Originally posted by Acolytethey always say at the end that "you can't save them up"
Isn't it considered reasonably safe to drink up to 28 units a week (if you're a bloke) or 21 units (if you're a lass)? On that basis, you could 'binge' every other night and yet your overall alchohol consumption would be OK. Something doesn't add up here...
Still, William Hague's claim of drinking 14 pints a day sounds a bit worrying... that'd put you in a permanent stupor, even before your liver packed in.
i was watching channel 5 news (or should i say FIVE news?...😕) and they had some doctor guy giving his opinion. apparenetly, he could forgive the alcoholics, but there were some idiots who binge drinked for fun. and these idiots were runing their bodies...etc...he must've used idiots at least 4 times...i suppose he was trying to get a point accross, but it didn't really work...
anyhow-binge drinking. imo-that's not a problem. well-medically it is-but how many people here have been in a fight due to binge drinking? some people do, granted, but tis a minority...also-you've got all those teenagers wandering the streets at ngiht cause they have nothing to do, or if they have something to do it's usually finished by half 9 or 10...so they wander the street with bottles or vodka getting rat-arsed. seriously-have you ever seen a 15 year old finish a bottle of vodka or whiskey or some other spirit. straight. tis stupid...
Originally posted by Acolytethis is something I asked a doctor many years ago: is it better to drink your 28 units in 1 night and give your liver 6 to recover, or to drink 4 units per night. He thought the logic was that your liver could handle 4 units at a time but above that it can get overloaded and that's when damage occurs, so 28 units in 1 night is bad. He wasn't an expert though, and he thought that the 28 unit limit was a bit on the safe side (some doctors reckon nearer 40 units/week is OK).
[b]Isn't it considered reasonably safe to drink up to 28 units a week (if you're a bloke) or 21 units (if you're a lass)? On that basis, you could 'binge' every other night and yet your overall alchohol consumption would be OK. Something doesn't add up here...
That said, the culture of drinking in the UK has changed in the past decade or so, with lads drinking themselves into oblivion twice weekly and especially with girls doing the same. Aparently, although I am too young to have experienced it, this wasn't always the case.
A lot more people are addicted to alcohol than realise it. Many people forget that it is a drug, just as any other, because it is socially accepted. You only realise an addiction when you try to stop and can't (or at least find it difficult). As with most addictions, the addict excuses the inability to stop as being their choice not to stop. Whether an addiction is problematical if it does not cause social or medical harm is another matter but the current trend to heavy drinking is causing addicts for whom alcohol is causing both medical and social harm.
(disclaimer: this is based on the assumption that 'binge drinking' is truely a new/more common phenominon than before, something I have seen no direct proof of - except maybe an increase in girls throwing up in the steet along side the lads)
Originally posted by belgianfreakHmmm. Well I've never tried to stop drinking but I don't think I'm an addict.
As with most addictions, the addict excuses the inability to stop as being their choice not to stop.
I drink a couple of beers or glasses of wine one or two weekdays.
At weekends I drink maybe double that.
Occasionally I get very drunk at parties. It doesn't cause any problems with my life, I don't get hangovers, I don't think I drink enough to harm my health. Why should I want to stop? I don't want to be labelled an alcoholic just because I enjoy my booze.
from your description I don't think there's anything wrong with your drinking either & I wouldn't say you were an addict. It's fully possible to say that you don't want to give up drinking because you enjoy it; I didn't mean that everyone who felt that way was an addict, rather that it is somethin commonly said by addicts.
A description closer to what I would describe as (minor?) addiction would be:
drinking almost every night
having a feeling that something is missing if you don't drink that night
never being able to just have 1 drink. Once you've had 1 you must have more, almost compulsively.
but this can be covered by the denial that you just like a drink.
Originally posted by belgianfreakOkay, I agree with you there. Especially about the not being able to stop bit.
from your description I don't think there's anything wrong with your drinking either & I wouldn't say you were an addict. It's fully possible to say that you don't want to give up drinking because you enjoy it; I didn't mean that everyone who felt that way was an addict, rather that it is somethin commonly said by addicts.
