Alcohol - should it be illegal?

supackofidiots

As above. Personally coming from a long history of having a drink problem I think it should be illegal. If it was discovered today it would be a class A drug, it causes more harm than ecstasy and most other recreational drugs. The long term health effects are horrific, and as a nation living under a cloud of illusion the impact of this is going to hit us as a nation pretty heavily in the next couple of decades. The amount of harm and destruction it brings to families is incredulous. How many people will end up in hospital tonight? How many fights will be started? How many relationships will end? How many people will wake up tomorrow with their head in the total bowl saying ''never again'', but will be back at the same craic again come friday night. I just don't understand it, and don't understand how I could ever have engaged in such behaviour. It seems alien to me now.

1. Why do you drink?
2. Should it be illegal, and your reasons for and against.

My name is URL

No.. just because some people are susceptible to addiction doesn't mean everyone should be stopped from consuming it.

Besides, making something illegal doesn't stop people abusing it. All it does is make society as a whole feel better about the fact it happens, and lines the pockets of criminals.

Depp

dont be so dry

Palytoxin

Sure what harm, don't drink it if you don't want to.

Nodin

supackofidiots wrote: »

As above. Personally coming from a long history of having a drink problem I think it should be illegal. If it was discovered today it would be a class A drug, it causes more harm than ecstasy and most other recreational drugs. The long term health effects are horrific, and as a nation living under a cloud of illusion the impact of this is going to hit us as a nation pretty heavily in the next couple of decades. The amount of harm and destruction it brings to families is incredulous. How many people will end up in hospital tonight? How many fights will be started? How many relationships will end? How many people will wake up tomorrow with their head in the total bowl saying ''never again'', but will be back at the same craic again come friday night. I just don't understand it, and don't understand how I could ever have engaged in such behaviour. It seems alien to me now.

1. Why do you drink?
2. Should it be illegal, and your reasons for and against.

Rarely.

How did it work out the last time a western state banned drink?

Gee_G

No, I don't think it should be illegal.
I know people have problems with alcohol addiction and it can cause serious problems to their lives/families/careers, but look at drugs,They are illegal and it is not stopping the problem of drug abuse world wide.

Praetorian Saighdiuir

1. Because I like it and can handle it without any repercussions.

2. No. Don't be ridiculous. Punish the many because of the few? Are you in Government?

Gummy Panda

This thread might be different tomorrow when the sun or some rag posts pics of drunk teenage girls pissing in the streets

mcmoustache

Not now. I'm drinkin'.

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Gummy Panda wrote: »

This thread might be different tomorrow when the sun or some rag posts pics of drunk teenage girls pissing in the streets

Im sure that happens most weeks.

Gummy Panda

Praetorian Saighdiuir wrote: »

Im sure that happens most weeks.

yes but not during the day wearing an outfit from carrolls. Its the details that matter

Grayson

supackofidiots wrote: »

As above. Personally coming from a long history of having a drink problem I think it should be illegal. If it was discovered today it would be a class A drug, it causes more harm than ecstasy and most other recreational drugs. The long term health effects are horrific, and as a nation living under a cloud of illusion the impact of this is going to hit us as a nation pretty heavily in the next couple of decades. The amount of harm and destruction it brings to families is incredulous. How many people will end up in hospital tonight? How many fights will be started? How many relationships will end? How many people will wake up tomorrow with their head in the total bowl saying ''never again'', but will be back at the same craic again come friday night. I just don't understand it, and don't understand how I could ever have engaged in such behaviour. It seems alien to me now.

1. Why do you drink?
2. Should it be illegal, and your reasons for and against.

You need a spliff.



yep. i drink. yep i love drinking. i will wander home tonight in an orderly manner and won't cause any more harm than making and laughing at some bad jokes.

I am however in favor of banning everything except homeopathic medicines. People have died from every other type of medicine. Overdose, allergies etc. No-one has ever died from a homeopathic remedy.

sfwcork

So coz you couldnt stop it should be banned for the rest of us

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Gummy Panda wrote: »

yes but not during the day wearing an outfit from carrolls. Its the details that matter

So, there's only a problem during the day?

Alcohol will not be banned in this country. It's a goldmine.

Jumboman

Don't alcoholics also suffer from other addictions ? if it wasnt alcohol it would be something else.

SEANoftheDEAD

Do gooders can fúck right off!!

