Drunk tanks

JanaNana, I like the idea of drunks scrubbing out public toilets. Actually I like the idea of HAVING public toilets.

Bring back public toilets and people would be less likely to pee in the streets maybe? Or is that too radical an idea? ;-)

We were in A and E very late one Saturday night waiting with a friend whose husband has been taken ill at home. It was pretty lively, and one paramedic leaned over a stretcher on which was sprawled a young man, clearly completely off his head and stinking of alcohol, and he yelled into this face words to the effect of ' If you're wondering whats going on you are in hospital, wasting the time of everyone here, you useless article'. It was certainly an eye opening experience for us seeing what the staff have to deal with; the filthy state some people are in when they arrive is enough to make you sick, and all self inflicted. The drunk tanks are an excellent idea, and a payment for staff costs and cleaning up the unit should be mandatory.

When I was young I would have felt thoroughly ashamed of ourselves if I got into that state. What has happened between then and now? It's said that drinks are cheaper but even if my generation could have bought more drinks we still wouldn't have got blotto. There's no shame anymore which seems to have been replaced with pride.

I am in my 80s and in my late teens got drunk once or twice. It made me feel ashamed and I felt so ill the next day that I never wanted to repeat the experience. I was also aware that the lack of self control that accompanied drunkenness left me sexually vulnerable. I can't understand the pleasure in deliberately drinking too much.

I think they are a good idea to keep drunks out of A&E, but feel sad that they are needed. Education about alcohol abuse is going to be the way forward. I worry about the young people as they don’t realise how vulnerable they are when they are in such a state. I know it would never be allowed but playing back recordings of their drunken behaviour /vomiting etc when they are sober,might make people think twice.

The police are to blame for not making an example of a proportion of clubs and pubs caught serving drunk customers. Why the police don't do so I can only guess.

It wouldn't cost much to get out of your tree at some of our town centre pubs, Jalima. Wine at less than £8 a bottle, double up your spirits for £1.25, buckets of 12 beers
Gosh, Maggiemaybe that's cheap.

If I ask for a white wine spritzer when we're out DH looks at me askance! They're at least £6.50 (a small white wine and some soda water - the profit margin is huge).

I have never seen girls weeing in the streets,or seen as many fights or crime even as today
I think it all got worse since we started having nightclubs, drinking until all hours. and clubbing after the pubs
I was of the time when min skirts were all the fashion, but never saw girls go around half dressed,or half naked as they do today,or swearing like they do today,i hate hearing girls using the language they do now, they can easily compete with the men, and actually didn't hear men swear as much as today
Everything has changed for the worse

Sad that we have to have drunk tanks, but if it keeps them out of A&E perhaps it's a good thing.Maybe some of the young people need Mums who would berate you if you dared to come home with even the faint smell of alcohol on your breath! The last bus home from Edinburgh on a Saturday night reeked with the smell of peppermints being sucked by the majority of the passengers....me included! Didn't fool Mum though!

I haven't had time to read all the replies but I find myself torn between outrage that these should be necessary and an understanding that alcoholism is an illness so needs proper treatment. Also Alcoholism is often a symptom of self medication for other mental health disorders so should we be penalising the mentally ill by charging them for treatment? My brother was an alcoholic and I know that he used drink to cope with crippling anxiety and when we got him dry, he turned to prescription drugs to take its place. Charging him for treatment would have just made him more anxious but would not have changed things although being dead a bit earlier might have saved the state money.
There does seem to be a change in attitude to alcohol with the younger generations. I don't drink nowadays and my children were brought up with someone who got pickled on occasions (DH) and me who could have a good time without alcohol. When they reached a certain age we had the conversations about keeping safe (especially the girls) being important and the damage alcohol can do so I was horrified when I heard about my most sensible DD getting completely inebriated so she couldn't stand in the street. Even though she only did it once, she would still have a few drinks before she even stepped out the door and would get beyond what I would consider acceptable. Her friends were even worse. All of them were kids you'd think were "well brought up". I think we just have to make the behaviour as scandalous as drink driving is these days.

Some brilliant ideas here-wonder if Govt reads this? Something needs to be done that's for sure-drunk tanks help A&E and police for now but as other posters have said, we need to relook at licensing laws. Stop allowing sales of cheap alcohol at all,hours in supermarkets/shops. Needs a BIG campaign like no smoking to show dangers. Meanwhile drunks must be charged for their care-if they can afford the booze they can afford the clear up.

I live in France and am ashamed that the first characterisation (jokey or not) of a Brit is someone drunk. This is our reputation round the world.
Why do we drink in such vast quantaties in the UK? The first thing we noticed when we moved to France was that glasses of wine are so much smaller here. We had become used to a full medium/latge glass as a normal measure (sometimes this is equivalent to a third of a bottle)....probably 3 times larger than a glass of wine served in a french restaurant.

