Having been in Manchester for Pride 2010 last weekend, and being aware that today is the first day of autumn up in the northern hemisphere, just got me wondering: does Pride always come before the fall?
I also have been thinking about the amount of drinking that was taking place at Pride over the weekend, and it seems that binge-drinking is something of a national sport in the UK. I decided I would blog about that today and, quite fortuitously, I heard this on the radio news this morning:
More than 1,500 men and women are admitted to hospital every day because of alcohol, a report reveals. The figure is 65 percent higher than only five years ago, while drinking is to blame for around 15,000 deaths a year. More than 400,000 brawls, burglaries, sexual assaults and other crimes are also fuelled by alcohol each year, the study shows. Read more at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1307850/Drinking-puts-1-500-hospital-everyday-increase-65-years.html#ixzz0yHSPVh00
Quite sobering, really, when you think about it. Not that the young chap I saw over the weekend in Manchester would really be bovvered. He was standing with a group of friends, clearly having fun and enjoying a sherbet or two. At one stage, I looked at him and thought he had leaned down to pick up something next to his feet. However, he didn’t pick anything up, and he didn’t stand up straight again (excuse the pun). It was as though he had been on his way to doing that and then forgot. Both of his hands were hanging down near his knees, his knees were bent at 45 degree angles, and he looked up at his mates and continued chatting to them!
Another time, a few months back, we were walking back to our flat from an early evening outing. We stopped to take some pictures of the dock near where we live, which looked pretty awesome with the backdrop of Canary Wharf under a full moon. I happened to notice a young guy, dressed in a suit, “standing” a little way behind us. He was in his cups, to say the least, but he honestly looked like someone who was overacting being drunk! He was standing there, looking at his phone, and it looked like his phone kept disappearing from view. He was standing at about a 45 degree angle to the ground, and kept swaying and even hiccoughing! Then when he eventually started to walk, it was like he was walking on a heavily veering boat. He was walking alongside the dock and really, if there weren’t bollards and chains there, he would have ended up in the water! And every now and then he walked like he was climbing over something – it really was very funny! Not sure how he knew where home was – maybe he was checking his satellite navigation on his phone!
You couldn’t make it up! It’s funny on one level, but quite tragic on another.
A serious, but not-so-serious, Sunshine signing off for today!
Sunshine in London 
Hi sunshine:
The number of people who are drinking to get drunk is tragic. I used to work in a call center where most of my co-workers were in the 19-26 age range…it seemed like all they talked about doing on the weekend was “partying.” Sad that they don’t have anything better to do…
Wendy
It’s something that has struck me so much since we’ve been here – I could write a whole ‘nother blog about it. It’s a goal, when you go out, to get hammered. Otherwise you haven’t had fun. Go figure??
I stopped drinking alcohol almost two years ago and do not miss it at all. I would have black out episodes after two drinks! Clearly alcohol serves no one. I like myself so much now. I never set out to get hammered and never understood people who did. The world would be a happier place if people understood themselves better. I can honestly say I enjoy life now that I am actively participating in it, not just a drunken boob of a spectator.
That must have been an amazing – and quite scary – discovery for you. Like you, I really don’t understand the attraction of getting hammered – I could think of nothing worse!
The description of the chap who forgot to stand up after bending down …. had me laughing out loud! Such good humour – thanks for making me smile!
Glad you enjoy! xx