SilverScreen

No drug should be illegal.

kraggy

One only has to see the effects of merely increasing the price of cigarettes. Black market begins and people still get their fix but at a cheaper price.

Prohibition/ restriction do not work. Pump the hundreds of millions of euro spent on law enforcement in to education in schools, healthcare, counselling etc and instead of someone writing off their careers or education because they have a record over an ounce of hash and you'll see people genuinely seeing a brighter future.

Even besides hash, I've seen exponentially less problems in a pub or club trouble-wise, and in people's lives, where MDMA is involved compared to the hardship that alcohol brings.

Lenin Skynard

If it was illegal it would be cheaper and much worse quality but still just as common as it is now. Making it illegal would make the problem ten times worse.

RayM

supackofidiots wrote: »

1. Why do you drink?
2. Should it be illegal, and your reasons for and against.

1. I don't.

2. I really don't like alcohol, I find drunk people (at best) massively boring and I think Ireland would be an infinitely nicer place without it. It shouldn't be illegal though. It's bad enough listening to people moaning about the pubs being closed on Good Friday.

mikemac1

supackofidiots wrote: »

Personally coming from a long history of having a drink problem I think it should be illegal.

Nobody as fond of preaching as a reformed soul.

You're like the people who smoke for years, quit and then start giving out to everyone around them

SilverScreen

Lenin Skynard wrote: »

If it was illegal it would be cheaper and much worse quality but still just as common as it is now. Making it illegal would make the problem ten times worse.

And also make it lucrative industry for criminals.

ejmaztec

They should just make it cheaper.

monkeypants

1. I don't drink much at all.
2. I don't think it's as harmful in moderation. Drink 10 pints of water in a short space of time, or any other non-alcoholic drink and see how you get on. I'm guessing you won't feel well.

professore

Grayson wrote: »

You need a spliff.



yep. i drink. yep i love drinking. i will wander home tonight in an orderly manner and won't cause any more harm than making and laughing at some bad jokes.

I am however in favor of banning everything except homeopathic medicines. People have died from every other type of medicine. Overdose, allergies etc. No-one has ever died from a homeopathic remedy.

Yes they have, Steve Jobs for one. Taking homeopathic medicine for fatal but treatable illnesses has killed lots of people.

68Murph68

I am however in favor of banning everything except homeopathic medicines. People have died from every other type of medicine. Overdose, allergies etc. No-one has ever died from a homeopathic remedy.

That's incorrect.

Shedloads of people have died from homeopathic remedies.










It's called drowning.

scamalert

The person who mentioned that drugs are better choice then alcohol should seek treatment,as such comments show what a vegetable one becomes from drugs :cool:
alcohol is beverage and if one drinks a glass of vine with meal every once in a while theres little to no dangers at all,even excessive drinking once a week will do little harm,and yet will leave person more sick of it to use it to excessive amount again.And people who drink everyday in excess all of them to the single person have some sort of mental illness,and if not alcohol they'd be shooting meth,snorting coke,to relieve their mental pain,and run away from everyday life.

My name is URL

Zero1986 wrote: »

No drug should be illegal.

None? :eek:

Tbh, I think saying they should all be legal is just as illogical as saying they should all be illegal.

Some recreational drugs can be used maliciously. I'm not sure how I'd feel about living in a place where the likes of synthetic GHB etc is freely available to everyone.

Some drugs should be decriminalised and their sale regulated & controlled, but not many at all should be made completely legal.. there's no real need for that, imo. And any move to do so should be based on scientific evidence, not just personal ideologies and so on.

scamalert wrote: »

The person who mentioned that drugs are better choice then alcohol should seek treatment,as such comments show what a vegetable one becomes from drugs :cool:
alcohol is beverage and ....

Go home, you're drunk

Uriel.

No drink shouldn't be illegal. Though i would be in favour for tougher penalties for drink related anti social behaviour. I think people who can't handle their drink reasonably, eg. Those who want to fight with everything around them when drunk or smash shop windows etc should receive harsh penalties to make them cop on.

To ban alcohol would be to punish those people who can enjoy it responsibly due to the actions of those who cannot. And that would be harsh. But those who don't enjoy it responsibly all to often punish those around them and so the punishment of those people should be relatively harsh

RobbingBandit

There should be more help available, support for family members impacted by parents or siblings with alcohol problems. I asked my GP last year could she advise me on how to arrange an intervention for two family members using drink and other means as a coping mechanism for grief, my GP laughed at me stating it is not possible to act on another persons behalf in this country.

