Think before you drink - warning to bank holiday revellers
DON'T let this happen to you this weekend.
This is a typical scene in Accident and Emergency departments up and down the country, a fate which befalls more than 2,000 people in our area every year – nearly 100 of them children – due to the effects of excessive drinking.
As we go behind the scenes at Grimsby's emergency care centre on a Friday night and witness first-hand the effects of booze-fuelled violence, health bosses and police have issued the following message as revellers prepare for the bank holiday weekend: "Enjoy yourselves, stay safe – and don't go home in an ambulance."
A young man is cared for in hospital after drinking excessively during a bank holiday.
The bank holiday weekend is a perfect opportunity to head out for a night on the town, but for staff at Grimsby's A&E department, it will be one of their busiest nights of the year – an added pressure on an already stretched service, with alcohol abuse costing the NHS in England nearly £3-billion a year.
Ann Andrews, lead nurse at Grimsby's newly-refurbished emergency care centre, said: "We know that at weekends people are more likely to be out drinking alcohol and having fun and that accidents and mistakes do happen.
"The risk lies in becoming absolutely intoxicated to the point of being incapable – dangerously intoxicated.
"People can die from being too drunk and there have been some very serious accidents that have been purely alcohol-driven."
In addition, police say they will not tolerate violent behaviour over the bank holiday, including violence experienced by the medical staff trying to help people who push their limits.
Insp Tom Shaw, alcohol and violence reduction champion for North East Lincolnshire with Humberside Police, said: "Enjoy yourselves, but know your limits.
"Be responsible, and know that if you are going to be disorderly, we will arrest you and it will spoil your whole weekend."
A night at A&E
To find out what went on during our night at Grimsby's A&E, turn to pages 4 and 5.
5 Comments
by A sensible drinker, GY
Saturday, May 23 2009, 6:18PM
“I myself enjoy a drink but I've never once got drunk to the point where I cannot stand up or don't know where I am and I really feel sorry for the people that do, It makes me wonder how bad their lives are to make them want to blot it out, however, after saying that as we are in the middle of a recession and our resources are being drained to breaking point then I think it wouldn't be a bad idea if these people were given a bill for the services they require to get their sorry backsides out of the hole they drink themselves into, maybe that will sober them up.”
by RustySheriffsBadge, Rockridge
Saturday, May 23 2009, 7:45AM
“Wasted - the only difference in Netto's mate is you pay for your goods. In A&E it's totally free and more often than not filled up with deadhead wasted kids draining resources that could be better used on people with real needs.”
by Patrick (Samaritans Publicity Officer), Samaritans, 55 Alexandra Road, Grimsby
Friday, May 22 2009, 2:30PM
“We often forget that alcohol can act as a strong depressant too and have a negative effect on our emotional health.
As well as being a chaotic environment on a Friday or Saturday night, A & E departments are also very depressing places to be.
Sociable drinking with our family and friends is not the same as drinking to excess and becoming intoxicated, especially if the purpose of drinking is to 'drown sorrows'. This is a particularly dangerous attitude to drinking and can result in tragic consequences.
If you are low or feel depressed it is better to avoid alcohol altogether. Excessive drinking will probably make matters considerably worse.”
by Wasted, GY
Friday, May 22 2009, 1:33PM
“Have you ever been in A & E on a Friday or Saturday nights in Grimsby?
It's like someone bombed Netto's.”
by CHRIS, Campo Grande
Friday, May 22 2009, 11:39AM
“As a reformed alcohol abuser, I feel so ashamed that I would allow myself to get in such a state. I have never needed to impose on A & E and people who do should be sent a bill at market price for this massive waste and what is a completely unnecessary self-inflicted problem.”