BarTalk

Is alcohol increasingly looking like the new tobacco?

John Ellis

Crown Inn

Oakengates

Telford

I think some people are trying to make it the new tobacco, but it's obviously not because nobody suffers from second-hand alcohol fumes. People are not being allowed to make decisions for themselves and I really disagree with that. I think the Alcohol Alliance needs to focus on the off-trade - the on-trade offers a space for alcohol to be consumed in a responsible and supervised fashion.

Suzie Dreja

Royal Oak Southampton

Hampshire

I think the puritanical Gordon Brown is partly to blame, and the Alcohol Alliance is another group of interfering busybodies. The rules are that you can't serve underage or drunk people. We're policing our own business and we don't need others who don't know anything about the trade sticking their noses in. They should be targeting the supermarkets - that's where all the cheap booze is coming from.

Steve Haslam

Cutter Inn

Ely

Cambridgeshire

An extra 10% tax on alcohol just to help the alcoholic out - it just doesn't make any sense at all. Perfectly law-abiding people who are doing nothing more than enjoying themselves should not be penalised for the actions of a few irresponsible idiots. They're just going to make things more and more difficult for the trade. Before we know it it's going to be illegal to drink in a pub.

Nick Green

Stansfield Arms Apperley Bridge

West Yorkshire

People are responsible for their own actions, but I think it is important to educate people. Alcohol is dangerous; people that drink large amounts day in and day out will seriously damage their health and reduce their life span. I am a licensee and it could affect my trade, but if I lose 2% trade through my customers being healthier then I don't mind. Sensible drinking should be promoted.