Drink driver who cannot stand

Whoops! Yeh.. I don't think that you're going to test under the limit somehow!

This police footage shows how a man who crashed his car could not even stand when he was arrested.

Robert Hutchinson was spotted by a member of the public driving his Nissan Almera erratically on the A281 heading towards Horsham at 5.45pm on Friday 30 January.

As the witness phoned police to describe what he could see, Hutchinson veered off the road, overcorrected and crashed head on into a Ford Ka heading south on the road at Mannings Heath.

The Ford span around and the Nissan ended up in bushes.

The driver of the Ford, a 42-year-old woman from Plummers Plain, suffered slight injuries. Hutchinson was not injured.

When police arrived they found Hutchinson was still sitting behind the wheel.

CCTV footage recorded inside Worthing custody centre shows how he fell off a chair and into a wall while waiting to be breathalysed. To watch the footage visit https://youtu.be/6q4nCjPakyQ.

He was so drunk that an officer had to help him to his feet and hold him up to stop him falling down again. Hutchinson was found to have 169 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millitres of his breath - almost five times the legal limit of 35 microgrammes.

The 59-year-old told police he had been drinking for several hours at home that afternoon but had decided to go shopping for food and then crashed his car.

He had already served a ban for drink-driving after being convicted in 2009 and did not have a driving licence.

Hutchinson, of Fir Tree Close, Plummers Plain, pleaded guilty to drink-driving, driving without a licence and driving without insurance when he appeared at Crawley Magistrates' Court on 23 February.

He was banned from driving for five years, given an 18-week suspended prison sentence, told to do 300 hours of community service and ordered to pay £85 costs and an £80 victim surcharge.

Chief Inspector Phil Nicholas, from Surrey and Sussex roads policing unit, said: "The footage shows just how drunk Hutchinson was, yet he thought that it was acceptable for him to drive in that condition.

"It is vital that we get people who think that it's ok to drink and drive off the roads.

"We need the public's help to tell us whenever they see someone who could be drink-driving so that we can act before someone is seriously hurt or even killed."

People in Sussex can text officers on 65999 with the details of people they suspect of drink or drug driving or visit www.operationcrackdown.co.uk.

You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

To keep up to date with officers looking for drink drivers, follow #opdragonfly on Twitter.

If you know someone is driving while over the limit or after taking drugs call 999.

Limit bar licenses to cut alcohol related violence (80 per cent of evening arrests drink-related)

Image Source independent.co.uk

Alcohol related violence could be cut by limiting the number of licenses issued to bars and pubs, according to Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, Britain’s most senior police officer.

80 per cent of the arrests in the evening are drink-related and Sir Hogan-Howe said more had to be done to control the supply of alcohol.

“We need to make sure there is good control of the supply of alcohol,” the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police said in a speech to the Royal Society of Arts in London on the future of policing.

He added: “This means licence numbers, density and licensee regulation being a priority for local authorities, however much they would like to develop their local economies.”

While he understood that local authorities were keen to develop their economies with more licensed premises, he said it was important they considered the wider implications of having too many pubs in one area.

“We know that many injuries occur inside or outside licensed premises, and if we can close down repeat offenders, we will. The system needs reform and we need to police it better,” he added.

Sneaky ways that alcoholics can hide alcohol

Sometimes if you have a =n alcoholic in the family it can be useful to know of hiding places that might be a little more inventive. There are some very sneaky alcohol flasks out there including:

Hairbrush that can hold 6oz of beverage

~

Camera that can hold 5oz of beverage

Sun lotion bottle - this holds 8oz

Lastly available in a  range of colours, and holding 250ml of booze a tie

Woman who ran drink-drive awareness courses caught three times the limit

Photo: RICHARD LAPPAS (Telegraph)

Alison Baker who ran drink-drive awareness courses for more than 20 years has been banned from the road after being caught three times the limit.

