Ógra Shinn Féin
As part of the NARC campaign, one of the aims is to lower drug and alcohol abuse, to urge responsible drinking and start to debate ideas that will move us away from the current norm of binge drinking.
Binge drinking and the associated affects are dangerous for our youth and bad for society. From assaults, to road accidents, alcoholism and bad health, this list is just some indication of the negative affects associated to binge drinking and highlights the need for us collectively to start tackling this huge problem.
Having travelled to many European cities, the same problems that Ireland encounters with binge drinking and it’s associated affects like assaults and anti social behaviour is not as evident and significantly lower.
While there is a culture of responsible drinking in many other European countries, one other obvious thing is the late night, if not 24 hour opening hours at the weekend for bars and clubs.
This is in huge contrast to Ireland, where North and South most places stop serving at 1pm with everyone out on the street by 2pm.
This has two effects, revellers, punters, or whatever term you like, consume as much alcohol as possible into them in a very short space of time aka binge drinking. And secondly, everyone after consuming huge levels of alcohol are evicted from all the pubs and clubs at the same time, filling the streets with an alcohol fuelled crowd of hundreds, and the resulting chaos is well documented each week.
Although it would be a considerable change in culture to the public and practice to the publican, a simple change in the law would allow bars and clubs across Ireland to have later opening hours, if not 24 hours at the weekend.
Later opening would ensure that binge drinking is not as prevalent as people aren’t racing against the clock while drinking, and it would ensure that everyone doesn’t leave the club at the same time, avoiding the usual chaos, and ensuring more taxis are freed up, for people to get home safe.
This is not a selfish opinion expressed in order to allow my peers and I extra drinking time at the weekend, it is expressed as a young Irish person concerned at the impact excessive and binge drinking is having on our young people and from a personal experience, on my family and friends.
This is a progressive measure, which I believe Ógra should consider. I believe this will be a popular position and impacting strand of the NARC campaign, and will gain consensus and support amongst the broad section of Irish youth.
Start the fight back against binge drinking – give us the night!
5 comments:
Binge drinking is ideed a huge problem across Ireland but not only in young people. To be honest I don't think having pubs opening later would solve the problem of binge drinking as people would still be consuming alot more than their recommended daily units. However it would tackle the problem of drunken people all of the streets at once which would perhaps reduce fights etc.
I support this idea. It may start to address the terrible current culture.
This can alivate many of the problems related to binge drinking.
Personally i love a drink during the weekends-normally termed as binge drinking. But to be honest i dont think longer opening hours for pubs would solve the problem!!
thats a cousin of mine pinning a bottle of red wkd at popworld in liverpool! where did you get that pic?
This is an idea ogra should concider adopting as policy. psni/garda resources are very often inadequate to cope with hundreds of drunken lunatics spilling out of clubs at the same time and engaging in alcohol fuelled mayhem!
definately worth debating people.
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