Do we drink too much? Canada says so
Discussion
The following BBC article is about advice in Canada to cut drinking to 2 drinks pwr week no more. If this is right then do we drink too much
BBC News - What's behind Canada's drastic new alcohol guidance
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-6431170...
(For transparency I have been tea total for 8 years and drank heavily before that but have no issue with anyone else drinking)
What are the benefits do people think of this advice and what are the draw backs (would pubs in the UK all but collapse for example)
BBC News - What's behind Canada's drastic new alcohol guidance
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-6431170...
(For transparency I have been tea total for 8 years and drank heavily before that but have no issue with anyone else drinking)
What are the benefits do people think of this advice and what are the draw backs (would pubs in the UK all but collapse for example)
I've been tee-total since 1979. It was forced on me; I'm intolerant to alcohol.
I did a lot of research at the start of my ban and in the intervening years in order to, at the start, find a way around my reaction and later, to find reasons to support my enforced abstinence. The conclusion I came to years ago, one which has been reinforce since, is that alcohol is a poison, one that causes high risk factors to a number of serious medical and behavioural conditions. It was obvious at the start of the government-sponsored 'safe amount' pronouncements that, like smoking, there is no limit that will not cause harm. Two units a week is unlikely to cause problems to the majority of the population, other than the always present likelihood of steadily increasing amounts.
I've no problem with alcohol in the main, although it shortens the time I will spend with those who drink. Being told how great I am and that I'm loved by people who don't know my name soon becomes irritating.
I did a lot of research at the start of my ban and in the intervening years in order to, at the start, find a way around my reaction and later, to find reasons to support my enforced abstinence. The conclusion I came to years ago, one which has been reinforce since, is that alcohol is a poison, one that causes high risk factors to a number of serious medical and behavioural conditions. It was obvious at the start of the government-sponsored 'safe amount' pronouncements that, like smoking, there is no limit that will not cause harm. Two units a week is unlikely to cause problems to the majority of the population, other than the always present likelihood of steadily increasing amounts.
I've no problem with alcohol in the main, although it shortens the time I will spend with those who drink. Being told how great I am and that I'm loved by people who don't know my name soon becomes irritating.
The general consensus now I believe is that any amount of alcohol is harmful, and even that single glass of red per day is no longer recommended.
Whether you feel the perceived social benefits outweigh the health damage is personal choice of course. Some people enjoy a drink, and would be happy to continue even knowing the harm it is doing.
I think abstinence is becoming more common these days, particularly among the younger crowd. I know more than a few 20-somethings who don't drink. Something which was inconceivable when I was that age.
Whether you feel the perceived social benefits outweigh the health damage is personal choice of course. Some people enjoy a drink, and would be happy to continue even knowing the harm it is doing.
I think abstinence is becoming more common these days, particularly among the younger crowd. I know more than a few 20-somethings who don't drink. Something which was inconceivable when I was that age.
Apparently some people are working on a "vaccine" for meat eaters so they'll no long "want" to eat meat. Maybe they can come up with something for alcohol? Then mandate it for everyone. Maybe Canada will class alchoholism as a mental, terminal disease and they can end the individuals suffering under MAiD.....?
It's a tricky one isn't it? We seem to have slowly accepted limits on smoking (Tax, warnings and prohibiting smoking in public buildings), but would we accept similar restrictions on drinking?
I think it's right that government should fund studies, and give 'safe' warnings about drinking, but should they be able to ban it or enforce limits?
As a drinker, I think perhaps a steady increase on tax/duty for off-license/supermarket sales (whilst leaving pub/restaurant sales untouched) will reduce the amount of people consuming large amounts of cheap alcohol at home, and would also give the pub trade a much needed helping hand.
I think it's right that government should fund studies, and give 'safe' warnings about drinking, but should they be able to ban it or enforce limits?
As a drinker, I think perhaps a steady increase on tax/duty for off-license/supermarket sales (whilst leaving pub/restaurant sales untouched) will reduce the amount of people consuming large amounts of cheap alcohol at home, and would also give the pub trade a much needed helping hand.
I do enjoy a drink but have noticed the younger generation (say 30 and below) rarely touch the stuff. Even my eldest (10) has decided she doesn't want to drink alchohol and if things continue to change in the social setting then I am sure more will not take up the habit.
Also I have been drinking low/non alchohol alternatives for a couple of years for some of my drinks and they have come on leaps and bounds, certainly the beers. Wine has no viable alternative yet which is shame as that is my go to drink.
Also I have been drinking low/non alchohol alternatives for a couple of years for some of my drinks and they have come on leaps and bounds, certainly the beers. Wine has no viable alternative yet which is shame as that is my go to drink.
