[jambutty]

Originally Posted by katex

Oh hek, Jambutty, please don't attack the alcohol .. another of my life pleasures will go out of the window .. Only one pleasure left now, even that has its dangers . They'll be printing warnings on the sides of condoms next ...

Why not katex? Non smokers attacked tobacco smoking and destroyed my pleasure.

As I stated I do not use alcohol but nonetheless a couple of times a week at lunchtime me and some other old foggies met in a club for a few games of Crib or Whist and on occasions even Canasta. They drank their beer, I drank Coke, or orange or lemonade. Some of us smoked, some of us didn’t. But we were content with our lot. It gave us a break from staying indoors.

Then along came the no smoking in public places campaign and destroyed our game of cards. Thanks a bunch selfish jerks!

What really sticks in my craw is that the anti smoking campaigners complaining about passive smoking were quite content to jump in their precious cars and drive around polluting the atmosphere that I and everyone else was forced to breath in. And then to add insult to injury they now crow about how they can breath in ‘clean’ air whilst enjoying a pint. This ‘clean’ air that is full of vehicle exhaust pollutants. But it’s OK because they cause the pollution and they breath in their own muck but I am forced to as well.

Not too different to smokers, is it?

We put up with the drunken yobbos damaging our gardens, cars and creating merry hell on the streets. We put up with the hospitals being overloaded with injured drunks, whilst we waited for an ambulance to take one of us to hospital for some serious reason.

Alcohol has caused more harm to others than smoking tobacco ever did and it is high time that its use was severely curtailed.

I support any campaign that restricts the purchase and consumption of alcohol to what it used to be and also restricts where it can be bought. Pubs, clubs, restaurants and Off Licence premises only - between the hours of 10:00am and 3:00pm and 6:00pm and 11:00pm. Night clubs 9:00pm to 2:00am with no entry after 11:00pm. No alcohol consumption in open public spaces other than an enclosed beer garden attached to a licensed premises.

A failed breathalyser driver would have his vehicle impounded there and then and if the case is proven in court the car would be crushed if over 5 years old or auctioned off if under 5 years old with the proceeds going to a victims of alcohol abuse compensation fund.

Alcohol related crimes or public disorder would be met with at the very least punitive fines in the order of several hundred pounds.