drinking shots to be banned in Newcastle

[sammydog]

Interesting article today in the Newcastle Herald with the Council banning the sale of shots of alcohol.

Alcohol shots, bombs bannedBy Neil Keene
May 11, 2007 01:00am

Drinks banned to cut anti-social behaviour
Drinkers expected to be upset
Call for booze to be bought for taste, not effect

SHOTS and "bombs" of alcohol will be banned from clubs and pubs in New South Wales's second-biggest city in the latest bid to crack down on drunken louts.

Newcastle Council announced yesterday straight nips of tequila, vodka and other spirits would no longer be served in late-night venues in the CBD.

"Bomb" beverages, where shots of high-alcohol spirits are dropped into a glass of beer or Red Bull, have also been outlawed.

The drastic measure, which has been welcomed by police, comes after a rash of violence and anti-social behaviour, much of which was fuelled by alcohol.

Newcastle Liquor Accord member Rolly de With admitted the move would probably upset drinkers.

He said it was a responsible step by licensees to help reduce the amount of alcohol-induced anti-social behaviour in the CBD.

"Sure, the vast majority act and drink responsibly and they behave. But there is always the minority who screw it up for the majority."

Mr de With said it was time for patrons to shoulder some of the responsibility.

"At the moment the onus is on the licensee to regulate the behaviour of the individual, when really the individual is responsible for their own actions."

Newcastle Council community partnerships manager Melissa Dial said the ban was to ensure people ordered drinks "for taste rather than effect".

"The idea is to go out and have a good night, not to get to a level of intoxication where they can't even enjoy themselves any more," she said.

"We have a high level of intoxication and we need to get that down."

Seems to me the Council is completely missing the cause of the issue or sticking their head in the sand.

Wind the clock back 14 years and I always thought nothing of walking home alone at 3am through the middle of town to get beck to merewether, now it seems its a recipe for trouble.

But, I don't think booze is the issue. People aren;t drinking any more or less now than they were back then (well not from what I have seen). So I really don;t think this is the root cause of the problem.

I think, and this is only my uneducated opinion, that with the downfall of heroin as the drug of choice and the rise in amphetamines such as crystal meth, we are seeing a rise in violence. Its not just isolated to night time as a few recent murders have shown.

Still, an interesting decision by the Council and I'm wondering if any other Councils have taken the same steps of late.

[leitch]

damn. no more jager bombs?

stick that on the list of reasons not to go to newcastle.
right below Andrew Johns, and one above the large number of new south welshmen who reside there.

[BJ-]

Note to self. Dont go to Newcastle...

[NCR600]

But, I don't think booze is the issue. People aren;t drinking any more or less now than they were back then (well not from what I have seen). So I really don;t think this is the root cause of the problem.

I think, and this is only my uneducated opinion, that with the downfall of heroin as the drug of choice and the rise in amphetamines such as crystal meth, we are seeing a rise in violence. Its not just isolated to night time as a few recent murders have shown.


Damn right booze isn't the issue. Neither is crank, firearms, V8 cars or any other inanimate object.

It's just another symptom of a sick society. There are much larger issues involved here than Jaeger bombs (although Jaeger bombs are dumb... if you can't drink it straight don't drink it at all) or tequila shots.

It's a twisted, selfish, aggressive society we're living in these days, and it's only going to get worse.

[Breaka]

damn. no more jager bombs?

stick that on the list of reasons not to go to newcastle.
right below Andrew Johns, and one above the large number of new south welshmen who reside there.

Clearly a Rugby League hating Queenslander.

As for the banning of shots, that is pretty stupid if you ask me. A normal shot is about 1 standard drink and takes no time at all to drink. On the other hand your average mixed spirit or beer will range from 1-2 standard drinks and may also take no time at all to drink depending on the individual who is drinking them. I know that people generally drink shots to get intoxicated in a short span of time, but if they are then denied drinking them wont this lead to people consuming other drinks in the same sort of manner i.e. smashing them down in short periods of time ?