She was caught after Devon Greening saw her stumbling into the garage store (where he worked behind the counter) for a second time at 10.30am to buy a second bottle of wine. He said she smelt strongly of alcohol and he was so concerned she might hurt someone that he called the police.

Officers quickly turned up at Baker's home and she was so drunk she had to grip walls and furniture to stand. She told police she had only had a "gulp" of wine, but recorded a reading of 104mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath - three times the legal limit

Baker, from Exeter, Devon, denied drink-driving and blamed the high reading on post-driving consumption.

After a trial at Exeter Magistrates' Court, district judge Stephen Nicholls convicted her of drink-driving and banned from her from the roads before she is sentenced next month.

Prosecutor Sarah Hornblower said the high reading was not contested by Baker, who claimed she was under the limit of 35mg of alcohol when she drove that morning in her Chevrolet Kalos.

The court heard Baker used alcohol for pain relief for arthritis and had problems with her knees, legs and wrist.

Giving evidence, Baker said she drank herself into "oblivion" as she self-medicated and would drink until she passed out.

She hid the empty bottles of wine, including in the equipment she used for her drink-drive awareness courses.

Baker, who ran courses for Devon County Council for 20 years, said in a previous interview about drink-driving: "The realities of life without a driving licence can be difficult to bear - some people lose everything."

Who's Taking You Home Tonight

Hard hitting advertising campaign for the Christmas period.  Food for thought!

Ban booze for under-21s, says dad of girl who died from liver disease aged 24

Jim Thomson the dad of one of the youngest people in Britain to die from alcohol-related liver disease has called for a US-style ban on booze sales to anyone under 21.

His eldest daughter, Leigh, died from the condition aged just 24. She had been drinking excessively since 16, but it was only when she developed advanced liver failure at the age of 22 that her condition was picked up by doctors.

Jim, of Cambuslang, near Glasgow, Scotland, said: "It's worrisome for any parent to know their child was able to get such easy access to cheap alcohol at the age of 19. I think it's time we brought in laws like the USA have where you can't purchase alcohol until you are 21 years old.
 
"The government is happy enough to rake up the revenue and put 'drink responsibly' on the bottles, but how can you tell someone with an alcohol problem to drink responsibly?

Leigh was described as an intelligent and outgoing woman who volunteered with the British Red Cross and attended Felmington-Hallside Parish Church, However behind her positive front she had been secretly drinking three litres of cheap cider for the seven years leading up to her death.

Jim, whose wife Alice, Leigh's mother, died from alcohol-related problems in 2009 at the age of 42, said: "Leigh didn't come from a dysfunctional home. She was amazing, funny, articulate, and intelligent. She never got drunk in public. She was never falling about drunk. She would take a bottle of wine up to her room and not bother anyone. She'd get up in the morning, put her make-up on and she'd look immaculate. I took her to Alcoholics Anonymous and various meetings. It worked, but only for so long. She would be off the drink for three or four months and she would look brilliant. Then she would relapse."

Leigh's life slowly fell apart and she was unable to take up her place at college and lost her job as a carer. She gradually stopped seeing her friends and became increasingly isolated to the point where she was drinking at least two bottles of wine a day. She would get really ill, She would swell up and her skin would go yellow and her eyes would be bloodshot. She was really ashamed of her drinking.

He added that he never enabled or encouraged her drinking habits or gave her money, and because she was not on benefits he never knew how she was able to pay for the alcohol.
He said: "It is not a learnt behaviour. I am not a drinker. Alice was not a drinker until the last four years of her life. We didn't display that kind of behaviour. It may be part societal. If people don't go and drink and go to the pubs here, what else is there to do?"

Should Parents Let Their Kids Sip Alcohol?

According to a common line of reasoning. Early sips of alcohol and parental supervision of drinking can protect children from alcohol abuse later,  As evidence of this many parents point to Europe, where legal drinking ages are lower or unenforced, and table wine flows at every meal.

