Drunk: the dangers of binge drinking

Resources

• Four readers - Gavin, Jamie, Lucy and ALCOHOL (wearing a sign saying ALCOHOL or a picture of a bottle of alcohol).
• ‘Drunk' by Ed Sheeran would be good song to play as the students enter and leave the assembly.
• More information and interviews 
• Image supplied

Engagement

[This short drama would best be delivered from memory without a script. The two boys are sitting in Monday morning registration. ALCOHOL skulks around unnoticed, listening in to the conversation, rubbing hands, clapping, smiling, cheering and generally looking very pleased with himself.]

Gavin: Well, that was some party Saturday night, wasn't it? I couldn't get out of bed all day yesterday. I felt so terrible. I had to pay my brother to do my paper round for me. There's no way I could even stand up yesterday morning, let alone leave the house. My head didn't stop pounding all day so I couldn't do any homework. I'm going to get so busted.

Jamie: I know what you mean. I couldn't stop vomiting all night. I thought I was going to die. I told my mum I'd eaten a dodgy chicken drumstick but I don't think she believed me. It was the best party ever though, wasn't it?

Gavin: Yeah, definitely. Everyone was wasted. No one knew what they were doing. We pretty much trashed Lisa's house. That fight between Marcus and Andy was pretty cool. What was it about again?

Jamie: I don't know. I don't suppose they know now. You should see Andy's black eye though.

Gavin: And I can't believe Graham got off with Lucy. She's well out of his league. She wouldn't look twice at him normally. She must have been well gone. I can only imagine what they got up to in that dark corner.

Jamie: Oh no, there she is. Start talking about something else.

[Lucy enters and comes over to the boys]

Lucy: Hi guys. Did you enjoy the party on Saturday? It was wicked, from what I can remember. Mind you, it's all a bit of a blur from about ten o'clock onwards. I didn't do anything embarrassing, did I?

Gavin: Er...well, I'm not exactly sure. None of us can remember much. Perhaps you should ask one of your mates... Anyway, isn't it time for first lesson? Let's get going.

[All three freeze in their seats]

Leader: [Grabs ALCOHOL by the scruff of the neck] Oi you, what do you think you are doing here? This is no place for the likes of you. Look at the damage you are doing to the lives of my students. I think we need a little chat, don't you?

[The Leader sits ALCOHOL down on a chair near the students. The Reflection then becomes rather like a Jeremy Kyle style interview.]

[Addressing the three students] I think you all could do with hearing this too. Listen up.

Reflection

Leader: Last week, Prime Minister David Cameron visited a hospital in the North East of England. There, he gave a statement highlighting the current cost to society of binge-drinking and promising to tackle the ‘scandal' of drunkenness. He quoted figures suggesting alcohol-related costs to society could total between £17bn and £22bn a year.

Alcohol abuse costs the NHS £2.7bn a year. Figures also suggest that alcohol abuse costs the accident and emergency services £1bn a year. David Cameron pointed out that ‘Every Friday and Saturday night A&E can be overrun with people drunk and incapable who have injured themselves.' He promised to help the NHS ‘rise to the challenge', for example by putting more police on patrol in hospitals.

The government are looking at ‘innovative solutions to confront the rising tide of unacceptable behaviour' caused by binge drinking. One suggestion is the introduction of ‘drunk tanks', as already used in the United States. ‘Drunk tanks' are large cells to lock people up in overnight while they sober up. The government is also calling on bars, supermarkets and the drinks industry in England to do more to help ensure responsible drinking. There is a call for a ban on the sale of alcohol below cost price and there may even be a higher minimum price for alcohol to come.

[To ALCOHOL] Is there anything you would like to say?

ALCOHOL: Well, it's clearly not my fault if people cannot handle their drink. I'm just there to help you all have a good time. A party is not a party without alcohol. A night out is not a good night without a few drinks. I make you happy. I help you to feel great. David Cameron just wants to spoil the party. This Prime Minister of yours has obviously forgotten how good it is to let go of your inhibitions and go for it on a Saturday night.

Leader: Well, in the same week, in an interview for Radio One's Newsbeat, actor Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame admitted to having struggled with alcohol in his own life.

‘I drank in search of happiness and in search of a lifestyle that would bring me to happiness. It didn't and I woke up one morning and thought "Wow. I've drunk a lot and I'm still not happy. What‘s that all about?"'

He points out the enormous pressure on young people today to be happy and to have a good time and ‘to find happiness through going out and getting mashed.' This clearly did not work for Daniel Radcliffe and it does not work for many other young people, whether they admit it or not. He urges young people to consider their drinking habits, saying ‘Think about it. It doesn't have to be something you do.'

[To ALCOHOL] Is there anything you would like to add?

ALCOHOL: I don't know why you even listen to him. He has it all - fame, money, everything he could want - and he's still moaning on. I'm just there to help you forget about your problems, to help you escape for a few hours. Sometimes life feels bad and you need something to cheer you up - where's the harm in that?

Leader: OK - well, let's see. GP Peter Baines was also interviewed on the topic of alcohol abuse. From what he has seen as a practising doctor, he definitely feels it is ‘right to focus on alcohol and the problems it can cause'. He points out that the dangerous effects of smoking on health are finally being taken seriously in society - now it is time to focus on the dangerous effects of alcohol on health.

The question he poses is this: ‘Are you drinking a safe level of alcohol to avoid the complications that alcohol can cause in the very everyday diseases that we see in General Practice?'

ALCOHOL: Let's be clear. Not everyone who drinks alcohol gets ill. Why should it be you? Why should you have to do without a drink now out of fear that you may get ill from its effects sometime in the future? Live for the present, that's what I say. Live for today. Forget tomorrow.

Leader: Well, you three have heard some diverse perspectives on binge drinking. Did anything strike you as interesting?

Gavin: I've really never thought about the cost to society of people drinking too much alcohol. I went to A&E once on a Saturday night when I broke my arm and it was horrible. Full of aggressive, injured drunks. I'd forgotten all about that.

Jamie: I suppose there is a pressure to drink among our friends. Everyone does it and we tease the ones that don't want to drink. Maybe we should let them make up their own minds if they want to drink or not, and not put pressure on them.

Lucy: I scared myself the other night by not being able to remember what had happened. That can't be good for you. We think we can do what we like and get away with it, but maybe we will have to pay for all our binge drinking in the future.

Response

Leader: We've heard a lot to day about the effects of alcohol. Let us be quiet for a moment and reflect on what has made us think in this assembly.

[PAUSE]

Please listen to the words of this meditation as we conclude our time together today.

Drinking to be in with the in crowd.
Fun and laughter at the bottom of a glass.
A few drinks more to become a party animal.
Sober up. Clear your head. Make up your own mind.
Think about it. It doesn't have to be something you do.

Drinking to chase away the sadness.
Total escape at the bottom of a glass.
A few more drinks to forget all your problems.
Sober up. Clear your head. Make up your own mind.
Think about it. It doesn't have to be something you do.

Drinking to feel normal.
The strength to carry on at the bottom of a glass.
A few drinks more to feel confident and capable.
Sober up. Clear your head. Make up your own mind.
Think about it. It doesn't have to be something you do.