestyle choice for most.

A recent case gives rise to questions about whether someone in the public eye has a bigger responsibility to be a good role model than Joe Blogs. I think they do. Sportspeople for example are representing their country & must have a responsibility to be as fit as possible in order to do that. Drinking to excess hardly leads to a fit body & a clear head.

All to often these "celebrities" have a history of similar behaviour. Their drinking culture leads to being offensive & insulting at the lower end of the scale. They sometimes ignore drink driving legislation, possibly feeling the law doesn't apply to them. They certainly ignore the wise counsel of managers who must become quite desperate to halt the self destructive behaviour.

Actually it's sad as well as destructive. Relationships are destroyed because living with someone who is frequently drunk really is no fun. If the only way you can live your life is through a bottle you don't value yourself, let alone your friends & family. It is very immature behaviour & reveals a lot about the drinker.

Personally I think it's about time we had an open discussion about alcohol abuse & it's impact on society. Why should we put up with anti social behaviour & the on costs of drunkenness?
https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2016/jan/22/alcohol-and-the-nhs-five-key-questions

 

It really isn't funny at all.