last orders
Now, I enjoy a pint as much as the next man, but I can honestly say that it’s never put me in hospital and (to date) I’ve never had to call out an ambulance to look after me in an obviously ‘tired & emotional’ state. Sadly, I appear to be in the minority these days and the bad behaviour of the great British public is contributing to the worst crisis in the 66 year history of the NHS as our drinking habits continue to place the emergency services under extreme pressure.
An estimated three in ten A&E patients arrive at hospital under the influence and more than a little worse-for-wear. We can all appreciate that drunks fall over more, have more accidents, get into more fights and develop more long term critical illnesses that the NHS has to pick up the tab for. That, by and large, I’m pretty much at ease with but what really gets my goat is the growing proliferation of individuals who call ambulances purely because they don’t really know what to do with themselves; they treat the ambulance service as that of a taxi. One oft cited example is of a Manchester man who rang to ask if he could book an ambulance for 11.45pm, by which time he expected to be drunk enough to necessitate one! Police and hospital workers alike believe that individuals are not taking responsibility for their own actions in that they make no plans to get home safely, to look after their pals and ensure they don’t get into such a state in the first place.
The worsening situation is leading to a growing discussion where radical action is the only realistic outcome, the increased use of arrests under the drunk & disorderly crime. The argument is based upon the premise that, if they knew they’d end up arrested and in the cells, as opposed to sleeping it off in a hospital bed, then people would alter their behaviour and not drink to such an excess. One cautionary fact that all experts agree on is that far, far more harm is being done, not on our city’s streets on a Saturday night, but in our homes, behind closed doors. Alcohol may be legal but, and I make no bones about it, it is a drug of dependence and how we use & abuse it is a huge issue affecting society.