Anyway just my theory. As for a proper way of dealing with the behaviour which some drunk people may possess I think there are many solutions and it can't be narrowed down to just one.

[Tomas]

Lets ban people from driving fast cars because people die on the roads.

The worlds most arrogent SOB ever, Andrew Johns, is the only reason one needs to stay away from newie.

[Chalkie]

Pfft. Not going to solve anything. People will still get just as pissed it'll just take more liquid.

Call for booze to be bought for taste, not effect

That gave me a good laugh too. Good luck with that, I hope they let me know it goes. I really do feel for all you NSWians out there.

[t]

Pfft. Not going to solve anything. People will still get just as pissed it'll just take more liquid.

not even that much more... next time your at the pub, get a scotch and coke and scoop the ice out, there realy isn't that much coke in there!

[axie]

The real issue in Newcastle is the lack of a sufficient police presence on the streets at key times. Personally, I don't believe removing shots and bombs will have much, if any impact on the perceived increase in violent incidents. I have a strong feeling that the council will, in the not too distant future (after the next couple of attacks appear heavily in the media), implement their second option, the 1am lockout and 3am curfew. This will just result in more drunken, bored and pissed-off of groups of people roaming the streets unable to locate an establishment to enjoy a few ales. Seriously, if that doesn't lead to an further increase in attacks then I would be very surprised.

The rise of drugs like ice and the like have certainly increase the level of violence in a number of incidents in the area, however local crime statistics show that the majority of the attacks in the city are still linked directly to alcohol.

[StormFire]

stick to beer ... spirits are for pansies ...

shots or no shots makes no difference whatsoever to me as long as there's a decent beer on tap!

[jaseh]

No shots, who cares. just buy a rum and coke and scull it for the same effect. Typical not thinking things through first it will never work and we will have the curfew brought in and that won't work either, it'll just move the problem elsewhere.

[PINT of Stella, mate!]

Seems pretty silly if you ask me, although so does drinking shots...

More importantly, what effect would this have on somebody who likes to drink whisky the way it's supposed to be drunk (straight, no ice - maybe a dash of water)? Banning that verges on sacrilige! :mad:

[MasterOfReality]

Social Engineering at work again, trying to protect fuckwits from themselves.

Just doesnt work.

[chie]

The pub I work in Armidale, uni town, very big drinkers, at has signed a local accord under which they have pledged not to serve shots. Its all happened in the past few weeks, afaik one other pub in town has also stopped serving shots, wouldn't be surprised to see the rest of the pubs quickly jump on the bandwagon.

[Joy]

yeah I've come across a few bars here in Brisbane that don't sell jagerbombs anymore. banning them is kind of silly i think.....

why don't they ban rum? it's proven to cause aggression more so than any other drink.

[Customjimmy]

The pub I work in Armidale, uni town, very big drinkers, at has signed a local accord under which they have pledged not to serve shots. Its all happened in the past few weeks, afaik one other pub in town has also stopped serving shots, wouldn't be surprised to see the rest of the pubs quickly jump on the bandwagon.


Bloody Armidale. I lived there for years and remember when they brought in the 'liquor accord' originally. Had to be in somewhere by 12:30 and couldn't even go out after that to find somebody or hit the ATM. The idea was the same - stop violence and pissed idiocy. All that happened was the violence happened in shifts with the under 18s taking the first shift through til about 2.30 or 3 when the pubs closed and all the dickheads started up at once. I felt a lot safer walking home in the years before the accord! No doubt they'll jump into line and keep the licensing squad appeased.

[emcgough]

Sorta related... I don't mind the occasional multiple jaegarbomb, but I came to a bar once that wouldn't serve them for the same reasons outlined in the article. So what did I do? Jumped on the vodka and redbull.. they were happy to pass them over the counter. Just goes to show how fucking retarded these sorts of laws can be.

