And this ladies and gentlemen is what everything is based on...
Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model - Research - Sheffield Alcohol Research Group - Research - Public Health - Sections - ScHARR - The University of Sheffield
Research my backside..it's guesstimation by a bunch of esoteric freeloaders who can't hold down proper jobs.
Let me tell you what my on the street research tells me...
1. Binge drinkers get lashed on alcopops and shots, NOT cheap strong lager from supermarkets. Alcopops and shots cost way more than 45p a unit.
2. The people who drink cheap strong lager are, in the main, underage kids and people on a low income. There is already a law in place for underage drinking, which is rarely enforced, except as a votecatching photo opportunity (CANsafe) for politicians.
3. Friday and Saturday night casualty departments are not full of the results of drunken fights caused by £3.99 bottles of plonk from Asda. They are caused by people who think its acceptable to have a few to drink and go and pick a fight every weekend.
4. A saving of £3 by buying 24 cans at once instead of buying 8 cans on 3 different journeys reduces my carbon footprint, it doesn't encourage me to knock back all 24 in one session.
Conclusion
I'm a responsible drinker, this won't affect me all that much. If I was a binge drinker it wouldn't affect me all that much. If I was a low income hard worker or a pensioner, this would affect me greatly.
Education and awareness is what is needed. Drink driving was once thought acceptable until the hard hitting campaigns, strict enforcement of the law and severe punishment for transgressors. This is the way to go with binge drinking...make it socially unacceptable.
Stop punishing the innocent and letting the guilty go the next morning with a slap on the wrist!