英国取缔酒桌游戏 严打豪饮之风

Tough new rules for pubs and clubs - including a ban on drinking games like the infamous "dentist's chair" - will be introduced in Britain this year in a bid to curb the heavy drinking culture that costs the country billions of pounds a year.

Other promotions like "all you can drink for 10 pounds ($16)", speed drinking competitions and "women drink free" nights will also be prohibited.

But, controversially, bulk offers of cheap alcohol in supermarkets - widely regarded as one of the main sources of Britain's problems with under-age and excessive drinking - will not be affected.

Doctors and health lobbyists argue that the government has failed to wield its most effective weapon, the imposition of minimum price controls on alcohol.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said he did not want to target responsible drinkers on low incomes, but that the government and the industry had a duty to act on booze-fueled promotions.

"These practices have a real impact on society, not to mention the lives of those who just want to enjoy a good night out," he said.

The dentist's chair, where drinks are poured directly into the mouth by others, was made famous by the celebrations of footballer Paul Gascoigne at Euro '96. That game - and others that promote mass consumption - will be banned from April and publicans will have to ensure free tap water is made available to revellers.

A second set of rules enforcing compulsory ID checks and making sure smaller alcoholic measures are on sale come into effect in October.

The government says excessive boozing costs Britain up to 12 billion pounds a year and has vowed that any premises that breach the new mandatory code will face stiff penalties.

Publicans and vendors could lose their licences, be fined up to 20,000 pounds ($32,750) or face six months in prison.

为抑制英国人的“豪饮”风气，英国政府将于今年在酒吧和俱乐部等场所实施一系列新规定，其中包括叫停臭名昭著的“牙医椅子秀”等饮酒游戏。据称，英国人酗酒的风气每年给该国造成数十亿英镑的损失。

此外，类似“10英磅（16美元）无限畅饮”、拼酒比赛以及“女士免费夜”等酒吧促销活动也将被禁止。

但禁令本身存在一些争议，因为超市里销售的大量廉价酒仍然“逍遥法外”，而这普遍被认为是造成英国未成年人酗酒的主要原因之一。

医生和健康宣传人士认为政府没利用好控制酒类最低限价这一最有效的“武器”。

英国内政大臣艾伦．约翰逊表示，他不想殃及负责任的低收入饮酒者，但政府和酒类行业有义务取缔助长豪饮风气的酒类促销行为。

他说：“这些行为对社会产生了切实的影响，更别说那些仅想寻得一夜之欢的人的生命健康了。”

“牙医椅子秀”是一种把人按在椅子上，直接往他嘴里灌酒的游戏。这一游戏从1996年欧锦赛后开始风靡，当时（英格兰国家队球员）保罗．加斯科为庆祝胜利采取了这种方式。从今年四月起，该游戏以及其它豪饮游戏将被禁止。此外，酒馆老板必须为饮酒者提供免费的饮用水。

另外一批新法规将于今年十月起开始实施，包括身份检查以及酒吧必须保证小包装酒品有售等。

英国政府称，过量饮酒每年给英国造成了高达120亿英镑的损失，并表示任何违反新法规的经营场所都将受到严惩。

违规的酒店老板和售酒者将被吊销营业执照，并被处以最高两万英镑（32750美元）的罚款，或六个月的监禁。

Vocabulary:

under-age：未达到法定年龄的

lobbyist：a person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of a special interest; a member of a lobby（游说通过议案者，陈情者）

publican：a person who owns or manages a pub（酒馆老板）

reveller：a person who is having fun in a noisy way, usually with a group of other people and often after drinking alcohol（摆设酒宴者，饮酒狂欢者）

booze: to drink alcohol, esp. to excess（豪饮）

premises：经营场所