My Drunken Ramblings

The ride home on the tube is so long, especially after a busy shift in one of London’s busiest emergency rooms. To help pass the time I usually read whatever I can lay my hands on. This particular evening it was The Evening Standard. There was one article which caught my eye, then made me rather angry.

The further I read the more amazed I became at how utterly stupid politicians can be, but this really is no surprise. The article was about the drinking laws in Britain and the drinking habits of the average Brit. They wanted to relax the drinking laws, that is, allow pubs to stay open longer.

As if the bloody laws aren't relaxed enough already, whoever the idiot politicians are who thought this up must be have made these proposed changes under the influence of a stiff whiskey or two.

“Where do you live? What is your phone number?” I asked. Justin was only twelve years old and been found by the police lying in a pool of vomit in a park. I noted that he was well dressed in good quality, moderately expensive clothing so assumed he had a place to call home. Justin mumbled something unintelligible and I leaned closer to hear more clearly. “Justin, wake up, you need to tell us where you live.” We were pouring fluids into him through a vein to help rehydrate him. “Regges place” he mumbled. Regges place? “Who’s Regge Justin? Is he your dad?” “Regens Bark” he mumbled again. I finally understood what he meant, Regents Park. Right, we were making some progress.

“Hello, is this Mr Cornett?” I said. “Yes, how can I help?” he replied. “I’m a staff nurse at the hospital and work in the emergency room. I don’t won’t you to worry but we have your son, Justin, here with us……Yes, yes, he’s alright, he’s had a bit much to drink.” “WHAT…where did he get drink from? He doesn’t drink? Oh hell, is he ok?” I could hear a woman’s voice in the background. “What’s wrong? Is Justin ok?”

“Mr Cornett, your son is ok, but could you please come down and we will talk about it more here.” Before I hung up I could hear a woman sobbing in the background. I’ve made calls like this far too often.

When intoxicated, legless teenagers are becoming a more regular site in the emergency room; doesn't this suggest that drinking laws are relaxed enough? When intoxicated legless adults are regularly seen in emergency rooms all around Britain and New Zealand doesn't this suggest that drinking laws are too relaxed? When men, women, children and even the elderly are picked up out of the gutter in ever increasing numbers doesn't this suggest that drinking laws are relaxed enough? Exactly how relaxed does the government want its citizens to be? How relaxed is relaxed enough? Is there someone out there that has been missed, someone that has not been seen in their local emergency room already that I need to see next?

The next idea proposed by politicians was to train frontline nurses in how to help binge drinkers address their problems at an early stage, specifically in the emergency room. I pictured myself sitting down beside an intoxicated patient and discussing the finer points of being a binge drinker. They would either be asleep or telling me where to go. Is it not enough that we are already dealing with blood and gore, with violence and death, with overcrowding and chronic lack of staff? More work for fewer nurses is just what we need.

I don’t suppose many politicians have had to deal with a severely intoxicated person? Have they ever had to clean up after them while screaming at security to get them out of the department, let alone tried to alter their drinking habits. You would have more luck trying to convince someone high on cocaine that they should stop; at least they would be able to listen and respond. I suppose we could wait for them to sober up and then educate them, but then I don't want to keep a drunk in my department any longer than necessary.

During my last month working in a London emergency room I saw some prime examples of relaxed drinking like Mr Smith who had fracture his wrist and was complaining about the time waiting to be seen, he had got drunk and wrapped his fist around his wife's head. He's really a nice guy; he only hits his wife on Fridays' after coming home from the pub. Mr Smith waited a long time to be seen.

Mr Brown was unconscious; he had drunk himself into a stupor, apparently the noise from his crying baby had driven him to drink, he just needed some peace and quiet. The baby was dehydrated, cold and covered in muck. He's normally a good father, but he was having such a good time at the pub he forgot all about his child.

Mrs White had a broken nose; her husband thought it looked better on the other side of her head. I didn't know whether to feel sorry for her or not because she had got drunk at home then gone to the pub. She had tripped on some steps and now her twelve month old baby has a fractured femur.

But surely normal people wouldn't be like this? Surely normal people don't beat their wives and neglect their children?

We see more "normal" people in the emergency room with alcohol related problems than we do wife beaters or child neglecters. But it's the real bad ones that stick in your memory, plus they make for a telling story. But each weekend I see more and more "normal" people in hospital with alcohol related problems than I do the real bad ones. Something needs to be done, I just don't know what, but I do know that more relaxed or less relaxed drinking hours is certainly not the way to go. Relaxing the drinking laws may not, in the end, make any difference to the above mentioned people, but do we really want to take a chance? Can any good come of it?