It slows down brain and removes the warning light that says, ‘Take care!’
When a railway line, a bridge, a river or a canal runs through a city, lives are lost simply because alcohol upsets balance and co-ordination. FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
- Public Health England said 75,655 people ended up in Accident & Emergency departments after a night of drinking in 2016-17.
- Alcohol is a depressant and slows down the brain. At the same time, drinkers are more likely to take foolish risks.
That table looks perfectly safe to dance on … Forgot my keys, I’ll just hop over this fence … Six double vodkas in a row, no problem … Let’s go for a midnight swim …
Famous last words such as these have ended many a booze-up and led to a late-night visit to the hospital.
In some cases, they were not famous last words but fatal last words. When a railway line, a bridge, a river or a canal runs through a city, lives are lost simply because alcohol upsets balance and co-ordination.
No bravado involved, just a slip or a stagger, then a splash or a bang. Public Health England has just announced that 75,655 people ended up in Accident & Emergency (A&E) departments after a night of drinking in 2016-17.
Motor injuries were not specified but drinking and driving account for 14 per cent of all road deaths in Britain.
Dr John Larsen points out that alcohol is a depressant and slows down the brain. At the same time, drinkers are more likely to take foolish risks.
“To keep yourself and others safe, it is best not to drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week on a regular basis,” he says.
Experts warned that avoidable hospital visits such as those which are alcohol-related add to the increasing burden on A&E departments.
Anecdotal evidence is that hospital staff often face turmoil on weekend nights, with some patients aggressive to the point of violence, others near catatonic and still others liable to vomit at any time.
MOBILE PHONE
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Ever been to a meal with someone who spent more time staring at their phone than talking to you?
One pub is trying to make this a thing of the past. Customers at the Fat Boar in Wrexham get 25 per cent knocked off their food bills if they give up their phones for the evening.
The mobiles are locked up in cash boxes and the staff hold the keys. Rich Watkin, director of the Fat Boar said, “Mobiles can be a real distraction and stop us from sitting and chatting and having a good conversation.”
The system operates one night a week, on Mobile Free Mondays. If successful, the pub’s sister restaurant in Mold will take up the idea.
FRAUD
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How low will some people stoop to earn themselves some money? Daisy Dymyd, aged six, was found unconscious at her home in Tuxford, Nottinghamshire, last week and rushed to Sheffield Children’s Hospital. She did not survive.
A few days later her family noticed a fraudulent online fund-raising account had been set up in her name, purportedly by her uncle to secure money for her funeral. To date, it had raised £150 (Sh21,000).
The family reported the fraud to the police, whose spokesman said, “Daisy’s family is not raising money and we are investigating. Please do not donate. We are in the process of taking the fake account down.”
GAMBLING
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John Hesp doesn’t look like your regular high-stakes poker player and that is probably because he’s not.
He is 64, a grandfather who wears loud jackets and sells caravans in Bridlington, Yorkshire. Once a month he travels to his local casino in Hull and pays £10 to join a poker game.
However, last July granddad Hesp decided one thing he must do before it was too late was to play in the world’s most prestigious tournament, the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
There were 7,220 entrants and Hesp said, “My aim was to finish in the top 1,000 and just have some fun.” In the event, he came fourth and won two million dollars.
Today, he is back to selling caravans and playing once a month at Hull on a £10 buy-in. As for Las Vegas, he says, “It’s just something I had on my bucket list.”
PATIENT
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Patient: I tell you, Doctor, it’s serious. I’ve broken my arm in 20 places.
Doctor: Well, stop going to those places.
Doctor: I have some bad news and some terrible news.
Patient: Oh, dear. What’s the bad news?
Doctor: You only have 20 hours to live.
Patient: What could be worse news than that?
Doctor: I’ve been trying to reach you since yesterday.
Patient: Doctor, I hurt everywhere. If I touch my head, it hurts. If I touch my leg, it hurts. If I touch my arm, it hurts. If I touch my back, it hurts. What is the problem?
Doctor: You have a broken finger.
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Tell me, Daddy, what’s the difference between confident and confidential? Well, for instance, you are my son. I’m confident of that. Your friend Bobby is also my son, that’s confidential.
