It's not how old you are when you're drinking, it's how we're drinking

A recent Law Commission report has sparked debate on whether the drinking age should be returned to 20, or even raised to 21. To me, the problem isn't 18 and 19 year olds drinking to excess, it's drinking to excess at all ages.

The serious question that needs to be asked are why are so many young people drunk in the party areas of town (E.g. Courtenay Place) when there is an alcohol ban and bars are not supposed to be serving patrons who are drunk.

Better enforcement of public alcohol bans and suspending/cancelling the licenses of bars who are serving drunk patrons would solve the problem far more effectively than trying (in vain) to raise the

Police have a 'last call' register for people they arrest for public disorder offences - it lists the place where the alleged offender last had a drink. The bar at the top of the list should have police opposing it's license renewal as a matter of course.

The other aspect is getting better control over what constitutes being too drunk to serve. Obviously falling over patrons should be refused, but bar staff need to stop serving patrons who are just a bit too drunk to act responsibly - being affected by alcohol to the extent of losing control of one's faculties or behavior. That's not losing all control, but when a patron looks like they're too drunk to drive, then bar staff should be telling patrons to either slow down, or go home.