Please drink/fight responsibly

Thoughts on modern parklife, intoxication and prose.

The “Drink Responsibly” sign, lashed lately to the railings of my local park, feels, to me at least, more questionable than observable. My question is – ‘who is this for?’ By the time you have made the decision to drink in the park, in November, is a sign going to change the way in which you go about it? Moreover, are those drinking outdoors as the days grow shorter, making any decisions about that at all?

Picture the scene. You and a friend, or maybe more of an acquaintance, or perhaps those distinctions are redundant - secure the necessary alcohol¹. You don’t go home because, well, pick any number of reasons, including the lack of one - head to the park to drink irresponsibly… only to see the sign telling you not to. So, you turn to your ally, and wonder aloud whether you have really thought this whole drinking irresponsibly thing through.