Should smokers and binge drinkers be charged for using the NHS?

[JazMerkin]

Oh, come on now!

When you go to Yahoo they give you the choice of Guardian, Telegraph and the Daily Mail...I can't help but skim through them all. I can assure you all that I am not an avid Mail reader and often find myself at odds with their views when I do read. I thought this one might spark a little debate though and it has.

TBH it isn't an issue I have thought about too much, but on the surface can definitely see the merit in the view that if you drink 10 pints of beer plus shots and then need to go and get your stomach pumped, that you should fork out for the treatment yourself. Smoking I can kind of see a similar thing. Maybe smokers should pay higher NI premiums.

I can see the arguments on both sides and agree that it is a complicated issue, but it is clear that excessive alcohol consumption is a serious social problem in the UK. I wouldn't like to see anything banned myself, but Ono is right. You can walk through any large city in the UK on a saturday night and it is like a zombie filled apocalypse. It can be quite gruesome. I like to get drunk sometimes, but I'm not picking fights with anyone nor getting taken to the emergency room. I just go to bed and the people doing that are just fine and shouldn't need to concern themselves with medical costs and what have you. But those who overdo big time should probably shoulder some of the responsibility because they are just being foolish.

Now now Miles, don't be ashamed of your right-wing tendencies. No one will hold it against you. Lyle will be proud to have you on board.

As for the point in bold, how often do you walk through cities in the UK on a Saturday night? You live in Korea... do you have one of those machines from The Fly or something?