[leitch]

So what did I do? Jumped on the vodka and redbull.. they were happy to pass them over the counter. Just goes to show how fucking retarded these sorts of laws can be.
yeah ahha

"so... you wont sell jager bombs, huh? in that case.. i'll have a can of Red Bull, a shot of Jager, oh, and an empty tall glass too, please"

"certainly sir"

[GrooveJet]

Somehow I dont think banning shots or reducing the amounts of alcohol will stop any violence. And arent we targeting the wrong crowd here. I mean, it has to be a small percentage of people who commit these violent acts, which means the 'decent' people of the community are being punished for others acts.

Shouldnt the people commiting the violent acts be punished more appropriatley? Oh, thats right, the NSW Police force cant actually catch anyone!

I was recently in Egypt & they have VERY tough laws there from stealing to murder and all share pretty much the same penalty.......25 years imprisonment or death & I NEVER saw any crime & I was happy to walk the streets in downtown Cairo at 1am with only my sister in tow.
Seems the threat of severe punishment seems to work quite well.

[MMelissa]

The fun police at it again.

I am sure it looks good to the oldies... but I agree, it misses the point.

[Samy]

There are much larger issues involved here than Jaeger bombs (although Jaeger bombs are dumb... if you can't drink it straight don't drink it at all) or tequila shots.

So ture. Totally agree. There are larger issues here but people who wouldn't normally shot (because they can't) are getting more fired up because shots are getting easier to swallow.

A jam donut shot? Come on....

[donthucktoflat]

when i get drunk i dont act loutish or antisocially...

i am eloquent and VERY sociable! i talk to anybody!!

ah well, i'm gonna go out this weekend and drink some shots and take photos and send them to a mate who's going to newy for the weekend:D

[siz]

Its called responsible service of alcohol, there are massive fines for getting caught out serving intoxicated people.
Its also a maturity thing.....an old fella who asks for a Scotch on ice will most probably get it, but a young guy asking for Scotch shot probably wont.
The difference is the old guy is more often than not having a quiet drink whereas the young guy is out to get hammered.
Thats the way it is people, theres plenty of ways to get fucked up on alcohol whether you're a sculler or sipper, just remember that the person serving you is the one who cops the huge fine if and when caught out, and the aggression shown by the drinker for not getting their shot often leads to them being thrown out and ruining yours and others night out!

Then again....Smirnoff black ice 250ml can with guarana in it aint that responsible huh!

Go Figure.:rolleyes:

[GravityGuru]

Personally I think it's a terrible idea to operate a firearm under the influence of alcohol! oh wait... i may have Misinterpreted :o

[mullan2304]

Newcastle has two major problems and neither of them are related to the amount people have been drinking.

The term alcohol related that beaurocrats like to hide behind means that if you have been at any establishment serving alcohol or have consumed any alcohol within a specified number of hours, it is then deemed to be alcohol related.

Newcastles main problem is the severe lack of transport. Almost all the clubs in Newcastle shut at 3 resulting in an influx of people needing to go home at once. Frustration quickly leads to violence.

The second problem is as been said, the RSA just isn't abided to. It's damn near impossible to be refused service, leading to some very pissed individuals who have no concept of reality.

A lesser problem is the growing number of people from non-local areas. The amount of people coming up from the central coast continually rises due to most of the nightclubs down there being shut for the same reasons as are now being brought up in Newcastle. This is causing major overcrowding leading to more people pissed as farts packed into a tiny area.

All trying to get home at once!


Sorry. Needed to vent some anger on the issue.

[PINT of Stella, mate!]

Personally I think it's a terrible idea to operate a firearm under the influence of alcohol!

Are you kidding!?!

There's few things in life more fun than getting loaded on cheap whisky and firing off a few rounds on the old Bren gun. It's also good for keeping your busybody neighbours in line. Fucking peacenick pinko commie bastards! :mad:

I feel like getting a load on...