My SIL is an ANP in A and E and was working three night shifts ,ending on Christmas Day. He loves his wine but knows when to stop and becomes very cross when he is duty bound to treat those who don’t!. That obviously means that those with genuine illness are made to wait for far too long and lives could easily be put at risk. Roll out the drunk tanks I say, - or as a friend suggested today-hose the drunks down with cold water until they are sober!!

Drunken Sailor - heaving shanty
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
Early in the morning?
Way-hay, up she rises
Way-hay, up she rises
Way-hay, up she rises
Early in the morning
*Put him in the long boat 'til he's sober
Pull out the bung and wet him all over
Put him in the scuppers with the deck pump on him*

They had the right idea way back!

Does these Drunk Tanks have cold showers only?

That should do the trick.

As mentioned above, privatisation of provision of drunk tanks would be one way of dealing with drunks. They could employ their own staff and be entitled to charge for their services accordingly. Potentially, parents might have to 'spring' the drunks if they've spent all their cash on booze. That could have a massive deterrent effect.

I am puzzled by a local area newspaper. It is a daily paper and one day each week they send a photographer to some event or other. In almost every picture the people are standing holding their drink in their hands. Can they not put a drink down for 2 seconds until the photo is taken. I am sure that someone could be assigned to guard the drinks for those few seconds in order to look like people and not desperate drinkers.
My DC work in situations where they have to deal with drunks. They have had to stand over 13 year olds who are paralytic drunk so ensure that no harm comes to them. Surely they have already harmed themselves by drinking alcohol underage and to such an extent. It is not only underage drunk people they have to deal with. They have had drunk police officers and bank workers and teachers and nhs staff. They get sick of having to deal with such stupidity. They have a duty of care to these people. They often try to contact the parents of the underage drunks. I would not like to be on the receiving end of a call from one of my DCs informing parents that your kid is drunk come and get them. They don't take NO for an answer.
I don't drink I have had good nights out and in my home or other people's homes and do not feel the need to have alcohol to enhance the experience.
I do rather support the way the Drunken Sailor was dealt with

I think this sort of behaviour has always gone on. Maybe not with females on quite the same scale as now. I remember my mum saying (I was too young to remember), that an Uncle went out every Friday and Saturday night. Got drunk, got in his car, drove his car (wrote off 3 Jags), and always had black eyes where he would get into fights. As we get older I think we hold on to the best parts of our past. Now of course pubs and clubs are open near enough all night, and alcohol is cheap in shops. A great expectation, from my parents at least to be ladylike and certain behaviour .g. getting drunk and smoking in the street! was a no no. Times change and not always for the better.

I also think this behaviour has always been around. Exactly 40 years ago my 2yr old son needed a stomach pump on Christmas Eve afternoon. On arrival at A&E we were told we would have to wait quite a while as they were dealing with a high volume of drunks!
When same son was 18 he went out locally on NYE with friends, some drunk threw a glass, it wasn't aimed at my son but it hit him in the face, resulting in very serious facial injuries. This was logged as ' drink related'. Which I suppose it was but the drunk didn't need treatment at A&E.

Drunk tanks are a great idea .I t is ghastly having to deal with drunks who are often aggressive and are usually sick in A&E . Looking after these people , often youngsters , takes up every ones time and uses up cubicles which are needed for ill patients . I don`t go with fining people , not everything is to do with money ! I have read somewhere about homeless people being fined for sleeping rough which is beyond ludicrous . It is more about freeing up Emergency resources and staff and making what is already a difficult job a little less stressful .

I totally disagree. New years eve..just one night in a year. Look after our youngsters. Yes, they are foolish but as the saying goes, you can't put an old head on young shoulders. however, i think there should be heavier control and policing of the drunk and disorderly the rest of the year.

Certainly they should pay. In the late 50s and early 60s I could walk through the most deprived and tough part of the city to get the last bus and no one would touch you. No problem and when you got on the bus no one swore or spat etc. People, specially young men got drunk but no girls went to town half naked, got drunk and lay in the street. Most had to be home by 10.30 or dad wanted to know why! Bring back proper closing time for pubs, booze only available at the off licence, not in supermarkets and garages! It will never happen as too much money involved

Alcohol (and other drugs are a huge problem in the NT. Up here there is the highest rate of alcohol abuse in Australia. So many Federal (and State) initiatives to try and tackle the problem over the years but it’s a hard drinking culture. Indiginous communities are the most obvious public drunks (with DV ++ a major feature of community life and foetal alcohol syndrome a real problem) but the whites introduced the Grog. There is a very ambivalent attitude towards alcohol - seen as a socially desirable commodity amongst the young (and advertising industry) - but a real scourge.

Most of us will remember the days when the local bobbies would out the drunks in the cells overnight to sober up and maybe charge them for appearance before Magistrates Courts the next day. The problem today is twofold - not enough police and not enough room in the cells.

So it makes sense to provide the equivalent to police cells and keep them away from A&E and the NHS in general.

Well drunks should certainly not be placed ahead of people who are genuinely unwell and in need of a hospital bed.