Alcohol abuse

The Atlantic has some scientific cures for hangovers and the reasoning behind them:

Drinking a lot of water is the biggest and most obvious preventative measure and cure. That’s because the main thing happening in your body when you have a hangover is that you’re dehydrated. Alcohol, as we’ve established, is a diuretic, and most of what you lose when you pee is water. In fact, that George Mason article contains this terrifying little gem about where that hangover headache comes from: “The body’s organs will attempt to replenish their own water, usually by stealing water from the brain, which causes it to decrease in size and pull on the membranes which connect it to the skull, which in turn results in a headache.” Shudder. So outside of drinking water, and sports drinks, a good option comes in soup broth, which will also replentish your sodium intake.

As a public service to readers with self inflicted injuries here are some handy hangover cures from famous heavy drinkers.

Ernest Hemmingway provides a cure that Cactus Kate may approve of:

Death in the Afternoon — named after his 1932 bullfighting tale — involves an absinthe and champagne blend. Hemingway described how to mix the hangover helper, which requires a healthy dose to take effect. “Pour 1 jigger of absinthe into a champagne glass. Add iced champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly.”

From Stuff:

The incident is alleged to have happened on March 2 after a university debate the previous evening as part of Orientation Week, at which Mr Hughes was a guest speaker. He, the complainant and several other people then went to several bars including Wellington’s Matterhorn bar and The Establishment before Mr Hughes and the complainant ended up at Ms King’s house.

What is a senior politician doing getting pissed with 18 year olds anyway? Great example to the youth of today.

Particularly when that same politician likes to open his gob on youth drinking with alarming frequency.

Darren Hughes -Sick Of Joyce’s ‘Pious Claptrap’

Labour Transport spokesperson Darren Hughes says he is sick of Transport Minister Steven Joyce’s pious claptrap about introducing tougher penalties for drink drivers when National is still happy to let people get drunk before they make up their minds whether they can drive safely or not.

“Steven Joyce, commenting today on the case of a man jailed for four years for killing a woman while driving drunk and disqualified, trotted out the same old excuses for failing to take decisive action,” Darren Hughes said.

“He says what he always says — that tougher penalties are about to be introduced — but he misses the point completely.

“What he doesn’t say is that if the blood alcohol limit isn’t reduced from 0.08g of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 0.05g, then some people will always be too drunk to make a rational decision before getting behind the steering wheel.”

He goes on:

“Sadly, far too often, drunks don’t think.”

Yes, turns out to be true when attempting to score as well. But Darren Hughes doesn’t stop there either:

“We have an opportunity to work together in many ways to create a safer and more responsible drinking environment, but National still wants to play politics. That’s a real shame.”

Hmmm who is looking “pious” now. Not sure a 32 year old former minister and senior MP leering it up with 18 year old till the early hours of the morning is what I would describe as “a safer and more responsible drinking environment” especially when the results of that “safer and more responsible drinking environment” are a Police investigation. But still Darren went on:

“The tragedy is that if they put aside party politics and personalities they could prevent the needless deaths and injuries of many Kiwis.”

And maybe it would help stop Police complaints too?

Phil Goff has been offering up advice in this area as well:

The Labour Party leader wonders if making it unlawful for adults to give alcohol to young people without their parents’ consent will actually have the desired effect.

Well I guess that depends on whether or not the desired effect is picking up 18 year olds and attempting to bed them or not.

I wonder when Phil Goff will actually show some real leadership on this instead of attempting to sweep everything under the carpet?

At tonights Mayoral debate in Castor Bay on the North Shore Andrew Williams made an arse of himself again.

I have have received numerous reports from attendees shocked at his drunkeness and bully stand-over tactics against John Banks.

He arrived late, again, and staggered clearly drunk into the meeting, stating his usual excuse for when he is caught on the piss, that he was at an important council meeting. He also abused Len Brown (also late but at least had sent his apologies for lateness and wasn’t drunk), and incomprehensibly welcomed Len Brown to the meeting by saying “Good to see you here tonight Mayor…Len…Banks”. He had only been speaking for a few minutes and was swaying prodigiously.

He was abusive towards members of the public in the audience even defaming someone of being part of the “nasty national party brigade” and worse naming him but spectacularly getting the name wrong, not even the right person or the right name.

Andrew Williams is so blind drunk he doesn’t even recognise his political enemies.

But wait it gets worse. At one stage he shouted to John Banks to “Stop Lying”. John Banks retorted that Andrew Williams should “Stop Drinking”. Andrew Williams then bombastically stomped over and stood over and threatened John Banks (now this is hard for Williams because he is actually shorter than John Banks). He finally took hold of his addled senses and sat down before the hushed audience.

I recieved DM Twitter messages and txts, emails and Facebook messages of Andrew Williams appalling drunkenness at this public meeting.

Obviously the pressure is getting to him and he is hitting the bottle harder than ever before. The man is a disgrace and must resign from the race now, both for the mayoralty and for the sake of the residents of Albany.

I’ve faced my demons and conquered them, now it is time for Andrew Williams to face his and get help (follow the link Andrew, you need help).

Vote Slater – Albany

Keeping the buggers honest, AND sober.

Vote Slater - Vote for Whaleoil, not Well Oiled

I’m confused. Just a bare few months ago we had Geoffrey Palmer, wearing his Law Commission hat, recommending draconian changes to our liquor laws, allegedly because of our “binge drinking” culture.

Then the Government is said to be considering raising the drinking age from 18  to 20, despite the party voting resoundingly to oppose such a move at its National conference.

And just last week we had Steven Joyce announce changes to drink driving laws adding even more confusion around the drinking age. Essentially the government is saying that at 18 you can drink, but you can’t drive with any alcohol in your system until your are aged 20 years.

This is all horribly confusing. To make matters worse the Government administration select committee yesterday heard submissions on the Rugby World Cup 2011 (Empowering) Bill which would make it easier to grant urgent approvals for temporary activities and facilities during the tournament.

So on one hand we have the Law Commission saying we have a binge drinking culture and on the other a government enabling quicker licensing for booze premises for the World Cup.

Mixed messages? I think so. Or perhaps there is a fair bit of lobbying going on behind the scenes filling the coffers of the lobbyists. Who would know?