Alcoholism is looked on as a part of life here in Ireland, if like me you don't drink you are weird, which really shouldn't be the way as many Irish people don't drink. Sorry for the rant here.

shopaholic01

OP, you should also campaign for sugar, fat, salt, sunbathing etc. etc. to be made illegal.

In large enough quantities, they all pose as much of a health risk as excessive alcohol consumption.

Devia

Our economy is in a bad enough state without every pub in Ireland shutting down. Another few thousand on the dole.

mattjack

scamalert wrote: »

The person who mentioned that drugs are better choice then alcohol should seek treatment,as such comments show what a vegetable one becomes from drugs :cool:
alcohol is beverage and if one drinks a glass of vine with meal every once in a while theres little to no dangers at all,even excessive drinking once a week will do little harm,and yet will leave person more sick of it to use it to excessive amount again.And people who drink everyday in excess all of them to the single person have some sort of mental illness,and if not alcohol they'd be shooting meth,snorting coke,to relieve their mental pain,and run away from everyday life.

With every meal ? like breakfast and midnight snackies ?

Latchy

It's excepted all around by all that the UK has a drinking culture problem but the proposel by the experts that the goverment should up the price on each unit of alcohol to 45p got the knock back last week , no doubt influenced by the fact the the goverment stood to loose £200 million in revenue .It was also pointed out that the increase in price wouldn't affect the well off but people will always find the money for drink regardless of any increase in price or social background .

mattjack

Latchy wrote: »

It's excepted all around by all that the UK has a drinking culture problem but the proposel by the experts that the goverment should up the price on each unit of alcohol to 45p got the knock back last week , no doubt influenced by the fact the the goverment stood to loose £200 million in revenue .It was also pointed out that the increase in price wouldn't affect the well off but people will always find the money for drink regardless of any increase in price or social background .

Possible challenges from the EU were also muted as being in the running too.Italy and Bulgaria were already making noise over a MUP.
Scotland may go it alone.

Three Seasons

shopaholic01 wrote: »

OP, you should also campaign for sugar, fat, salt, sunbathing etc. etc. to be made illegal.

In large enough quantities, they all pose as much of a health risk as excessive alcohol consumption.

Don't forget water. You will die if you drink too much water from brain damage.

mattjack

Latchy wrote: »

It's excepted all around by all that the UK has a drinking culture problem but the proposel by the experts that the goverment should up the price on each unit of alcohol to 45p got the knock back last week , no doubt influenced by the fact the the goverment stood to loose £200 million in revenue .It was also pointed out that the increase in price wouldn't affect the well off but people will always find the money for drink regardless of any increase in price or social background .

MUP in England and Wales is an interesting subject , both view it from a criminal justice point of view of , yet Scotland believe it or not has a good approach looking at it it from a harm reduction issue for the general population.
Scotland is actually fairly pro active , rather than a knee jerk reactive approach.

All this from Mattjack full of Guinness.

ejmaztec

Devia wrote: »

Our economy is in a bad enough state without every pub in Ireland shutting down. Another few thousand on the dole.

Were they to close every booze outlet in Ireland, you can bet your bottom dollar that the Dail Bar would still be open.

Latchy

mattjack wrote: »

MUP in England and Wales is an interesting subject , both view it from a criminal justice point of view of , yet Scotland believe it or not has a good approach looking at it it from a harm reduction issue for the general population.
Scotland is actually fairly pro active , rather than a knee jerk reactive approach.

All this from Mattjack full of Guinness.

It's interesting subject ok , The Scots acknowledged their binge drinking problem some years ago and it's hard to tell if reductions in price will help the problems associated with the binge drinking culture . The beahviour of some of their MP's in the house of commons with drink taken doesn't help but at least it's excepted that people from all walks of life and class who can have drink related problems .

mattjack

Latchy wrote: »

It's interesting subject ok , The Scots acknowledged their binge drinking problem some years ago and it's hard to tell if reductions in price will help the problems associated with the binge drinking culture . The beahviour of some of their MP's in the house of commons with drink taken doesn't help but at least it's excepted that people from all walks of life and class who can have drinking problems .

Certainly , 200,000 + interventions in Scotland in the last four years , possible mention of alcohol liaison nurses in A & E too.A comment made here in a report suggested allowing the HSE be allowed make objections to licenseing laws all from a harm reduction end.

