Celebrating the Holidays Means Partying in the Street Drunk in Britain

But according to police officers who spoke with the New York Times, this issue is bigger than a one-day-a-year problem:

From Falstaff to Churchill and beyond, Britons have been known for their love of drink. But whether as entertainment or mating ritual, the spectacle of dressed-up youth wandering the early morning streets barely able to walk or talk has become an issue of growing social importance, because of both the violence that alcohol often engenders and the vulnerability of young women, who are sometimes molested or raped when they are in no condition to defend themselves.

On Mad Friday, the number of police officers on duty apparently doubles in some towns. In order to convince people to drink less, West Yorkshire police department released a dramatic video with graphic photos demonstrating the sad end result of drinking and driving. Police in Yorkshire also tweeted out “details of incidents that are reported to them to help local residents understand the variety and quantity of calls that officers deal with at this time of year.” One such example: “Just been to a very drunk man curled in a ball and reporting seeing aliens in Denby Dale….and so our #MadFriday begins. #WYtweetmas.”

So bottom line: even though some of these photos of people generally being idiots are very funny at first glance – though not quite SantaCon funny – in actuality, be safe kids (and adults).

Images via Yorkshire Evening Post, andyoyo/Twitter, MarcherLord1/Twitter and Screenshots via BBC