| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/22/2008 12:36:19 AM | So once again, underage drinking is in the news, and the big supermarkets are being blamed for the rise in drinking because they sell alcohol so cheaply..............
Ideas being put around are to force the supermarkets to raise their prices...........in the hope that if alcohol is not so cheap, hopefully less youngsters will be able to afford it.
But lots of adults and sensible drinkers buy their drinks from supermarkets, so should they be penalised by raising the price of drinks?
I think raising the age, (like in America) would be a better start, and anyone caught drinking underage, severe punishments should be implemented...........
What are your thoughts on this..................Raise the Prices of Alcohol or Raise the legal age for drinking? | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/22/2008 12:50:43 AM | Maybe take a leaf out of Italy's book and lower the age of drinking.. they have the lowest rate of drink related crimes among the youth, because they have been shown from an early age the "sensible drinking" method...
Like anything .....Drinking at 18.. they is always the temptation of "breaking the rules"
I remember when I was 16 and went out clubbing with my mates, pretending to be 18.. the thrill of getting away with it, put me on a high!
Although once I had turned 18 the novelty had worn off....
Take the temptation away The children will soon realise it "aint all that!" | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/22/2008 12:59:30 AM | | Totall agreement with OP. Raising the prices will not stop youngsters from buying it, cigaretts prove that if a fouteen year old(example) can afford and find the money for ciggys, they will "find" money for alchohol. I know ID cards have been knocked back by many, but this is definatley one time when they would be good, either in a pub or store of some kind where alcohol is being sold. There should be a punishment if caught, and more responibilty placed on the parents too., and anyone caught buying or giving alcohol to someone under age should get an automatic prison sentence. Get tough on the doer's not the innocent yet again. | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/22/2008 3:36:34 AM | I don't think that raising the price of alchohol, or the age that you can buy alchohol. I think that what is needed is tougher punishment for the underage drinkers and also their parents. When I see youngsters walking the streets drinking at midnight and later the first thing I ask is where are their parents. Some fo these kids look about 12.  | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/22/2008 7:08:28 AM | | As someone who works in the licensed trade I don't think raising the age to 21 will stop young people drinking or stop binge drinking. In fact it's ridiculous that someone aged 16 can buy cigarettes, have sex, pay income tax, but apparently not responsible enough to drink alcohol. | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/22/2008 7:22:31 AM |
In fact it's ridiculous that someone aged 16 can buy cigarettes,
In fact that law has already been changed, you have to be 18 to buy cigarettes..
I dont think raising the age, or price of alcohol will stop kids drinking...
Maybe stopping all outlets except public houses etc selling alcahol will.. | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/22/2008 9:05:55 AM | Think that the supermarkets must love nu labour - good excuse to up the prices and blame it all on the government
tend to go for drinks that taste nice and not the cheapest possible liquid that has minimal flavour, also make my own wine and found some wine that I thought was a lot younger and so needs to be drunk :)
americans have tried 21 as the year to drink alcohol, when was over there a few years back, the under 21's were getting wasted and by the time they got to 21, they drank less
maybe the govt could spend some money to give the kids something to do instead of getting drunk ? | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/22/2008 9:32:27 AM | So why not ban all drinking in the streets? Then also see the reason for having some sort of ID. Keeping sales of alcohol to pubs will certainly push up the prices. Anyone of drinking age should be allowed to purchase a bargain bottle of booze, nothing wrong with that at all.
Younger drinkers or under age drinkers have proved that they are not responsible to drink alcohol, that also goes for under 21s I believe. The police do thier job as best as, but then the drunks who are out of control get off with a warning or a small fine. Hit them hard with a big fine and comunity work, such as street cleaning and public toilet cleaning during a few evenings at weekends. Thats not against anyones civil rights then because Moms have to do that stuff at home on a daily basis!
I am amazed that a licensee on here didnt know the age for purchasing tobacco, what chance for stopping under age drinkers then. You certainly can not tell just by looking at them these days. My local supermarket ask your age when purchasing alcohol, thats everyone I am asked on a regular basis, yeah bit of a joke can be made, but it does make sense. CCTV cameras should be installed everywhere there are alcohol sales. Good security for all stores anyway. | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/22/2008 10:14:41 AM | Do neither. Living in a Western democracy traditionally means having to make your own decisions and then live with the consequences
Government should provide a safety-net not a fussing nanny. I am not interested in their opinions on how much I should drink or how much I should pay for it | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/22/2008 10:38:09 AM | An automatic prison sentence for anyone buying or giving alcohol to youngsters, people already complain prisoners are being let out early due to over crowding?
I agree they should lower the age but I don't think that will work either nothing will in my opinion. 13 seems about the average age people around my area start drinking they have no problem getting it. There is always someone willing to supply it to them and it will be done anyway. If it's allowed maybe not so many will be on the streets as there will be places to go?
Raising the price won't make a difference really I don't think as all they seem to be talking about is stopping the offers. | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/22/2008 11:25:49 AM | | What I don't understand is if nearly everyone else knows that kids are getting hold of alcohol below the legal age around their areas then why are they allowed to carry on?... and why don't the police impose harsher rules when finding them with it like taking them home to the parents, giving them a strict warning that they will be imposing massive fines or be given jail sentences on the parent's if it persists... sounds harsh I know but IMO, I can only see scare tactics and harsher punishments working in this situation, **** footing around will not do a thing. | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/22/2008 11:41:34 AM | What I cant understand is how these kids can get drunk and the parents dont do anything about it..Most must stagger in the house stinking of booze..How can they miss it..
They are kids, under the age of 18, ground them, stop their pocket money, but do something..
