On Amy Winehouse

In all honesty, I never really listened to the music of Amy Winehouse. Back in the day when two addicts played out their problems across the front pages of the nation’s newspapers, I tended to be more in the Pete Doherty camp. This doesn’t mean, of course, that I can’t see the tragedy in her death. Another talented musician dies at 27. Another talented musician to join what Kurt Cobain’s mother once referred to as the “stupid club”.

Now, the response to Winehouse’s death has shown that many would concur that there was something deeply stupid about Winehouse – just as there is about any addict. And while I would agree that there is something terribly and tragically predictable about Winehouse dying young, I do think that a lot of people miss the crucial point about addiction. Yeah, people can choose to get over that addiction. However, such a view runs the risk of making that choice – and its implications – sound very easy. In fact, overcoming an addiction to drink or drugs (and Winehouse apparently had addictions to both) is a massive and incredibly difficult thing to do. Making the choice to fight an addiction is only the start of the process – and that process is something that lasts for the rest of that addict’s life. Furthermore, for anyone who has ever (over-)indulged in drink or drugs, there’s probably the faint feeling of “there but for the grace of God…”

Of course, this won’t stop the small-minded tutting to themselves and muttering that they saw this coming and that Winehouse, as a drunken junkie, got what she deserved. That such thoughts are grossly inappropriate in the wake of an untimely death won’t matter to them. But for those of us who don’t sit in gilded towers of social conservatism, looking down in disdain at the people below, we can see Amy Winehouse’s death for what it is – a tragedy for her fans and, in particular, for her family. And we can also see how messy both life and death can be, at the same time as noting just how easy it is for some to lose control of their lives.

Reckless Drunk

The wonderfully named Mark Reckless on being too drunk to vote on the Finance Bill:

"I remember someone asking me to vote and not thinking it was appropriate, given how I was at the time.

"If I was in the sort of situation generally where I thought I was drunk I tend to go home.

"Westminster is a very special situation and all I can say... is given this very embarrassing experience I don't intend to drink at Westminster again."

It's funny, but in most places I've worked if you are drunk in the workplace then you get the sack. Reckless is lucky - very lucky - that he is in the Commons, where it is one rule for his lot, and one rule for the rest of us...

Adult Drunk Clown

Via the Moai and the Telegraph, I give you the ultimate in online adverts from Craigslist:

We need an Adult Drunk Clown who is good at getting drunk and stupid. No need to do any clown tricks, just hang out and drink a shit load. We will be hopping around to different bars and want a clown to tag a long and drink heavely. He doesn't even need to socialize with anyone, just drink.

the birthday is on Friday, Sept. 5th in Bucktown. Oh, did I mention that the clown needs to get shitfaced. Don't worry, we will purchase all the drinks.

Now, who wouldn't want that job?

Dealing With Those Who Appear To Be Drunk And Disorderly

The government sometimes (oh, ok, all the time) seems to forget that there are laws in this country to deal with the anti-social behaviour excessive consumption of alcohol can cause. Taxes, advertising restrictions and minimum prices be damned – they won’t make a blind bit of fucking difference to those who are behaving like arses because they have had too much to drink. The laws of the land are quite clear and offer protection to the public against alleged abusive drinkers.

Maybe there are some people in power who don’t understand what the laws are. So, to clarify, a person who appears to be inebriated can be refused any more alcohol. If that person reacts in a way that others find offensive and threatening, the police can be called and then the apparent drunk can be arrested and charged. Those charges can see the person brought to trial for their actions.

As happened in this case.

And if the Labour government really wants proof that the law can and is enforced they should talk to the defendant in this case. After all, she was a member of that government for eight years…

Mark Speight, kids TV presenter, has been found dead near/in Paddington station. Cue a thousand and one slack-jawed idiots saying "oooo, this is what happens when you take drugs."

Now, his fiancée did die after a drink and drugs bender. In fact, she did die in a pretty fucking horrific way after a drink and drugs bender. To die of heart failure after getting into a scalding bath (and getting burns on 60% of your body) is an awful way to go. I’m not of the opinion that any way of dying is particularly nice, but her death is one hell of a lot different than passing away in your sleep, surrounded by your loved ones.

Had she not taken the drugs, she might have survived. Equally, had she not taken the drugs and been really drunk, she might have still had this accident. Likewise, people binge on drink and drugs all the time, and don’t die in the bath. This was a tragic accident. That led (or so it appears) to the tragic death of Speight. This is not an example of how drugs can destroy you – this is an example of what can happen if you are not compos mentis.

A tragic accident, and a probable suicide, destroyed two lives. This is a time for their families to greive - it is not a fucking agenda to bang on about how evil drugs are.

Another day, another binge drinking tragedy

Gavin Britton, 18, downed a cocktail known as a Jackson Five - containing up to 12 shots of alcohol - during an evening of pub golf, where drinks are sunk in a 'par' number of swigs.

As sad as I feel from Britton and his family, a Jackson Five sounds less like cocktail and more like a stomach pump in a glass. You can’t drink that sort of thing and hope to be OK afterwards. Britton’s reaction just seems to be more extreme than what you might normally expect from an idiot drinking game.

But, of course, as with any death in this country, there is an immediate clamour to ban something. This time from Professor Roger Williams. Who, you might well ask , is Prof Williams? Well, he’s the fella…

…who oversaw the George Best's liver transplant during his long-running battle with alcoholism

Fantastic, then. He’s the Doctor who saw Best lose his battle with alcohol. His advice must be sage and mind-opening, because Best certainly paid attention to it.

I know I’m being harsh on Professor Williams, and you could argue that he did his very best to help Best. But then he opens his mouth and comes out with moronic crap like this:

"They (the students) can't possibly understand the risks they are taking, and therefore these initiation ceremonies should be banned because of the danger to young people.”

What, students at Exeter University aren’t going to be capable of understanding the risks of heavy drinking? Really? Why not? If you explained why people shouldn’t binge drink, why wouldn’t they understand it? I think what Williams means is that these people don’t entirely agree with him, rather than they don’t understand him.

And Williams has no idea how the world of university works if he thinks you can ban initiation ceremonies. How on earth is that going to be enforceable? Even if you find a way of effectively banning them from uni bars, they will simply move to the corridors of colleges and halls of residence. And how are you going to stop that? Have lecturers stood in every room, in every hallway of student accommodation? Even if the resources were available to do that, it wouldn’t work. Can you imagine any university official volunteering for such a *joyous* job?

You often hear of people talking about politicians living in ivory towers, detached from reality. Well, Professor Williams is in exactly the same boat if he thinks that students just *don’t understand* that booze can be bad, or that initiation ceremonies could actually be banned.

There may be a problem with the binge-drinking culture in this country. It may be worth having a debate about it. However Williams’s comment shows he has nothing to add to that debate.

Pub conversation I had last night

My old mate Nick: 'We should nuke Iran.'

Me: 'Why?'

Nick: 'My taxes paid for those old Tridents and they're about to be decommissioned. I want to get my money's worth.'