No, the people should have responsibility, Richard. The State should not serve them up on a Conveyer Belt of Drunkeness, for LIFE.

I am not talking about charging people 'there and then', but they should have a bloody great big bill sent to them later if they are persistant offenders. They have deliberately got themselves into this state. If they do this over and over and over, then they should damn well be made to pay for it.

It is draining the NHS financially and huge amounts of money are being poured into this whilst being taken from other parts of the NHS. The NHS is there to serve people who are ILL, not those who feel it is their right to get stoned all the time, knowing that they'll be tucked up into bed by a pretty nurse at the end of the night, should the need arise, because they've got themselves severely injured through sheer over indulgence.

Why should NHS staff have to put up with this, night after night, ad infinitum? It is not what they are there for.

The State is *failing* its people, not serving them...

Apologies to Tam for taking this off thread. We should start a new one about the NHS and alcohol I guess..