Desertwind
Head of the Day Shift
Lawmakers see glass too full in Britain's drinking problem
LONDON--Super sized servings of savignon blanc, giant goblets of grenache..wine glasses in Britain's bars are larger than ever and deepening the country's problematic relationship with alcohol, lawmakers and health officials warn. Hugh measures of wine and a glut of cheap alcohol on sale at supermarkets are fueling a worrying rise in problem drinking among adults, particulary women, authorities say. Britain has won notoriety for reckless drinking among the young. Drunken, brawling teens and 20-somethings have became a familiar sight in town centers. Relaxed laws mean pubs whose opening times used to be strickly regulated, can now serve drinkers round the clock. The minimum drinking age at pubs is 18, but lawmakers say the crisis of excessive drinking is no longer confined to yhe youth. They warn that a steady rise in alcohol among older adults, both in bars and at home, could have a calmitious impact on the nation's health. Some legislators are putting it down to the size of the glass. "Almost by stealth, we have ended up drinking much more than we used to in the past..everyone is suscepitible to it", said lawmaker Norman Lamb. Lamb, the oppositio Liberal Democrat party spokesman on health, claims tha almost all pubs have ditched the once standard sized glass, which held 4.2 fluid ounces. Instead they offer one twice as big. "It's leaving many customers drinking more than they really want to", said Lamb's fellow lawmaker Greg Muholland, who has called for a law requring all venues to reinstate the smaller glass. Government research has found that up to a quarter of adults also are consuming dangerous amounts of alcohol at home. Ministers said last year, that middle-aged, middle-class professionals were the worst offenders!
David Stringer..The Associated Press
LONDON--Super sized servings of savignon blanc, giant goblets of grenache..wine glasses in Britain's bars are larger than ever and deepening the country's problematic relationship with alcohol, lawmakers and health officials warn. Hugh measures of wine and a glut of cheap alcohol on sale at supermarkets are fueling a worrying rise in problem drinking among adults, particulary women, authorities say. Britain has won notoriety for reckless drinking among the young. Drunken, brawling teens and 20-somethings have became a familiar sight in town centers. Relaxed laws mean pubs whose opening times used to be strickly regulated, can now serve drinkers round the clock. The minimum drinking age at pubs is 18, but lawmakers say the crisis of excessive drinking is no longer confined to yhe youth. They warn that a steady rise in alcohol among older adults, both in bars and at home, could have a calmitious impact on the nation's health. Some legislators are putting it down to the size of the glass. "Almost by stealth, we have ended up drinking much more than we used to in the past..everyone is suscepitible to it", said lawmaker Norman Lamb. Lamb, the oppositio Liberal Democrat party spokesman on health, claims tha almost all pubs have ditched the once standard sized glass, which held 4.2 fluid ounces. Instead they offer one twice as big. "It's leaving many customers drinking more than they really want to", said Lamb's fellow lawmaker Greg Muholland, who has called for a law requring all venues to reinstate the smaller glass. Government research has found that up to a quarter of adults also are consuming dangerous amounts of alcohol at home. Ministers said last year, that middle-aged, middle-class professionals were the worst offenders!
David Stringer..The Associated Press
