I agree with you Kitz, that the problem is more deep seated. The price of alcohol and the length of time people are allowed to drink it isn't the crux.
Here, and elsewhere on the continent, alcohol is cheap and bars are open from early morning to early the following morning. It is attitudes that are different. People here don't go out in order to get drunk, it's a social event. They are accustomed from an early age to drinking (wine) with their meals and they are taught to respect alcohol. They are also taught to respect others, by parents, and civil responsibility is on the school curriculum starting at primary school. I've witnessed at first hand on a visit to the UK, whilst out one evening, last September, the consequences of groups of people, mostly young, and many young women who had drunk far too much, and it was not a pretty sight.
Increasing prices will have little or no effect; increased public responsibility should be a priority.
