EDITORIAL: Safety at risk in booze culture

A strong sense of self-preservation is key to survival; always has been and always will be, whether you are talking as individuals or humanity.
 

But, there are some for whom looking after their own safety
is not high on the list of priorities. Often these people are among our younger citizens.
Maybe it's due to the lack of worldly experience, or an overinflated sense of their own indestructibility but young people seem more inclined than their more mature counterparts to be seen in situations where they put themselves in harm's way.
Over-indulgence in alcohol features prominently in such displays.
The problem has got to the point that Whanganui police have made a very public plea through this newspaper for people - young women in particular, to take better care of themselves. Aside from the oft-reported side-effects of drinking vast amounts of alcohol, Sergeant Tim Walker pointed out these young women who stagger around the streets at weekends are putting their personal safety at risk. Unable to function properly, they are much more likely to fall victim to accident or attack. The fact they were often unaccompanied adds to the threat.
Security guard Wayne Watson has witnessed the escalation of drunk young women on Wanganui streets and expects it will intensify as the weather gets warmer and the festive season gets into full swing.
People drinking to excess is not a new phenomenon and the Alcohol Reform Bill introduced to Parliament this month aims to address some of the issues around alcohol use. Submissions to Parliament's justice and electoral select committee close on February 1.
Among measures in the bill are splitting the alcohol buying age _ it will be 18 for bars and 20 for off-licences _ limiting the alcohol content of ready-to-drink spirit mixes (RTDs), banning particularly harmful products, reducing opening hours and putting new rules around the supply of liquor to minors.
Justice Minister Simon Power himself has conceded that ``legislation alone won't turn around our binge-drinking culture'' but as a first step, it is a start.
In the meantime, perhaps it's time that the young people involved took heed of the advice proffered by Mr Walker and look after each other. Even better, they could take the ultimate step in self-preservation by not getting into a state where they lose control of their faculties in the first place.