A description closer ...[text shortened]... more, almost compulsively.
but this can be covered by the denial that you just like a drink.
I have a family friend who is alcoholic. Weird thing is, he only ever drinks at weekends, never during the week.
When he does drink though, he spends the entire weekend incoherent. Very sad, but he's been like it for many many years.
Ah, well- binge drinking used to be what everyine did, every day. How many pints do you think the average British man went through in a day in Chaucer's time- all of those units, I'd guess, and then a few.
But too much alcohol can impair the judgement- I was in a sandwich shop in darkest Brooklyn tonight, around 3 AM, and there was a drunken Aussie there going on and on about "white-trash" Americans. Making fun of the sandwich guys (who were all Latin American). The only thing that was keeping this guy and his friend from getting housed is that it is a bit of a cop hangout, and there were a couple of cops there.... on the way out though, and not looking like they cared.
On the way out I walked up to him and asked- so what is this about white trash? He was kind of irritated, but backed right down- started telling me some story about ketchup, of all things. Good for him- I think after I left it is likely noone put him through the plate glass window, assuming he stuck to that line. Still- it's a cautionary tale- this guy was way too drunk to know what kind of neighborhood he was in, and what was likely in store for him.
Originally posted by mitiegeNo - you misunderstand.
Ah, well- binge drinking used to be what everyine did, every day. How many pints do you think the average British man went through in a day in Chaucer's time- all of those units, I'd guess, and then a few.
But too much alcohol can impair the judgement- I was in a sandwich shop in darkest Brooklyn tonight, around 3 AM, and there was a drunken Aussie the ...[text shortened]... ay too drunk to know what kind of neighborhood he was in, and what was likely in store for him.
He was sober - all Australians are like that 😉
Do you really think that Blair is interested in addressing this issue?
Ask yourselves a question: How much money do the major breweries contribute to the Political groups? Answer: an enormous amount.
Would Blair want to eat into their profits and risk their wrath?
No, Blair is doing the age old tactic of jumping on the band-wagon for political vote gain.
Mark my words; there will be alot of flim-flam spoken, and concern voiced whilst nothing will actually be done, and after the election no more will be heard on this topic.
cigerettes are an interesting example. As with alcohol, but more so, they produce a lot of taxes so you're right that government has an reason to keep them on the market. Might this be why the government is attacking 'binge' drinking instead of drinking as a whole, because binge drinking causes social problems (increased police & hospital resources demands etc) wheres moderate drinking is beneficial to health. Smoking on the other and is bad for you whatever quanitiy you consume.
It can also be argued (if you were detatched enough) that 'unhealthy' people are actually good for the economy because they die quickly, whereas healthy people grow old and a remain drain on resources. Again, is this why the government is concentrating on the problem of antisocial behaviour from binge drinking as opposed to the health effects?
hmmm. Are you sure? I know that the profit margins are huge, but 12p per bottle? When supermarkets started selling baked beans at 6p per can the quote from disgruntled opposition was that "you can't can fresh air for 6p". Assuming that bottling costs at least as much as canning then all raw material, labour and transport costs would have to be 6p in total. Looking at some of the transport bills I have in fornt of me (E500/day for a 22MT tanker, and that's not food grade) I find this hard to believe.
Originally posted by belgianfreakmy computing teacher (well-ex teacher...woo!) did a "teachers in the workplace" or soemthing like it placement at allied distilleries. and that's what she told us...she also told us tales of £30K paychecks for doing virtually nout with no qualifications, and free bottles of whiskey every month...
hmmm. Are you sure? I know that the profit margins are huge, but 12p per bottle? When supermarkets started selling baked beans at 6p per can the quote from disgruntled opposition was that "you can't can fresh air for 6p". Assuming that bottling costs at least as much as canning then all raw material, labour and transport costs would have to be 6p in ...[text shortened]... ornt of me (E500/day for a 22MT tanker, and that's not food grade) I find this hard to believe.
it sounded like a nice place to work 🙂