Nino Hoblyn On Alcohol Abuse. (YP)

Oy.Top It Up, Barman!

'Because, never in my whole days of drinking pints of the “black gold” from the Republic of Ireland have I ever seen any young male or female knocking back pints of Guinness, Yorkshire bitter, mild, real ale, lager or any other pints of beer like there is no tomorrow! For what we have today on all our streets in all our towns and cities are alcopops and other strange-coloured liquid muck that’s thrown down the hatch as quickly as possible and often mixed with a concoction of illegal drugs.'
He is right, of course, but should have made the point about strong lagers and absurdly strong, gut-rotting ciders which are a part of the problem.
The main thrust of the argument however, is sound. Governments should leave alone those people who do not cause trouble.
The 'let's all get smashed out of us brains' syndrome could be tackled with drunk tanks - not just for overnight but for three day stints in a small cell on bread and water. (Mop up your own puke before release.)