Drunk tanks

Does anybody ever get charged for being drunk and disorderly these days? Like others have stated when we were young, it wasn't really acceptable to behave in such a way and I think there was an awareness of possible mishaps that could occur when not being in charge of one's faculties, hence peeing and worse in the street. Women also render themselves vulnerable to sexual assault.

Nevertheless, historically I think similar behaviour may have been displayed, hence Hogarth's painting "Gin Lane" or something like that, so this generation weren't the first! Mainland Europe always regarded certain aspects of behaviour here beyond the pale. I read somewhere that William of Orange was disgusted by members of his court who thought nothing of defecating in public and generally found London very dirty, so much so, he preferred to live at Hampton Court, positively rural then.

On a serious note I do feel for the medics who have to deal with all manner of unacceptable behaviour as a result of drunkeness and I think it would be preferable if A&E staff didn't have to waste their time with the results of extreme drinking.

Apparently Bristol have drunk tanks, anyone from there know whether it's helping?

Its also a way of keeping people safe until they're able to fend for themselves again.

I agree with BlueBelle alcohol abuse affects so many people other than the drunken one and cannot be compared with obesity or smoking. I think drunk tanks are a good idea and free up valuable A & E places. There should be a charge for this service but I am not sure how this could be accomplished.

The change I've noticed over the last 10-15 years is of intent.
I hear young women planning an evening out saying 'I'm going to get drunk' as a normal activity.
Drunkenness is as old as alcohol but I don't remember it being announced as an intention. In fact I don't think young people used to see inebriation as a state to aim for until comparatively recently.

Yes indeed. My DH had to wait 45 mins last year waiting for an ambulance whilst having a full blown heart attack. This was simply because of a gang of drunks who'd fell and split head open and then got violent to paramedics. So the truth is.. don't have a heart attack on a bank holiday Easter Monday.

I completely agree with the OP.

We need some serious public education about alcohol, as there has been about smoking. It’s too acceptable at the moment.

A lot of pubs employ young men and women barely over the age of 18 themselves and they seem to serve everybody regardless of drunken states.
I think the age of the middle aged landlord chucking drunks out of the pub has mainly gone.
Brewing ‘Chains’ don’t seem to care.

DD2 says that if they serve alcohol to someone who is obviously too drunk they can lose their licence/license (never sure of the spelling [embarrassed]).

In the past, drunk and disorderly ( men and women) were thrown in cells overnight, but nowadays there aren’t enough available cells!
In fact, unless they are really disorderly, police push them on their way, can you imagine if they had to arrest all of them?
Drunk tanks are the same thing I suppose, as cells, with somewhere to lie down and a bottle of water and a loo.
Drunken behaviour along with drug taking is the scourge of our age.

I know this is probably a wooden spoon question but is it only disgusting when young women pee in the street. What about older women and men of any age?

Maybe the best type of "drunk tank" would be one full of cold water---douse the drunks in it then maybe they would think twice before getting themselves into such a disgusting state in future !

Niobe why not?

I was young and socialising in the 60s in what was considered a quite rough area but never saw the drunkeness that is common on a daily basis now. The way young women get drunk and pee in the street is horrible, do they have no self respect ?
If it was up to me people treated in drunk tanks would be invoiced for their care as if in the private sector.

Being overweight is counter productive to the person themselves but doesn’t harm others and certainly doesn’t abuse the nurses and doctors so I think that’s a pretty lame argument Niobe
I ve not heard of a nurse being trapped under a fat body or being pinned down and have smoke blown into their lungs however I have heard of nurses being spat on cursed and hit
I have also heard of people being killed by drunk drivers, punched to death in the street, raped, hit and verbally abused ...diabetics, lung cancer self harm hurts the person themselves
There were certainly many fights Friday and Saturday nights in my town in sleepy Suffolk however I don’t remember people weeing in the streets and usually it was a case of the girls watching not taking part

After a night out in the city centre I would happily stand around waiting for a taxi and feel perfectly safe - not something I would do now. Yes there was the odd fight but not that often, it was rare to see someone falling over drunk or vomiting and urinating in the street. Where I live it has become necessary for volunteers to patrol around the river as there have been several deaths from people falling in or attempting to go for a swim whilst drunk.

Paddyann, I most certainly don't recall any fights, falling over or weeing in the streets when I was young.

My gut reaction is to agree that anyone who needs 'drunk tank' because they have drunk too much must pay BUT would the next step be to charge anyone overweight for treatment for T2 diabetes, smokers for lung cancer treatment etc.etc.? Food for thought?

I DIDN'T say it was all Ok ,just that it has always happened ,but to read some posts it appears no one ever heard of drunken fights etc ...frankly I dont believe it

When people are drunk and disorderly and injure themselves they should definitely pay for any treatment needed and it should also be done in the basic of treatment rooms so yes I agree with this and the same treatment for anyone abusing drugs and needing treatment
The abuse the nurses and doctors get on Friday/Saturday nights in A and E is totally unacceptable

I agree Oldwoman

As it is illegal to sell alcohol to someone who is already drunk the police/NHS staff could find out where the last place the drunk person got served and then fine that establishment. It could make the pubs/clubs be a bit more responsible in who they sell to.

That's all fine then Paddyann. Just because it happened in some areas in the past means that it should continue and we'll all sit back and pay the price in alcohol related deaths and injuries and family suffering!!

I don't remember this sort of thing happening when I was young and, of it happened at all, it wasn't run of the mill, in the centre of town, every Friday Saturday.

I believe that it is illegal for bar tenders to serve alcohol to someone who is drunk. As this is obviously happening, I think the bars should pay for the drunk tanks.

I certainly dont remember girls peeing in the streets but fights on the weekends have been around as long as I have .We live in a tourist area and in the 60's the dancehalls were always busy ..there was always a busload of young people..usually boys from a different area who turned up ..there was ALWAYS fights .Some that meant hospital,some where they got taken away in Black Maria's .It was the same in Glasgow in the 70's and 80's when I worked there ...and then there were the "football fans" having running battles down the streets too.Unless you lived in a very rural or genteel part of the country drunken fights were a regular thing ...of course there were weddings that ended in Black Marias too ..usually "mixed marriages " so anyone who thinks its only THIS generation who behave badly should look back without the rose tinted specs