Drop in alcohol consumption

[IggyB]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11170814

“The data showed a 6% fall in 2009 - the fourth annual drop in five years”

As this data seems to imply that whilst alcohol related problems exist they are probably committed by a small minority rather than the majority (who are reducing consumption) therefore do you think the government will drop the idea of increasing the price of alcohol per unit thus affecting everyone who enjoys a drink rather than cracking down on the people who actually cause a problem… or do you think they’ll push ahead and raise lots more tax revenue under the guise of helping the UK with its additions?

[Gromit]

Consumption is dropping, but from a very high peak. We are drinking twice as much as we did in the 1950s even after the fourth successive yearly drop.

Pubs are closing because of cultural changes and the fact that they have failed to adapt to those changes. Taxation and legislation are a factor, but the main reason for closures is failure to change.

[bobjugs12]

Personally I believe the answer to a lot of the problems that are being experienced around current drinking attitudes are because we are moving away from the culture of the 'local'. I honestly believe we (as a country) should encourage drinking on licensed premises, including the reduction in taxation on those locations and increase tax on shop bought booze.

Two main reasons behind this are:
It centralises the 'friday night' culture into one area rather than all other the place, making it easier to police and easier for the medical services to treat.
It also means that Johnny Pisshead is drinking in a more supervised location (ie the pub) rather than in a bus stop with 20 cans of Special Brew and 2ltrs of Woodpecker

[ummmm]

That's not fair on us unsociables who like a drink at home.

[bobjugs12]

Buy a carry out then Ummm ;-)

PS When you drink at home are you drinking decent quality booze, or cheap cider, special brew beer, and white label spirits? Increase the costs of the nasty stuff so that it's priced out of the reach of school kids, drunks, etc

[Kromovaracun]

I'm not endorsing bobjugs' suggestion, ummm, but the more I hear people debate this issue, the more difficult it seems to actually find a solution that's fair. Maybe we should just drop that little prerequisite...

[youngmafbog]

It costs me more in my local in Dorset than in the City ?

Pubs are doing theirselves in.

[R1Geezer]

Is this based purely on sales in UK? perhaps there's just more bootlegg stuff being drank.