Drinking culture

Nov 27 2007 by Andrew Baldwin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

TOP West Yorkshire policeman Sir Norman Bettison is urging pubs and nightclubs to end cheap drinks promotions.

His call is made against a backdrop where binge-drinking is becoming a genuine public menace rather than a harmless juvenile joke.

Violence and disturbances fuelled by alcohol are on the increase and the NHS is facing a huge burden in dealing with the impact of excessive drinking on health.

In the midst of this culture, sitting back and hoping the situation will self-repair is not an option.

Sir Norman believes a major contribution to the problem is the two-for-the-price-of one offers and the like in drinking establishments.

But this ignores the role of our supermarkets – perpetually in competition with each other and perpetually having drinks promotions of their own.

The reality is that many of our young get tanked up on what they buy from the shops before embarking on an evening out, as drinks in clubs are expensive in comparison.

Trying to protect people from the consequences of their own actions has always been a tricky problem to address in a free society.

But blame must not be placed on pubs and nightclubs alone.

Plenty of other businesses are quite happy to bolster their profits through cheap drink promotions, with little care for the consequences in terms of the health and welfare of their clientele.