Ban booze in supermarkets, says health adviser
Cunning plan to combat binge drinking
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A health adviser to the government has formulated a cunning plan to tackle the UK's binge drinking epidemic which some claim has seen this green and pleasant land converted into a booze-fuelled version of a bad Saturday night in the Democratic Republic of Congo - simply ban the sale of alcohol in supermarkets.
According to the Telegraph, professor Julian le Grand, the chairman of Health England, insisted consumers should be obliged to make a "conscious decision" to buy a drop of the hard stuff "by going into a different shop" rather than having cut-price "adult candy" temptingly presented to them as they trudge round the aisles.
He said: "I am in favour of separate alcohol outlets. Certain states in the United States and certain provinces in Canada have separate stores. I would probably ban supermarkets from selling alcohol altogether."
Professor le Grand also called for a dramatic price hike for drink, noting: "The price of alcohol, particularly of the kind that is directed at the young such as alcopops, has been disgracefully low."
The retail industry has reacted with predictable anger at the ban proposal. Andrew Opie, director of nosh at the British Retail Consortium, decried: "This is ridiculous. No one buys alcohol accidentally. Supermarkets have the best record on preventing under age sales and are helping to drive a culture of sensible drinking."
The good prof is making a bit of a name for himself with his attempts to save the UK from itself. Back in October last year, he proposed a £200 annual licence for smokers, a suggestion which took a bit of a shoeing, according to the Telegraph. ®
COMMENTS
Why is it...
... that they think the solution is to raise the price of alcohol?!?!
If it's CHEAPER ABROAD, yet abroad has less of a drinking problem, does that not tell you that perhaps it's a cultural issue rather than the 'actual' cost of the drink?!? It might even be family related, whereby parents/relatives drink and kids just copy them, as kids do. Not to mention peer pressure! So many other factors are involved that, as usual, the government can only think of focusing on one thing - monetary gain at the tax payer's expense. *grim* *really grim*
It would be more beneficial to examine the psychological issues behind it all.
In Italy parents teach their children that, although drinking is ok, excessive drinking is not acceptable/healthy/cool.
The act of being able to choose the 'right' amount to drink is bred in you from a very young age. Hence, kids don't get to drink until they're of a certain age (this is dependant on each individual's maturity rather than age per se), but at the same time there is NOT A COMPLETE BAN ON IT (that is also wrong)! Parents let them have the odd sip of wine on the very rare occasion and whilst in their presence... always teaching them to respect its effect. The general idea is that you drink to relish the taste of what you're drinking and not to be part of some sort of 'balsy' club where its cool to have had enough balls to pinch a streetcone from the streets (scenes reminiscent of uni!).
It is NOT COOL to go out clubbing in your miniskirt and be seen falling flat on your face with your legs wide open, whilst completely pissed out of your skull.
It is NOT COOL to go wondering around the streets beating each other up because of something you may or may not have heard someone say whilst you were completely intoxicated and without the full faculty of thinking/understanding what's going on around you.
It is NOT COOL to puke all over yourself and then get on the bus so that people have to smell your left overs, when they're perfectly happy breathing the fresh that once used to surround them.
It is NOT COOL to get in a car whilst under the influence of alcohol and kill or injure someone.
That's my whinge for the day over now!
@ Honestly dont mind this
You don't have to go to Oz or Estonia. Supermarkets in N. Ireland have separate areas for alcohol, and separate tills to pay. It used to be the case that separate stores were required (so one of the separate units in a Tesco centre would be the Tesco off-sales) but that was relaxed some years ago.
It hasn't made the slightest difference that I've noticed, either in terms of drunkenness compared with the UK as a whole, or when they changed from separate stores to store-in-store.
Why not just enforce the law. Publicans found serving < 18s lose their licenses instantly, <18s found on the streets with alchohol have it taken off them and poured into the nearest drain. For a bit of variety why not try this: If the aforementioned <18s fail a breath test they get taken home and their parents/legal guardians get fined £100 per child/per offence, no excuses accepted.
WTF
First I couldn't take my dog in the supermarket.
It took ages to find a bit of string to tie it to a post outside.
Then they told me I couldn't light up in the supermarket!
Now they want to stop me from drinking in the supermarket!
Where else am I going to go to group women? answer me that!
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