J_E

By no means should it be made illegal. People should be better educated though, alcohol abuse is commonplace and many people out there are functioning alcoholics already without even knowing it.

hfallada

According to NYTimes people have been making alcohol for 10,000 years and even growing wheat for alcohol before bread. A majority of people use alcohol responsible and just because a minority cant handle it. Doesnt mean it should be banned. Like wise a small amount of Americas abuse prescription drugs such as Xanax and Oxycontin doesnt mean they should be banned. They bring relief to millions of people

Some people have addictive personalities and will be addicted to anything that is mind altering whether its cigarettes or drugs. Plus alcohol is something anyone can make so its impossible to make it illegal

KKkitty

Here sure take the fun out of the country altogether. Banning alcohol would be a bad decision. Some members of my family including myself have had problems with alcohol but I wouldn't want it to be banned for those reasons.

solas111

1. I drank for the buzz that alcohol gives you but I stopped a while ago.

2. No, alcohol should not be illegal. That would be like banning motor vehicles from the road because they cause accidents.

Alcohol has probably been around for as long as mankind and when the day of final reckoning comes and the angels descend from heaven, I have no doubt that there will be a bit of a knees up before people go to meet the Big Man.

Alcohol is not the problem and the vast majority of drinkers enjoy a couple of glasses as they are entitled to do. The problem is that some people come to rely on alcohol for solving life’s problems and a percentage will become addicted as a result. I have no statistics but it would seem to me that Celtic countries or races are more prone to overindulgence than others. Making something illegal in a country where corruption is the norm at all levels of society would never work.

Education has an important role to play, first of all in schools so that people are made aware of the reasons why some become addicted to alcohol and in society as a whole so that people who have fallen into the trap are made aware that there is a way out of their hell-hole. If you have a problem with alcohol go to Alcoholics Anonymous and if the “long history of having a drink problem” relates to other family members go to Al-Anon.

A_Sober_Paddy

More people die from Alcohol than Marijuana, Cocaine & MDMA(not ecstasy) combined in the UK...This was according to some documentary on channel 4 a few years back

Turtyturd

Nope, but then again neither should a lot of stuff that is considered illegal.

'The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it. Each is the proper guardian of his own health, whether bodily, or mental or spiritual. Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest.

anhedonia

RobbingBandit wrote: »

I asked my GP last year could she advise me on how to arrange an intervention for two family members using drink and other means as a coping mechanism for grief, my GP laughed at me stating it is not possible to act on another persons behalf in this country.

Alcoholism is looked on as a part of life here in Ireland, if like me you don't drink you are weird, which really shouldn't be the way as many Irish people don't drink. Sorry for the rant here.

When I told my local doctor that I didnt drink, looking surprised, he asked me why not?

MickFleetwood

No. The world has gone mad with all the safety restrictions. We should just ban everything and make people wear bubble-wrap from head to toe.

Chuck Stone

"The reign of tears is over. The slums will soon be a memory. We will turn our prisons into factories and our jails into storehouses and corncribs. Men will walk upright now, women will smile and children will laugh. Hell will be forever for rent."

Reverend Billy Sunday delivered this quotation during a speech at the beginning of prohibition. Many people believed and hoped that prohibition would make the above true. However, as they watched and waited, they realized that nothing was improved, and somehow, things had gotten worse.

The following are statistics detailing how much worse crime got:

Police funding: INCREASED $11.4 Million
Arrests for Prohibition Las Violations: INCREASED 102+%
Arrests for Drunkenness and Disorderly Conduct: INCREASED 41%
Arrests of Drunken Drivers: INCREASED 81%
Thefts and Burglaries: INCREASED 9%
Homicides, Assault, and Battery: INCREASED 13%
Number of Federal Convicts: INCREASED 561%
Federal Prison Population: INCREASED 366%
Total Federal Expenditures on Penal Institutions: INCREASED 1,000%

www.albany.edu

.

bnt

Is the OP genuinely unaware that Prohibition has been tried many times elsewhere in the world, and found to be unworkable in practice? As if alcohol abuse is a uniquely Irish problem, and no-one's ever considered banning it before?

Littlehorny

bnt wrote: »

Is the OP genuinely unaware that Prohibition has been tried many times elsewhere in the world, and found to be unworkable in practice? As if alcohol abuse is a uniquely Irish problem, and no-one's ever considered banning it before?

Exactly, and another point is the countries that do ban alcohol or the"dry" states, do these countries really have it more together than others?