NHS is being overwhelmed by constant stream of drunks...why ?

Having worked for the NHS for almost 14 years now after my previous "life" in the Armed Forces came to an end in 1996 i still cannot believe the astounding amount of money and resources that are squandered looking after and patching up the louts and lowlifes that clutter our health service.
I read an article today in the Daily Mail (which you can also see by clicking on the link at the end of this post...if you want too!) which reports of the carnage and disgrace that NHS front line staff face in A&E Departments the length and bredth of our country.
The NHS already spends vast sums of cash trying to encourage people to quit smoking (I did this myself at no cost to the NHS 20+ years ago!),trying to control drug use, and,yes, you guessed it,trying to curb peoples consumption of alchohol.Add then to this mix a large section of the population who consider it their "right" to drink themselves into oblivion, and afterwards expect "the rest of our society" to cover the cost of the resulting injury. Why do we tolerate such arrogant,selfish behaviour from this section of society ? I guess it is because,as usual,the powers that be don't want to be seen to be picking on this sad group of people, and don't appear to be able to convince them that drinking on a night out does not have to end up with them being unconcious on a hospital trolley.Maybe perhaps the goverment should start and "persuade" these poor lost souls by way of billing them at the A&E departments that they seem so fond of, you know, in the same way as they "persuade" drivers to slow down by giving them fines for speeding.
How about we bill serial drunks who end up in A&E, and charge them ...ohhhh...about £30, the cost of a couple of rounds, to pay towards their treatment....sounds good to me...what do you think ?

Daily Mail story is HERE......if you want to get REALLY angry :-)