Sometimes I dont blame the kids as the parents see it as doing no harm to buy them alcohol because they are going to such and such's house for a party, and 1 or 2 bottles of wicked etc wont do them any harm, and everyone else will be having some.. | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/22/2008 12:20:02 PM | | It's the resources in my opinion. How many complaints would there be if police put aload of time and money into kids with booze how could the public react? At the moment (I'm half sure anyway) The police only take the beer and tip it away if they have a suspicion the child will drink it. They are given a note thing and in the system so if they get caught regulary something can happen I assume. Genreally only really bothered if it's an "open vessel". I could just imagine the "Go catch some real criminals" chants if they focused on catching kids with beer any more then they already do. | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/22/2008 12:35:36 PM | I love that saying "go catch some real criminals" it's like saying ok, we will only concentrate on the murderes so all the rapists and peadophiles and theives can just do what they like!
Also, if your doing something agaisnt the law, and convicted for it, your already a criminal!
my personal opinion on drink is that 18 is fine, provided it is done responsibly. Like all things in life, there are always the odd ones that don't. | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/22/2008 1:41:37 PM | What are your thoughts on this..................Raise the Prices of Alcohol or Raise the legal age for drinking?
Both.
Double the price of alcohol and use the extra cash to pay for an abortion for all the under 16 year old girls.
I think raising the age, (like in America) would be a better start, and anyone caught drinking underage, severe punishments should be implemented...........
I 'eggree' | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/22/2008 1:46:49 PM | It's a sad fact, but most crime is spurred on under the influence of alcohol. Rationality seems to go through the window and where I personally don't want to see the price go up, as it will be yet another little treat that is out of my reach, I would like to see something done that would protect innocent people.
I'm not sure putting the price up is the answer. As far as I know drugs arn't that cheap, but there are still people feeding their addiction. It is possible to assume if alcohol is needed enough, no price is going to stop the person getting it.
Going off subject just slightly. Pointing out on the news that some beers are cheaper than the price of water. What does that tell you about the price of bottled water? Pure extausion!!! I'm not really sure why we even buy bottled water in the UK. | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/23/2008 3:58:21 AM | To raise the price is a poor attempt to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors- The simpler way is to close any off- licence or late night shop that allows minors to buy alcohol ( eg 1 week police enforcement immediate penalty). and if you look under 30 you will need to provide ID every time. but the issue is the frequent offenders. surely their parents know they have been drinking or are aware of the drinks cabinet being raided.
The law can only do so much. its the education , the roll models and the parents standards and expectations that will have the biggest effect. and if the parents don't care. Fine them as well as the kids for being drunk and disorderly. there would soon be a change in behaviour. | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/23/2008 1:16:17 PM | spar stores in scotland are changing to a prove you are 25 policy from 1st march
it is a shame that they have had to take these measures,imagine being a 24 year old who has been drinking legally for 6 years but cant buy alcohol from there local shop
they already have a prove your 21 for cigarette sales | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/24/2008 12:13:05 AM |
It's the resources in my opinion. How many complaints would there be if police put aload of time and money into kids with booze how could the public react? At the moment (I'm half sure anyway) The police only take the beer and tip it away if they have a suspicion the child will drink it. They are given a note thing and in the system so if they get caught regulary something can happen I assume. Genreally only really bothered if it's an "open vessel". I could just imagine the "Go catch some real criminals" chants if they focused on catching kids with beer any more then they already do.
My ex is a police officer and he has told me so many times about taking kids back to their homes when caught drinking...9 times out of 10 the parents are either not there or they are drinking heavily themselves. Several times one of the parents was arrested being overly aggressive with the officers because they saw no harm in their pre-teen being out after midnight drinking.
When you're up against that...how do you win? For some reason this country wraps everything around alcohol and it's very sad. Little kids who should be riding bikes and playing video games are out in the middle of the night drinking and bothering people who happen to pass. People in city centers drink and end up fighting...escalating the need for emergency services and police. Start making people pay for their paramedics and A and E visits when they're hurt whilst drunk.
I'm an American and the drinking culture, as a whole, is not as rabid as it is here. I don't know why...but you can say the same about many European countries. England has a huge problem and no one has the courage to do anything about it...everything being done or brought up is like a bandaid on a broken arm. | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/24/2008 7:03:05 AM |
So why not ban all drinking in the streets?
Back where I am from if caught drinking on a street - one pays a fine, quite high actually.
With smoking ban in place here, one would have to fine all pub goes who take their drink out while having a ciggy though  | |
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| Raise the price of Alcohol or the Age of when you can start drinking?
Posted: 2/24/2008 7:48:47 AM | Responding to OP.
I think that the basic problems are not availability, price or age but things like a lack of self-control, lack of aspiration to anything better than being inebriated, or a lack of care for "neighbours" in the wider sense. Or, in other words, the problem is in the heart, mind and general "character" of those who do bad things while toxicated.
We cannot legislate effectively against selfishness or stupidity. Legislation is not a particularly effective tool for improving moral character.
So, I'd neither raise the price nor the age restriction. Instead I'd let the market set the price and I'd remove the age restriction altogether.
However ...
Anybody convicted of any crime that they committed while even slightly under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicants would be given the penalty for the basic crime and a second, very harsh penalty for the intoxication. By harsh I mean something like 60 days hard labour, minimum. The idea would be that those who can enjoy their intoxicants politely and without being a nuiscance will be free to do so and those who can't will have a big incentive to learn to improve themselves manage and become a better member of the community.
As a side note: According to some coffee table (i.e light and small) history book I was reading, Britons had a reputation in continental Europe for drunken loutish behaviour at least as far back as the 1200s AD. | |
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