Good suggestions Jeff but I think the key change should be banning any alcoholic drink over 5% vv. In my experience spirits are the worst substances and defiantely on par with cocaine and heroin. Also allow the extremely low risk legal party pills which are sold in the millions in NZ, UK, USA but banned here. Users usually dont mix them with alcohol because their subtle effect is swamped by more than one beer.

I know nothing other then I've got a hangover

A large part of the general community glorifies being drunk and remember their youthful days getting 'blind'. If we can somehow change the mindset that getting pissed is acceptable behaviour (in some cases preferred behaviour) we might be able to reverse the downslide of our society..... But definately actual policing of the responsible service of alcohol will help and perhaps introducing a responsible drinking of alcohol fine. Maybe somehow shaming individuals into better behaviour. Take photo's of drunks behaving badly and have the Newcastle Herald publish a page of shame photo's every Monday. Or, here is a thought. Let the pubs stay open till whenever they want, but ban the sale of any alcohol after midnight. It might mean some serious drinking gets done between 11.45 and midnight..... but is that better than doing nothing at all?

Hi I'm Phoney and I am a post 90's drinker/binger.I havn't had a drink in a month & a half now............ I started going out drinking just before I turned 18 in the summer of 1990 so I wasn't aware there was this post 90 period.Going out didn't always mean huge drinking sessions but sometimes they did. Our big night out was Fridays at Cardiff Workers club and I have to admit my mates and I did drink a bit of beer,I don't recall a responsible service of alcohol in place back then but I guess as long as you weren't falling down they'd keep serving you. We progressed into the pubs and clubs of Newcastle,Pluto's nightclub at Grand Hotel was the first venue we went to.From there was the Tatts,Northern,Brewery,JR,Leroys, Bojangles,Fannys,Cambridge,The Castle,The Star(Screaming Mimis) or Palais all depended on the night. Although we drank a lot,we never got in fights or wanted to be in them. Should they raise the legal drinking age to 18?Possibly Will it really help?Maybe Would raising that age mean their would be more underage drinkers?Yes Will their still be violent assaults in the city caused by groups that hang around the train stations,parks and mall?Yes Gota smoke couz

Jeff, I like all of your suggestions. What ridiculus knob thinks their rights are being infringed because Pubs and Clubs are made to close early. I would add bottle shops, and over the bar take aways to close by 6pm. Lets not get in a panic over the bottle shop hours, it only takes alittle forward thinking to stock up. But would slow the spur of the moment binge

I don't think the problem lies with the alcohol, it lies with some of the idiots that drink it. In my 30 odd years of binge drinking I have never thrown a punch nor had to defend myself. No doubt luck comes into play but the fact is I don't go looking for trouble whereas the idiots causing all this fuss do. The problem lies in a person's disposition and how that disposition changes when lubricated with alcohol. If your an arsehole before drinking then your going to be an even bigger arsehole after drinking, simple as that. I've no doubt that the booze lubricates the potential for violence but if the potential's not there in the first place there's no problem. Just issue everyone with a licence to buy alcohol and if they are involved in any alcohol related violence or DUI then their licence is revoked and it is illegal for them to buy it or be on the premises of anywhere that sells it. Simple.

The youth of today are as reckless as they were in my day. Perhaps all the measures that have been suggested would work. 'Binge' drinking doesn't seem to be prevalent here, one reason could be the fact that the beer is only about 3 to 3.9 %, the rice wine , however, is 'rocket fuel' but is usually only drunk at special meals and/or occasions. The culture of the Australian, I think needs to change but how do you tell a teenager that being a staggering, dribbling, 'pain in the arse' is not cool. It is also the norm in the States and Great Britain apparently. A big problem that will not go away in a hurry..especially without some sort of re-education

What a ridiculous load of nanny-state nonsense. The vast majority of people who consume alcohol (large or small volumes) do so with no adverse effect on those around them - it is the minority of morons, as with most things, that are the problem. Deal with them and leave everybody else alone. Don't like drunk idiots fighting on the street? Fine, give the cops the powers to taser them and leave their soiled, spasming forms on the concrete for a while for all to see, and then compell the judiciary to put them away for keeps. Problem solved, and everybody else can go enjoy a drink in peace. Maybe you've induldged in a bit too much binge drinking and fried a few too many synapses if you find merit on this garbage. Raising the drinking age as the silver bullet? Go visit the US, ask anyone there if underage drinking is a problem!

Well as nobody seems to be responsible for their own actions, there seems to only be one solution. Prohibition!

Jeff - I remember about 13 years ago I went for a job with the Aust Federal Police (I am now glad I didn't get the job). In the main interview they ask various questions about general policing "What would you do?" - as you had to do 3 years of standard police work in ACT first. One question was: "An area is clearly marked 'No alcohol' - and you see a man walk through there holding a beer. What do you do?" I said: "Well, sign says having alcohol is illegal - I'd arrest him." The 'proper' answer apparently was that I should have cautioned him. So let's just all give cautions shall we? You are right - the only way to 'fix it', is as you say enforce the law. "Law without force is impotent" - Blaise Pascal