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.

[***super_nova***]

I do not agree with any sort of prohibition; in any case it will not make any difference, people will just stock up before closing time.  What needs to be done is to make it unacceptable to be drunk.  There is nothing wrong with drinking, it's drinking in excess and drinking by kids that is the main problem.  Being drunk is not funny, it is dangerous to safety of the drunk & others, it is especially dangerous to developing brains, and to unborn babies of mothers who drink.

We could start with an ad that shows young girl half naked, dirty, sick, with her make up smudged all over her face and few attractive (what ever is attractive to that age group) guys looking on and one saying something like:  "I really liked her, thought of asking her to out next week............ but YUK I don't think so...."   translated to appropriate teenage language  🙂

[icyfroth]

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@***super_nova*** wrote:

I do not agree with any sort of prohibition; in any case it will not make any difference, people will just stock up before closing time.  What needs to be done is to make it unacceptable to be drunk.  There is nothing wrong with drinking, it's drinking in excess and drinking by kids that is the main problem.  Being drunk is not funny, it is dangerous to safety of the drunk & others, it is especially dangerous to developing brains, and to unborn babies of mothers who drink.

We could start with an ad that shows young girl half naked, dirty, sick, with her make up smudged all over her face and few attractive (what ever is attractive to that age group) guys looking on and one saying something like:  "I really liked her, thought of asking her to out next week............ but YUK I don't think so...."   translated to appropriate teenage language  🙂

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I agree with Crystal. Bars should close at midnight, licences for bottle shops should be restricted. Advertising for alcoholic beverages should be banned just as it is for cigarettes.
Stop glamourising it!

Education is all very well and good, for those that are receptive to it. Trouble is once you've had a few drinks, reason goes out the door and young people think they're invincible

Taking more and continued drinking out of tempation by closing drinking venues would help reinforce the limit.

[*ibis]

all the oldies here have had their fun

now we'll change all the laws because we are old and crankey

[fourandsixpants]

ref. We could start with an ad that shows young girl half naked, dirty, sick, with her make up smudged all over her face and few attractive (what ever is attractive to that age group) guys looking on and one saying something like:  "I really liked her, thought of asking her to out next week............ but YUK I don't think so...."   translated to appropriate teenage language 

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MMmmmmn don't really agree with this angle sorry. Something wrong with this........young women being easy targets for rampaging males and sure fire way for women of ALL ages to quickly lose self-respect, well yes.....and potential damage caused thru drinking alcohol to both unborn babes and indeed the mother/pregnant women, well yes.....but I think we are missing the point here. It is not a gender based problem. It's not even a generational problem.

Young men and women and the middle aged and even oldies do much harm to themselves and others through drinking more than a glass or two of alcohol......and do this too often or develop this habit regularly.

Like the issue of obesity- it is partly a quantity thing(too much food-usu. bad choice foods too)......and also a regularity thing(too much food too often).

I believe the education system and community should introduce more programs......TAbbot is 'slashing'  comm programs at the mo!

I believe that young folk and older folk need to be 'shocked' into reality also i.e. if charged or reprimanded for being drunk and disorderly-or related they should be ordered asap and escorted out by a police officer to attend alcohol related incidents in the community: motor vehicle accidents and domestic incidents, pub/brawl incidents etc.....the desired effects on these folks might result in more future non-offenders and work faster than watching (and making fun of...) expensive media ads.

[danger.will.robinson]

I think people aren't as thick headed as they used to be. So many killed by a single king hit.

Before I got old and cranky pubs shut before midnight and weren't open on sundays.

[the_great_she_elephant]

Before I got old and cranky pubs shut before midnight and weren't open on sundays.

Mr Elephant can still remember the 6 o'clock swill. 

[*ibis]

i can remember the sunday sessions

great times

[crystal**flake]

The thing is..............if they stop feeding the drunks at 12pm then they will go home and others will be safe.  There is something about being out drunk after 12pm that sends people crazy, I dont know what it is but that saying that mums use to say to their kids..............nothing good happens after 12pm, its true.

[joz*garage]

.nothing good happens after 12pm, its true.

i dunno, after midnight i used to score well at night clubs

[siggie-reported-by-alarmists]

Alcohol destroys every organ in your body.......

Yet people drink........

Lack of education (regarding health) and low self esteem in the younger ones.