I just happened to turn onto this debate on your show and it got me very pumped. I am a 20 year old, female student and am so fed up of some older polititions pretending to know about our culture. Anne was claiming putting the price up will not make a difference- IT WILL! we are poor students! fine maybe cigerettes and petrol didn't make a difference as it targets different age groups but putting up spirits and strong cider especially, will have a huge effect!
On a typical night out like last night, i bought a £4 bottle of cheap vodka. We pre-drink lots, and on arriving in the club buy two double vodka- red bulls for £4. tequila shots for £2 if we feel like splashing out. Shots possible for a £1. We can sneak in our bottles to save money and mix our own drinks- cheap as chips. We don't start on alco-pops. i started on cheap vodka or malibu bottles from my off-licence at 16 and that is how i have continued. Drink is so cheap, we get smashed. I KNOW the emphasis and responsability should be on the individual, but we are a confused generation in my opinion and don't see the point of life all the time. The number of friends that suffer depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, self harming or even suicide- IS HUGE! Don't get me wrong. When we are fine, we are top people. But my generation and friends love to drink ourselves stupid. We know we shouldn't and all get ill all the time- mates have (and i have) comlained of such inside pain after drinking, strange heartbeats and breathing. A friend fell three stories last week because of drink (broken arm, 6 stitches, torn leg ligaments), another 31 stitches- tripping when running for a taxi. I myself am ashamed to have been more aggressive than normally present in my nature last night wih a rude guy- i pushed him in the face. Our generation needs help. We know we shouldn't drink as much as we do- but EVERYONE is doing it, and it makes us feel free. I am in Cardiff and i can get smashed every night of the week whether it be with different friends each night- who knows? who cares? I certainly don't respect myself enough to. Everyone around can pass off drinking too much as for a laugh- but friend after friend confides they've over done or felt themselves addicted. If times get hard (and we don't know the meaning- we're middle/upper class student with loving families and great lives)...then we eat badly and hit the bottle all hours. i mean last year i got away with drinking for near to a month solid- who knew?! day time drinking is fine as a student. Drinking excessive amounts is encouraged by sports initiations, and socials- we drink till we're sick and drink some more. You adults have no idea, most of us have at one point been hospitalised or close to. Losing phones camera etc is standard (only last night i snapped my only bank card in two by accident through drink.) We have all carried on drinking after being sick. My mum is horrified seeing the vodka i get through- keeping in mind i'm a size 8/10 younge woman. When she picked me up from uni last year, i had collected boxes of empty bottles. You walk into any pre-drinking haunt the next morning and you are stunned what you get through.
I don't understand why the government seems to look at punishments (ie: asbos, fines etc) rather than prevention of the cause ie: off-licence spirit bottles to cost more, or even better help promote community a feeling of belonging and worth, and build confidence. If my generation had more confidence, more purpose, haf the problems wouldn't exist. School needs to be more personal with relationships and confidence (maybe through acting classes) developed as much as maths?! We have all these talks at school about- don't do drugs etc. but why not tackle the cause of everything- CONFIDENCE and a feeling of belonging in a community.