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I’m curious how this impacted withdrawal-related deaths. Alcohol is incredibly physically addictive and is one of a handful of commonly abused drugs that are le

I’m curious how this impacted withdrawal-related deaths. Alcohol is incredibly physically addictive and is one of a handful of commonly abused drugs that are lethally dangerous to withdraw from in an uncontrolled manner. One way of staving off the lethal effects of delirium tremens is to take benzodiazepines (which are also highly addictive and can be fatal to withdraw from) or opioids (which are at least equally as ruinous as alcohol). I always hope that the people involved in drafting these one-size-fits-all solutions to complex medical and social issues have some sort of first-hand knowledge of physical addiction. Sadly it’s usually puritanical politicians looking for a boost in approval ratings, or equally puritanical academics looking to gain clout. Real humans be damned!

RugnirViking 4y ago
one would imagine that a price floor of £5 for a 2L (4.5 pints) bottle of cider wouldn't prevent many people from being able to purchase it to literally save their life. It would however, help people think twice about going through multiple of them a day? I am usually quite sympathetic to the plight of addicts and the poor regulation and political environment around it but having lived in the UK for years ive only really heard good stuff about this. It's really not a high price point, it cuts out the really nasty stuff only.
- braingenious 4y ago
  My point is that people literally don’t “think twice” about things that they are addicted to. Price tends to change behavior in other ways, like maybe they’ll steal it if they can’t afford it. Source: Over a decade clean. I personally watched a family member seize, fall, and fatally hit his head on the sidewalk. A close friend saw the same happen to his grandfather, though it was a coffee table not a sidewalk. Both of them had a BAC of 0, so their deaths would not have been ruled alcohol-related even though they were both directly caused by acute alcohol withdrawal.

RugnirViking 4y ago

one would imagine that a price floor of £5 for a 2L (4.5 pints) bottle of cider wouldn't prevent many people from being able to purchase it to literally save their life. It would however, help people think twice about going through multiple of them a day? I am usually quite sympathetic to the plight of addicts and the poor regulation and political environment around it but having lived in the UK for years ive only really heard good stuff about this. It's really not a high price point, it cuts out the really nasty stuff only.

braingenious 4y ago
My point is that people literally don’t “think twice” about things that they are addicted to. Price tends to change behavior in other ways, like maybe they’ll steal it if they can’t afford it. Source: Over a decade clean. I personally watched a family member seize, fall, and fatally hit his head on the sidewalk. A close friend saw the same happen to his grandfather, though it was a coffee table not a sidewalk. Both of them had a BAC of 0, so their deaths would not have been ruled alcohol-related even though they were both directly caused by acute alcohol withdrawal.