Drinking death - Who's to blame? ( Archived) (48)

I don't know it's a fine line of responsibility...On one hand I would like to say it should be a personal responsibility..BUT knowing what a drunk person is like regarding decisions...especially a young person...I think I would have to say the sober person serving the alcohol...they have the ability to see the signs of severe drunkeness and make decisions...that a drunk person wont make...particularly if they keep serving that person knowing they are intoxicated when they have the ability to say no more!!!!!!!

My reasoning comes from the sheer abilty to make rash decisions...sober people have normal decision making ability...It's clear drunk people don't when it comes to saying I've had enough!!!!!!!

In most bars here...staff go through special training for this purpose...so have even more decision making ability!!!!!!!!

Alcohol is a poison...consume enough of it
and the results can be fatal.

Most spirits have a high enough concentration
of alcohol to deliver a fatal dose without
trying too hard.

Sadly most of them don't do it though! As the state of most of the high streets on a late saturday night or early sunday morning will prove.

British people still havent learned to behave civilised when alcohol comes to mind.

Shame in that respect they cant take on the mentality of the French,Spanish,Italians or lots of others i could mention.

It's because i think we were not allowed to drink for so long as a nation in backward liscencing laws that people go berzerk and feel the need to pour extra booze down their neck before closing time.

Sometimes England and Wales is positively backward.

I can see that if the person is sitting at the bar- right in front of the bartender-maybe.

But most of the time in bars,, someone in a group goes up and gets drinks for everyone..So how can the bartender know.

also..when people leave the bar and keep drinking..then it can still come back on the bartender..
Or when at a keg party.. people cheer each other on to see who can get the most wasted........I think each person has their own mind, clearly when you have had enough that you cant even walk... time to stop.
even dumb animals have that much brain!

People are not forced to drink- so I don't think someone else should go to jail for it.

Is like- if I get in my car and kill someone- the car company owners should go to jail for it because if they hadnt made the car,, I wouldn't have ran over someone?

Do you mean over the legal limit for driving? How much did she drink to be 4 to 6 times over this limit?

I don't think anybody can be blamed really, nobody forced her to drink so much and her friends may well have been drinking the same amount but they were fortunate it didn't have such an adverse effect. Young people don't always understand the risks of binge drinking.

Bartenders too can't really be held responsible, if the bar is full and they are very busy, they can't be expected to monitor the alcohol consumption of each and every customer can they?

I work in tourism and have to admit in summer i am normally ashamed at being British, we get all nationalites and we are the worst, and it's not all young people, after a few drinks they want to take on the world become abusive and offensive . No wonder we have a bad name abroad

Exactly!

Yes, i like travelling a lot and its a constant source of embarrasment when people ask if your English, and you get an entirely different response if you are Irish or Scottish!!

So i flash my passport and emphasise the Scottish surname and buy them a drink and make friends fast.

Some people make the mistake of behaving like scum the world over just because they can afford to do so, its a shame we cant confiscate their passports and force them all to have holidays in Blackpool.

Mind you, i know someone with a retail premises on the front of Blackpool and some of the stories hes told me with his wife how drunk people behave there is worse than how the scum act abroad.

Free tip, see someone in a Football shirt on holiday pissed, walk away............

I just thought of an easy fix! When in a bar...At entry.. all Id's checked..Give each person a punchcard & put the persons name on it, as you get a drink. punch the card and show id to prove it is your punchcard.. when card is punched out.. no more drinking!
But then... how do you stop friends from handing drinks to their friends?

The easy answer is don't drink yourself or your friends into the floor.Look out for your friends, and if you can see someone is in trouble help instead of contributing by pouring more booze down their neck.

As you said its not the staffs fault in a busy place if someones ordering trays of drinks.

Self responsibility......its pretty simple.

What pisses me off more than anything is the total lack of respect they show to the locals who's country THEY are visiting bearing in mind this is still a Muslim country the tolerance shown and the attitude of the police is amazing

Hi JB good to see you such a pity people can't have a good time enjoy a drink but know there limit before they become total assole's

Under ordinary legal principles... a bar owner would owe a legal duty of care to ensure that any party entering onto their premises does not injure themselves.. so I think it would be reasonable to impose an obligation on Bars to assess their patrons... now while I know people can still get others to go up for them... i don't think it would be too much for a bartender to keep an eye out for potentially risky behaviour...that said.. we also have to take responsibility for ourselves and our actions...

When I was very young I drank like a fish, I have never bought the line " I was so drunk I don't remember what I did"
I always remembered every second!! even when I had to crawl.
Yes. I got that drunk.
But I knew exactly what I was doing, and if too drunk to drive I was smart enough to stay put.
also-When so drunk that I couldn't even walk.. I knew it was time to quit.
At times drank so much I would almost wish I had died

haven't drank in 20 years now.. but have no problem with controlled drinking now.( I may have 1-2 drinks on my birthday )

But I never once tried to blame anyone else. It was my choice.

Needless to say, after once being angry ( at 22 ) and drank a 5th of vodka in under 45 minutes...I can't even stand the smell of vodka to this day!

Good point jb. I live in Spain, when I'm not freezing to death working here in Russia! and in general people have a more sensible attitude to alcohol, young and old . Drinking is an acceptable part of the culture, but with food, whether it is a meal or just tapas, and kids don't usually see their parents staggering home drunk after a few hours in the pub like they often do in the UK.

I can remember the first job I had in Spain, I went to a bar with some other teachers and as I could speak a little Spanish at the time I was given the responsibility of ordering the drinks. I stood at the bar and ordered the drinks for everybody, while I was waiting for the rest of the drinks to be poured I was just about to take a sip of my glass of wine on the bar when an old Spanish man slapped me gently on the hand and pushed a plate of olives at me!

Sadly it's changing, even young Spanish people now are becoming binge drinkers, and you are right, it is ultimately the responsibility of the parent (s) to foster a respect for alcohol consumption.

Wow, I can't believe almost all have voted 1.

I agree, i'm amazed more Brits don't get shot abroad! And what with how some Turk police stations and their imfamous prisons behaviour, well lets say that the average drunk chav havent even heard or that reputation and think they have rights as there British!!

What a disgrace they all are!!


If theres a cull being organised i will apply for a liscence on the first chav hunt.

I know!!.. I remember that show about Ibiza years ago...and I was absolutely and utterly gobsmacked... ur so lucky u dont live there... the rest of the Island I hear is like heaven on earth