I find it fascinating that so many people seem to equate civil rights with the right to drink poison. I wish I could come up with a similar scheme and fool people to believe 'that' and sell them some stuff that hooks them on to my product and make them believe they can fly or do something outrages, like 'think logically'. Whilst the real issues of democratic rights are for example the water privatization plans by Hide and his fellow corporate brown noses selling our resources off to the highest bidder and ones the whole of Canterbury is one big cow toilet sell us the 'filtered' expensive water to consume... what a scheme! Sounds just like the scheme of selling people poison and making them believe its cool, adds to their sex appeal and general well being... what a load of bullsh.t! Wake up New Zealand, freedom does not come in form of a bigger shopping mall it's the opposite... and besides if it would not endanger my kids or other people and myself and would not put financial pressure on those who are not so stupid to fall for that shit in bottles called alcohol, I would not give a toss if all those who 'love' it would kill themselves with that crap within their own four walls.

Bring on the price rise. Not really gonna effect the binge drinking. (like my self) If i'm out for a night every couple weeks price doesn't really bother me. I'm out to get drunk not pennysave. It will effect the one's who need to drink every day. The people who drink every day are the ones getting in there car cause they think they're fine after a few drinks cause they do it every day. on the other hand if i have a few drinks, it'll turn into 12-15 and i'm not driving anywhere LOL.

Public intoxiaction should be made a crime. Offenders to be shot on sight.

Jasmine #36 01:44 pm May 03 2010 the problem is that NZ'ers don't teach their kids how to drink.

That would be because most of the parents in question have an alcohol abuse problem themselves but choose to pretend it's normal.

oh now we have the drinkers moan, im a smoker and yes the price did go up but over this weekend there has been 6 people killed on our roads, weather its booze of not, the drinking age should be raised back to 25 and be done with it, same with smoking.

the problem is that NZ'ers don't teach their kids how to drink. Restrictions dont solve the problem. I had the odd drink with my parents from a young age and now at 20 can handle my alcohol unlike many others of my generation. I say adopt the culture of european countries. If its not such a taboo then you wont have so many teenyboppers roaming the streets drinking or off their face in bars because they know how to drink responsibly!

I read a report which stated the social cost of drinking to be 6.9b dollars and the revenue brought in by alcohol to contribute to this cost is $900m. Surely the figures speak for themselves... Something needs to be done. I do not believe the drinking age should be raised unless they simultaneously raise the voting, marriage, enlistment etc ages. I believe off license prices should be raised and on licence prices reduced to bring the drinking to a place where it is supervised. I think that we should focus on education rather than a bottom of the cliff strategy. Offer solutions and rational argument rather than hust getting aggressive for either side of the argument.

Banning or putting up the price of RTD's is stupid, because they actually make alot of people drink less. If you buy a 12 box of bourbon and coke then theres only 12 drinks you can drink. If you buy a bottle of bourbon and mix the drinks yourself then you can have way more than 12 drinks, and the drinks usually get stronger as the night goes on.

Tobacco is our second biggest legal social problem so I had no problem supporting the tax hike but alchohol is our biggest social problem and I would have no problem supporting that too. What annoys me is that the party I voted for socked the tax hike into the relatively small group of smokers, but for what can only be political reasons is happy for children to be served high alchohol content drinks and will not rise tax on alchohol. I do not mind paying more for my drink. Smoking I don't do anyway. But I do mind living in a country with double standards and politicians like our PM who govern by self-interest (and that of certain lobby groups).

@ Ted #18

'those who give up a little liberty to gain a little security, will gain niether, and loose both' - ben franklin.

what Nick#13 is trying to say is we dont need big brother to hold our hand or cuddle us when we trip and scratch our knee.