In a recent report, experts on addiction compiled evidence on alcohol sipping among children and attempted to link it with statistics about problem drinking later in life.

• 7% of 12-year-olds had consumed an entire standard alcoholic beverage
• More than 1/2 of 12-year-olds have already had a sip
• About 1/3 have by age 8

The question for parents will be: 'Does that matter?’

There isn’t much national data on the topic. So the researchers, led by Dr. John E. Donovan, a psychiatrist and epidemiologist at the University of Pittsburgh, used community surveys conducted in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County. They call it the Tween to Teen Project, from which they've just reported two main findings.

children who said they had tasted alcohol said their parents were OK with it. The parents, in interviews, confirmed their children’s perceptions, indicating at least a common understanding between the parents and their children about alcohol use before the age of 12.Scientists discovered that these children were no more likely than their non-sipping peers to be involved “in other kinds of problem behavior in adolescence.

Donovan and his colleagues aren’t so sure. Other studies have shown that having a sip before 10 leads to having “more than a sip” before age 15. “Early-onset drinking is associated with numerous negative outcomes."

 Ultimately, they say, it’s best to err on the side of caution until more conclusive evidence comes out. "This research suggests that if children do not see their parents as strongly disapproving of child sipping, the children will be more likely to take a first step into alcohol use."

For more information please view the full story here medicaldaily.com

Alcoholic ice cream?

Melt’On is the brainchild of couple Donna Morris and Dave Pugh, who began making ice cream in their kitchen as a hobby. They started with some standard flavours, but then thought ‘everyone can do that’, so decided to experiment, The first alcoholic one they made was the Teq-key Lime’On Pie (tequila, limes and biscuit). That was back in May 2013, the couple had no intention of making ice cream commercially, however popular opinion soon swayed them.

One problem the entrepreneurial couple had to overcome is the fact alcohol is a natural anti-freeze. Through trial and error, they’ve come up with a solution. It’s a closely guarded secret, but it is natural without the use of chemicals

Donna is proud of the fact the ice cream contains only pure, natural ingredients. “It’s pure dairy, with no egg, no synthetic products, no powdered products. A lot of commercial products you buy contain powdered product and we wanted a luxury product with a great taste and texture,”  The couple continue to work in their kitchen at home – which has a five-star food hygiene rating using a commercial ice cream-maker.

Melt’On is the only company in the UK making alcoholic ice cream. With flavours including Eat’On Mess and Mojit’On Chocolate Chip,  Amarett’On Ginger, featuring almond liquor and ginger, and Whisky’On Chocolate Orange, with Highland Scotch whisky, Seville oranges and Belgian chocolate chips.

Fear not, you can drive after indulging (Donna checked, after a rather large scoop of Eat’On Mess).
“Unless you had a litre of ice cream you’ll be fine,”

The most popular flavour is Eat’On Mess, with Donna’s personal favourite the refreshing Gin and Lem’On Cheesecake.

People abroad have already expressed an interest in franchise, the couple are understandably thrilled with how well the business has done in its first year.

www.melt-on.co.uk

Most Angry Post About Sobre October Ive Read So Far

I like to get a balanced view so it would be wrong not to share this piece in the Guardian by Nell Frizzell

Entitled "Sober October: when did giving up alcohol become a heroic act?"

"I love her opening paragraph "If you think that not drinking is heroic then, good God, I hope you never have to rescue me from a burning building. Or pull me out of a river. Or care for me in my hour of darkness."

and actually yes I agree with this statement.

I think that she might be right in many ways, however on the other side I feel that the marketing machines at McMillan are doing their job well, by choosing something that a lot of people participate in and lets face it who doesn't want to be made to feel like a hero!

‘Drunk Driving’ Hovercraft Pilot Attempts Landing

Richard Pease a hovercraft pilot transported 36 passengers across the Solent while nearly three times the legal alcohol limit has been jailed for eight months. (pleaded guilty at a previous hearing)

A colleague had to take the controls when Richard Pease collapsed after he missed the landing pad at Ryde on the Isle of Wight on 22 June.

