Quick question...

[GingerBiscuit]

since the events of a couple of weeks ago, I've been wondering.

If you worked in a supermarket-type place, and a man came in with obvious concussion and a bleeding head wound, would you sell him alcohol? I know I wouldn't feel comfortable selling a concussed man alcohol.

A couple of weeks ago my boyfriend came off his pushbike, gave himself a head wound and in his concussed state, went into automatic (he was going into town to pick stuff up for a party) thought buying some beer and drinking it, and some vodka, when he got home was a GREAT idea. His body didn't digest it and react to it till several hours later however, when I had finally over-ridden his protests and got him up to A+E. In short, he's an idiot, and I have been telling him so for quite a while now.

Anyway, I was just wondering.

[Foxglove8778]

This is a rhetorical question, right?

[gunsage]

If you worked in a supermarket-type place, and a man came in with obvious concussion and a bleeding head wound, would you sell him alcohol?

Um, NO. I had worked in a few gas stations and I would refuse alcohol sales for the following reasons that we all know and love...

- Second party sales. Got a van full of people? WHOOPS!
- Stumbling or otherwise obviously not sober. Nope. Sorry. Take a break and come back in an hour or so. If I think you're in a real bad state, I'll call the police and let them know just in case.
- No ID. Especially around holidays, etc. don't expect me to NOT card you. Yes, you're older than time itself, I get it. No, really, I believe you met Lincoln. ID, now.
- You're a dick. I would FIND a reason to refuse the sale.
- Something's wrong with your money. And no, I don't mean it's counterfeit. There are various laws regarding what you can accept as legal tender. For example, some places can't accept bills that have been torn and then taped. I recall a scam implemented by that for a while, in fact.

It's pretty sad that somebody actually sold it to him. Was it really THAT obvious?

[wagegoth]

In the U.S., most jurisdictions have laws that require you to at least notify authorities (calling 911 here, 999 in the UK) if you see an emergency situation. I would consider that an emergency situation.

[GingerBiscuit]

It's pretty sad that somebody actually sold it to him. Was it really THAT obvious?

Blood trickling down his head, huge pupils, eyes crossed- and that was when I got home two hour after he did it.

He's still an idiot, but he wasn't really thinking straight at all... but I wouldn't have served him.

[Becks]

Stumbling

Well, that's unfair to us naturally ungraceful types, I must say.

[GingerBiscuit]

Well, that's unfair to us naturally ungraceful types, I must say.

There is a difference to our clumsiness, and drunk stumbling. A very noticeable one. Sure, there are people with medical conditions that cause them to appear intoxicated, but they are comparitevely rare as opposed to people who are just pissed as a fart.

[Broomjockey]

pissed as a fart.

Umm...am I the only one getting very odd mental images from that?

[GingerBiscuit]

Umm...am I the only one getting very odd mental images from that?

Hmmm. Thinking about it, it is an odd phrase- hey, it's a classic English phrase to describe staggering drunk, so it doesn't need to make sense! Much like 'drunk as a skunk' makes no sense.

[Pagan]

Hmmm. Thinking about it, it is an odd phrase- hey, it's a classic English phrase to describe staggering drunk, so it doesn't need to make sense! Much like 'drunk as a skunk' makes no sense.

Or,"three sheets to the wind"
or, "hammered"
or, "plastered"

Oh, hell, none of 'em make a damn bit of sense. Now I'm wondering if that's the whole point????

[Rapscallion]

We had our staff party on Friday night. One chap was so drunk, the only people I've seen worse the wear for drink were sleeping it off.

He was, according to different people:

wankered,
bladdered,
steaming,
pissed out of his skull,
arseholed,
and many, many more.

Rapscallion

[Broomjockey]

Or,"three sheets to the wind"
or, "hammered"
or, "plastered"

Oh, hell, none of 'em make a damn bit of sense. Now I'm wondering if that's the whole point????

well, for Three sheets check there. As for hammered and plastered, well, people with head trauma act drunk. A hammer's a good way to inflict head injuries. There you go. Plastered, like stuck to. Usually someone that drunk ends up "plastered" to the floor. There you go x2.

[Cyphr]

three sheets to the wind is a sailing term (sheet = sail) and if i remeber correctly to the wind means your goign stright into it in a sailboat thats not a good thing as you cant steer if your going backwards. thus three sheets to the wind means you must be drunk cause a sober person aint doing that.

PS: I'm not quite sure if thats right but the logic is something pretty close to that

[Becks]

There is a difference to our clumsiness, and drunk stumbling. A very noticeable one.

There is. I know that.

But I am hellaciously lacking in grace.

Even more fun is when I also lack depth perception.

[Broomjockey]

three sheets to the wind is a sailing term (sheet = sail)

No. As explained in the link I posted, sheet= rope to hold sail, the real saying is "three sheets in the wind", and apparently "to" is a recent morph. And a ship with three loose ropes flapping in the wind instead of securing the sails has a very erratic course.