Driven to drinking

Aug 7 2008 by Andrew Baldwin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

IT has never been easier to consume copious amounts of alcohol following the relaxation of licensing laws, its relative cheapness and the expansion of outlets where it can be bought.

So it is perhaps not surprising that Huddersfield, in common with many other towns and cities, is experiencing a rise in drink-driving.

Six in 10 men and four in 10 women admit to getting behind the wheel after drinking booze, we report in the Examiner today.

It’s rather dispiriting that the problem is still prevalent 40 years after the breathalyser was introduced in this country.

But what is alarming, and we don’t wish to come over as sexist about this, is the rise in the number of female drivers being convicted of drink-driving.

Experts do not speculate on why this should be so, but it would not be hard to hazard the guess that it is linked to stress – the same factor blamed for the increase in young women smokers.

We used to say that women coped better with the pressures of everyday life.

But most women today work as well as doing the lion’s share of childcare, housework and caring for older relatives.

The strains are finally getting to them. Working full-time and being a domestic goddess is a difficult act to keep up.

The pendulum may well swing back to moderation – especially if the credit crunch continues to hit the amount of cash we have in our pockets.

So what is to be done?

Hard to know in an age when more and more is being demanded from each and everyone of us, regardless of gender.

It’s easy to say, hard to do, but one answer could be to step back and take a hard look at the bigger picture. After all, we only live once.

And men, please do a bit more around the home.