Newport Crown Court heard a colleague on the Freedom 90 craft noticed Pease's reaction time was slow during the crossing and that he failed to carry out a manoeuvre properly when the hovercraft came across a tanker.

When Pease was breath tested, some six hours later, he was nearly three times the legal limit.
Pease, one of Hovertravel's most experienced pilots, admitted a charge of being master of a hovercraft having consumed excess alcohol.

Sentencing Pease, who has admitted to having a past dependency on alcohol, Judge Susan Evans QC said: "It's tragic that someone of your standing and with such an impressive past career should have destroyed all of that in one day.
"It was an appalling breach of your duty.
"Your actions could have resulted in tragedy but fortunately they did not."

Dryvember - have a go at saying no! - The Christmas Pretox Challenge

Knowing that December is full of boozy Christmas parties, late nights and celebrations, why not give your body a good ‘pretox’ and take a break from the booze this November and prepare yourself for the festive season!

By taking on the challenge you’re sure to look your best and slip into that cocktail dress a little easier, or tighten a notch on your belt while saving a few quid. You’ll then be on top form for the festive season – the challenge will help you save up for it too!

So go on, have a go at saying no, get thinking about your drinking – you can try a week, a half marathon of 13 days or the full monty of 26 days! We’ve allowed you days to fall off the wagon if it helps so you don’t miss out on special occasions.

http://www.alcoholeducationtrust.org/dryvember/

Go Sober For October

 
One more sleep for those of you that are participating in "Sober October"

Go Sober for October, is a Macmillan Cancer Support campaign encouraging people to raise money by giving up the booze for a month.The money raised will go towards providing support to those suffering from cancer.

Perhaps you haven't signed up yet because you weren't aware of it but have decided you want to take part, if this is the case Click here to sign up.

The website encourages you to sign up as a team if there are a few of you doing it, for moral support.  You are even allowed to have "Golden tickets" which allows you to drink if you really need to for special occaisions where you would consider it unavoidable (in exchange for a donation).

Last year the campaign raised over £2 million and 53,000 participants have already signed up for 2014

http://www.gosober.org.uk/

Handing Over ID to Purchase a Cupcake

Image credit www.businessinsider.com

We came across information about this shop (sadly in the US and not the UK). Its called "Prohibition Bakery" and they  began making their original alcohol-infused cupcakes back in 2011. Flavors such as Sangria, and Pretzels and Beer have been flying off the shelves ever since.

The cupcakes are made using a novel technique of inserting liquor post-baking, this is so that the alcohol doesn't burn off during the cooking process, the cupcakes have many big clients such as Google and HBO.

Before you ask, yes you need to show an I.D to purchase an alcoholic cupcake. Virgin (non-alcoholic) flavors are also available for the under-21 crowd.

 Prohibition Bakery was included in a recent list of the 28 Coolest Small Businesses In New York City

What else is there to say other than please start a UK branch!

Pub & Club Goers in Hemel Hempstead Could be Breathalysed

Pub and club-goers in Hemel Hempstead could be breathalysed on their nights out as Herts Police take part in a national alcohol awareness campaign.

Officers will be operating the checks on those who’ve had "one too many" at the town’s Function Rooms and Full House venues.

They will also be carrying out licensing patrols alongside Dacorum Borough Council as part of the initiative, due to run until September 28.

People will be encouraged to drink responsibly, with the main message focusing on the amount of time and police resources that have to deal with the consequences of people consuming too much alcohol.

According to police, when people drink to excess they can start to lose their normal reasoning which leaves them vulnerable to aggression and accidents, while long-term alcohol abuse has a significant health and social impact.

There is also a new telephone counselling service for those who need support for alcohol abuse or dependency which was launched earlier this month.  0300 111 2470

The service will be available on three evenings per week from 6pm to 9pm and on Saturday mornings. Calls are charged at the local rate.