How do you judge an alcoholic?

Nettle wrote: »

its more commonly known as weirnick korsafic syndrome ..

• Alcoholism (or chemical dependency) is regarded as a primary illness, it is not a consequence of another illness, condition or trauma
• There's a number of "types" of alcoholism. As already mentioned, there's the "functioning" or "functional" and the stereotypical homeless "down-and-out" alcoholic and others.
• People who stop drinking periodically, for days, months or even years but who drink again may be alcohol dependent, their behaviour when drinking will usually give clear indications.
• Chronic heavy drinkers are usually advised not to go "cold turkey" as they may need medical assistance to stop drinking. The myth of the heroin addict going through the horrors and being close to death when stopping is just that, a myth. Heavy drinkers die from unassisted / unsupervised alcohol withdrawal just as they can from alcohol overdoses.
• Every week, 25 people in Ireland die from alcohol-related illnesses. This figure does not include people killed in suicides, drunken fights or car-crashes
• Every day of the year, alcohol kills twice as many people in Ireland as all other drugs combined
• If alcohol was not already legal in Ireland there is powerful statistical and other evidence to have it banned
• Our relationship with alcohol in Ireland is at a very dangerous level and shows no sign of diminishing, simply because measures to reduce consumption would cost too many vested interests too much money
• The vendors of this deadly substance have their own pressure group in the Senate. Can you imagine heroin-dealers getting a place at the heart of our government simply because they are heroin dealers?

9959 wrote: »

... Not a rhetorical question, but would you support a total ban on alcohol? ...

• Reintroduce "holy hours". Pubs and so on can stay open and sell coffee, soft-drinks, food etc. but not booze.
• Close pubs at 11:00pm as before
• Take alcohol sales out of filling-stations, corner-shops and supermarkets
• Restrict off-sales to specialist off-licences
• The specialist off-licences to have exactly the same licensing hours as pubs
• Enforce existing laws and broaden them a little: no sales of alcohol to people who are already intoxicated, no drinking in the streets, no admission to clubs if intoxicated, no selling to under-age drinkers
• No cut-price, below-cost selling or promotions of alcohol-based products, including mixed drinks
• Have minimum pricing for alcoholic beverages based on their units-of-alcohol content (strong beers, spirits and strong ciders would therefore become more expensive while "regular" drinks would be priced largely as they are today)

9959 wrote: »

... If not, then under what circumstances, to whom and by whom, should alcohol be sold?

• Anyone ordering alcohol on a licensed premises must produce a scanable age card / drinking licence when ordering
• Ban anyone not of drinking age from bars / lounges on licensed premises (exceptions to be made for function rooms if a one-off district court licence is paid for when hiring the room)
• Anyone ordering alcohol in a specialist off-licence must produce their scanable age card and the server must scan the card and the unique identifier on the container(s) sold. This provides full traceability (seller, purchaser, product purchased) in the event that the alcohol is found in the possession of minors
• It is the responsibility of the seller to code the containers in their stocks to the required standard (PPSN / VAT Reg No / Business Registration, etc)
• A minor in terms of the licensing laws is anyone under the age of 21, as in a lot of places in States that are not "dry"
• An age card can only be supplied to a person who produces both a birth-cert and either a passport or driving licence
• Tourists are exempt from the age-card requirement but must supply proof of age which will be copied by the seller when ordering alcohol-based products.

Ormus wrote: »

Dependent on alcohol, and unable to stop taking it without incurring adverse effects....

1. Tolerance, as defined by either of the following: (a) A need for markedly increased amounts of the substance to achieve intoxication or the desired effect or (b) Markedly diminished effect with continued use of the same amount of the substance.
2. Withdrawal, as manifested by either of the following: (a) The characteristic withdrawal syndrome for the substance or (b) The same (or closely related) substance is taken to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms.
3. The substance is often taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than intended.
4. There is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control substance use.
5. A great deal of time is spent in activities necessary to obtain the substance, use the substance, or recover from its effects.
6. Important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of substance use.
7. The substance use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by the substance (for example, current cocaine use despite recognition of cocaine-induced depression or continued drinking despite recognition that an ulcer was made worse by alcohol consumption).