Man, is this interesting to me after haing done a Crim Justice degree and having doctors for parents! HA!
On the legal matter, in NSW you are wholly responsible for your actions after an intake of alcohol. This assumes that you knew you were drinking it (ie didn't have your drink spiked), otherwise you may have a reasonable chance of leniance if not total dismissal. Why are you totally responsible, even if you are mentally and possibly physically altered from your normal state? Because you drank the alcohol and you knew what the effects would, or were likely to, be. No-one forced you or coerced you, you drank it. End of story.
The issue of RSA as far as I am concerned will not diminish your responsibility in such a matter as pertaining to charges, but costs associated with those charges may be deferred to the premises that served you, if it is deemed that they were in breach of RSA, in which case they would be fined anyway. I'm not 100% on this but I'm fairly sure that is how it works, I'm not sure of the precendent for this kind of thing.
Healthwise, I'd say 1~2 standards a day is the medical recommendation, andthe most that can be taken without impacting on health long term. Long term, here, means anything from 20 to 60 years down the track. I'd say the sticker on my fridge sums it up well, it was in a uni pack I was given in my first year along with all sorts of fun stuff like counceling info, health care provider info, a map of the uni and town, and even 'protection' (this last one no longer included because somone got offended. I'd be a hell of a lot more offended if somone ended up with an STI, personally).
Back to the sticker, its entitled 'Low Risk Drinking' and is from the Southern Area Health Service, citing National Guidelines for Adults. It says that, on average, men may have up to 4 drinks per day, women up to 2. An occasional maximum of no more than 6 standard drinks may be consumed in day, with women having an occasional maximum of 4. 1 or 2 alcohol-free days per week are recommended, with 'high low-risk drinkers' (ie those drinking the max recommended 4 per day) advised to do this no more than three times per week.
Whew. That was a bundle. I say do what you want and be prepared for any consequences that may resolve from your actions or lack thereof. This goes for anything, pretty much. So drink, eat, and be merry (but only if you want!).
Cheers all - boingk
