A letter from first aid services to those who abandon drunk friends acts as an alarming warning

It’s a sad fact that the majority of us have at some stage, gotten dangerously drunk.

For most, those instances are blurry, embarrassing and hopefully never repeatedly. Thankfully, we have good friends who stay holding our hair back as they call our mothers sheepishly. When roles are reversed, we’ve stepped in to the exact same thing for friends. It happens. What shouldn’t happen is that a drunk vulnerable person is left alone. Sadly, it happens all too often and when a group of good Samaritans came across a drunk young girl in Cheltenham, they were so angered by the reaction of her friends that they took to Facebook to write abouot the experience. The Samaritans are also known as the Cheltenham Guardians and they are a group of volunteers that work in partnership with the police to respond to night time crime. The post reads:

“Dear friends of Emily. You may have started your night together enjoying the vibrant bars and clubs of Cheltenham, but somewhere along the way you lost your friend, you lost Emily. When we found Emily she had already been sick in the back of a taxi and in the care of taxi marshals. It's fair to say she had seen better days.”

The group write that they made an attempt to contact Emily’s friends. They agreed a location and took Emily there.

“You told us that you would wait outside a club on Regent Street for her. We were keen to return her to her friends and into your care. We took Emily to the club and you were not there. We waited, and still you didn't come. We contacted you again as we were concerned for Emily's welfare. It was cold, raining and she was poorly.”

The post explains that Emily’s friends did not show any concern for their friend’s welfare.

“You found it funny that your friend was in a state, you told us again that you would come for her so we waited, and still you never came. We called in the street pastors to help us with Emily, we were keen to get her to safety yet only you held the key, you knew where Emily was, you knew where Emily was staying yet still you never came.”

The group took Emily to the location was staying at. All Emily could remember was that it was an area called Montpellier.

“We walked Emily to Montpellier, we called you again and you promised you would take a taxi and help us help your friend yet still you never came,” they write.

It got to the stage where Emily needed an ambulance. The group again addresses Emily’s friends.

“Friends of Emily, we looked after your friend for two hours. We cared for her unconditionally whilst you purposefully gave us the runaround, hindered our progress, and despite our pleas you never came. One day you may find yourself in our care. We will care for you unconditionally, we will ensure you are safe,” they say. “I hope you enjoyed your night at the expense of us, South Western Ambulance Service and Emily. Great job guys, you can be really proud of yourselves,” they conclude.

Included in the post is a picture of Emily cold and visibly in need of assistance. The post certainly reminds us all of the importance of looking out for each other when consuming alcohol.