Here's a letter that appeared in the London Times this morning. I'd post a link, but the Times has disappeared behind a paywall.
Sir
there is very little hope of conquering binge drinking in this country when the drink culture is so prevalent that even Times columnists refer, in a way that is supposed to be endearing, to their drunken exploits. Caitlin Moran's Magazine article (May 22) about her drunken spree with Lady Gaga was a particularly horrific example, but there are frequently coy references to being hung-over, or staggering home after a "good night out" from many of your writers.
To be against getting drunk is regarded in many quarters as synonymous with unattractive puritanism and until we get rid of this attitude from all sections of society, binge drinking will continue.
Sandra Downes, Stratford upon Avon, June 3 2010
Thank you, Sandra!
We need to think of responses to boasts about drinking.
ReplyDeleteSomething like "It's time they legalised heroin; it might help to wean people off hard drugs like alcohol and tobacco"
Alternatively read up the (literally) gory details of death from cirrhosis of the liver, and relate them to the boasters.