The right to get drunk?

The 4th of July is upon us and that means people are going to party. Some of us public safety workers will have the night off, some of us will be working. For the majority of other professions though they all have off. Having the night off seems to mean drinking. When it comes to a holiday it seems all too often people feel the need to get absolutely wasted. As one drunken fool once told me it was his “right to get drunk”!

Funny Police photo

Now don’t get me wrong I enjoy a drink or two on my off days also. From time to time I may even get something close to drunk. But I am a happy/talkative drunk, I don’t get mad and never pick fights. So I never understand why…

Why is it that drunks will feel that because they are “just having a good time” they are free to damage property or disrupt the lives of other people?

Why is that when two drunks are fighting with each other when the police show up the former adversaries are now a team against the police?

Why if you plan to get so drunk you forget your name did you drive to the bar, why not get a taxi and remove that temptation to drive home?

When a drunk is hurt why are they cool for the cops then when the EMT/Paramedics show up is the drunk turn violent at ambulance staff?

I could keep going but I know it is a bit pointless. Lets face it, alcohol makes you stupid. And stupid is the job security for us in public safety. Stupid is also dangerous. Because stupid is unpredictable.

So as we head into this mid week holiday remember there are may people who think it is their “right to get drunk”. When they are exercising that right they will become stupid. So we the public servants have to be vigilant that stupid does not ruin our shift…