Thinking Paper #175 - Aren't most people five times the drink-drive limit?

By Tim Massingberd James

Abstract

As news emerges that Amy Winehouse was more than five times the drink-drive limit at the time of her death, the IIPBA asks if this applies to most people, most of the time.

Aren't most people five times the drink-drive limit?

Poor Amy Winehouse was apparently drunk when she killed herself, but as the IIPBA spends most of our days waiting for our next drink, we really wonder why the news acts like this was a surprise.

The more the IIPBA sees of the world, the more it wants to spend most of its time five times over the drink drive limit, and we don't blame poor Amy for having a few drinks as an escape. That time she spent in the Caribbean sounded lovely, but we don't actually remember how long it went on for.

Over at the BBC, the reporters say that St Pancras coroner Suzanne Greenway has said the "unintended consequence" of Winehouse drinking so much alcohol was her "sudden and unexpected death", but we think "unexpected" is pushing it a bit. We all had a fair idea where she was heading, and perhaps she just didn't care.

Conclusion

The IIPBA refuses to come to a conclusion as the result would probably be spectacularly bleak.