Serving alcohol to minors or those already drunk is an offence and yet it is abundantly clear that it continues. Previously there was a well-documented case of a 15-year-old female who was served 9 drinks in 90 minutes on a cruise ship operated by Costa Cruise Lines who form part of the ‘Carnivore’ Corporation. The girl later fell overboard and the ship delayed searching for her.
And I am not alone in these observations or concerns –
"It's drink and drink and drink," says Charles Harris, former chief of security for Carnival who has become an outspoken critic of cruise industry secrecy. "We'll take your money, and if you fall overboard, we don't worry about it."
"It doesn't matter what the class of ship is. Young women are particularly susceptible - particularly from crew members. They hunt in packs." Says Geoff Furlong, an ex-detective from Liverpool who worked for six years as a security officer for two cruise lines. He claims often to have discovered crew targeting young female passengers.
In addition to all the obvious and personal safety aspects of the cruise binge culture there are also the long term medical concerns. Excessive alcohol abuse can lead to liver damage, infertility and a range of cancers and depression. This is the boomerang effect again and it really is another form of substance abuse or even long term suicide if you think about it. Bearing in mind I am talking from personal experience thanks to my own personal battles with alcohol abuse, a direct consequence of the ‘stunning’ attitude displayed towards me by the ‘Carnivore’ Corporation, I can assure you I know what I am talking about. Between mid 2006 to early 2008 I was drinking in excess of 78 units per week at one point but now understand that pouring alcohol down your neck is no answer, even when trying to convince myself that it was the best painkiller going!
The long-term consequences can lead to short term life expectancy and although I am now on the wagon, I have been very lucky indeed to not suffer serious damage myself.
In conclusion - the message is that drink should be taken in moderation, more so when temporally living on a moving platform and which itself is surrounded by deep water. Personally I would never sign up for a booze package because more often than not, complimentary drinks come with your food as part of the overall package anyway. There is already more than enough to do on board and if you really wanted to sit at a bar all day, then why bother to book a cruise to exotic faraway locations in the first place? The whole idea of cruising is to explore this beautiful planet of ours and you can’t really see much of it looking inside of a glass at the ship’s bar can you?
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The Boomerang Effect
Promoting Excessive Drinking On Board Cruise Ships
By Mike Groves
