Australia's alcohol idiot problem

[purple.cow]

I think it's past time the Australian government treated the problems associated with alcohol as it has been doing for a long time with cigarettes and smoking because while smoking is harmful to a person's health it usually only affects the smoker in a serious way themselves, whereas the problems arising from grog harm many around the drunken idiot.

Heavy drinking results in public brawling to the extent where death occurs to both the drinker and others they see fit to harm.

Heavy drinkers also seriously abuse kids and partners, both physically and mentally.

Alcohol abuse is a growing issue among our young people.

Alcohol abuse costs the country millions of dollars every year through loss of productivity due to the drinker chucking sickies because they are hungover or suffering ill effects of grog the following day.

Alcohol abuse results in way too many deaths and injuries on our roads every year.

alcoholics cost our public health system millions every years due to the serious issues it causes to the abuser.

I could go on and on about the bad side of grog, but it will start sounding as though I'm totally anti-grog if I do, when in fact I have absolutely nothing against anyone enjoying a drink or two, but I have a hell of a lot against what abusing the stuff causes.

So, I think it's time that the Australian government takes a far more serious approach to the subject.

To do this they should start off with banning all alcohol/and alcohol related products from public advertising - just as they did with smoking products many years ago.

Next they should slap on an immediate minimum tax price rise of 10% for all alcohol and alcohol related products, to be followed up within 6 months with a further 10% price rise on the lot.

These price rises should also hit the home grog making products market too.

additionally all consuming of ALL alcohol products should be totally banned from all public venues and licensing hours over the entire country should be reduced to far more reasonable hours, say midnight in all clubs and pubs etc.

Do you think I'm goping over the top?

OK, you may think so, but I'm sick to death of seeing the results of alcohol abuse at all levels in this country, and I can see no good reason why my tax dollors should go toward fighting a losing battle against the problems arising from grog abuse.

I've also been forced to attend too many funerals of innocent bystanders killed due to bloody idiot's bad habits while they walk away from it all almost Scot free.

[acacia_pycnantha]

King hitting is likely the spontaneous, non-thinking, impulsive  action of someone who has little real culture and little real sensitivity, but who has an over-abundance of aggression and machismo, reinforced by contemporary Aussie culture of sports-hero worship, V8 ute (with low profile tyres, of course) worship, and an unhealthy degree of thinking that violence and force can solve their problems. problems which they create themselves by being as I have described.

Such people don't respect the law and they don't fear it. They may even boast about how they "got away with it" or even boast about the alcohol level they got caught for while driving. And they may even boast about how little those offences cost them in fines.

The penalties of the law are of little use when people who are babrbarians (let's face it) act sponataneously and impulsively out of their innate barbarism.

[siggie-reported-by-alarmists]

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@moorna12 wrote:

I got too busy on other things away from here to get back to this earlier, but it looks like things have taken a few twists and turns since I last read the thread, so I'll just try to bring it back on coarse a little by suggesting that a start to dealing with the idiot problem connected with alcohol would be to have a federal law enforcing DOUBLE ZERO for ALL drivers, no matter what the circumstances.

That might at least save a few innocent lives on our roads.

To take things a step further I also suggest that any person being catch with ANY level of alcohol in their system while driving any vehicle should have that vehicle seized immediately to become the property of the government, thus rendering it possible for them to sell the vehicle without hindrance.

Also an automatic mandatory prison sentence be imposed upon the offender of 5 years minimum term.

Furthermore ALL public advertising of ALL alcohol products cease immediately.

Perhaps the same plain labeling laws be applied to all alcohol products that were bought in on all smoking products too.

OK, that might not solve much, just as I don't believe it did with tobacco products,, but at least it would take away the 'Glamour' from the product.

At least these measures would be a small step in the right direction while saving lives.

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That's a strong stance.

I don't believe that it would be possible for the police/courts to deal with everyone over double zero readings.

[dskracing]

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@moorna12 wrote:

I got too busy on other things away from here to get back to this earlier, but it looks like things have taken a few twists and turns since I last read the thread, so I'll just try to bring it back on coarse a little by suggesting that a start to dealing with the idiot problem connected with alcohol would be to have a federal law enforcing DOUBLE ZERO for ALL drivers, no matter what the circumstances.

That might at least save a few innocent lives on our roads.

To take things a step further I also suggest that any person being catch with ANY level of alcohol in their system while driving any vehicle should have that vehicle seized immediately to become the property of the government, thus rendering it possible for them to sell the vehicle without hindrance.

Also an automatic mandatory prison sentence be imposed upon the offender of 5 years minimum term.

Furthermore ALL public advertising of ALL alcohol products cease immediately.

Perhaps the same plain labeling laws be applied to all alcohol products that were bought in on all smoking products too.

OK, that might not solve much, just as I don't believe it did with tobacco products,, but at least it would take away the 'Glamour' from the product.

At least these measures would be a small step in the right direction while saving lives.

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Really??? bloody hell, bring on the nanny state