Like many things in life, it is simply a balance of what you enjoy versus how much you value health.
Also, for most people, genetics have a huge role to play in deciding how long, or how healthy your life will be. We've all seen those people who smoke 40 a day for 60 years, have a relatively poor diet, and enjoy a drink, yet there they are aged 91, still bombproof. Conversely we all know people who have been fit, healthy, non smokers and light drinkers, who have dropped dead in their 40's and 50's from heart problems, cancers, or other issues.
Personally speaking, I have a non-addictive personality, and I can drink daily for weeks on end (1 or 2 glasses), then go through phases of mostly 'forgetting' to have a drink and not bothering for a while. I don't get cravings. But I do really like wines and fine spirits (Cognac etc). I derive a lot of pleasure from nice wines and also a nice real ale. I almost never drink to get drunk as I simply cannot stand feeling groggy or having a hangover, but I do love a drink. I also enjoy drinking socially with friends and having a drink after work with colleagues.
I accept that alcohol is harmful, yet I won't be curbing my drinking in some attempt to lengthen my lifespan.
My opinion is that obesity and diet is a far bigger health issue than alcohol, certainly given the number of younger people less interested in alcohol than previous generations.
Also, for most people, genetics have a huge role to play in deciding how long, or how healthy your life will be. We've all seen those people who smoke 40 a day for 60 years, have a relatively poor diet, and enjoy a drink, yet there they are aged 91, still bombproof. Conversely we all know people who have been fit, healthy, non smokers and light drinkers, who have dropped dead in their 40's and 50's from heart problems, cancers, or other issues.
Personally speaking, I have a non-addictive personality, and I can drink daily for weeks on end (1 or 2 glasses), then go through phases of mostly 'forgetting' to have a drink and not bothering for a while. I don't get cravings. But I do really like wines and fine spirits (Cognac etc). I derive a lot of pleasure from nice wines and also a nice real ale. I almost never drink to get drunk as I simply cannot stand feeling groggy or having a hangover, but I do love a drink. I also enjoy drinking socially with friends and having a drink after work with colleagues.
I accept that alcohol is harmful, yet I won't be curbing my drinking in some attempt to lengthen my lifespan.
My opinion is that obesity and diet is a far bigger health issue than alcohol, certainly given the number of younger people less interested in alcohol than previous generations.
I suspect as a society in very general terms we do drink too much, there is still a big culture in the U.K based around drinking, going to the pub for any social occasion etc.
I think there are lot of people in this country who are drinking almost daily but in what is deemed to be a socially acceptable way such as drinking a bottle of wine on an evening sat on the sofa, I believe this is a predominantly middle class middle age issue.
As someone said above it appears that younger adults are moving away from alcohol albeit they may be using more illegal substances at the same time
I think there are lot of people in this country who are drinking almost daily but in what is deemed to be a socially acceptable way such as drinking a bottle of wine on an evening sat on the sofa, I believe this is a predominantly middle class middle age issue.
As someone said above it appears that younger adults are moving away from alcohol albeit they may be using more illegal substances at the same time
I think when I read this today I wondered is Canada right and if so are we in the UK wrong about 14 units etc. I also wonder if it's so harmful (if) then what about drugs and legalisation. Really do governments let us cause harm whe. It benefits them tax but prohibit it when there is no tax. Surely safe amount does not change as soon as you get off the plain in London or Toronto
Gecko1978 said:
I think when I read this today I wondered is Canada right and if so are we in the UK wrong about 14 units etc. I also wonder if it's so harmful (if) then what about drugs and legalisation. Really do governments let us cause harm whe. It benefits them tax but prohibit it when there is no tax. Surely safe amount does not change as soon as you get off the plain in London or Toronto
Canada has developed a very strong authoritarian streak in recent years, that's probably all there is to it. Ultimately the individual should be free to decide whether to drink and, if so, how much so long as it's not causing harm to others.PS: obesity is the elephant in the room, but gets a free pass especially if you dye your hair pink
In my experience the reason why many 18-30 year olds don’t drink much is that they are spending it on Cocaine instead.Everytime I have been out with my 28 year old friend and his group I’m offered some without fail they prefer that buzz to the drink it seems.I have told him to go easy as he might drop dead in his forties if he’s unlucky.
I like a drink and always will and have no intention of stopping I enjoy it too much.
I like a drink and always will and have no intention of stopping I enjoy it too much.
Lord Marylebone said:
Like many things in life, it is simply a balance of what you enjoy versus how much you value health.
Also, for most people, genetics have a huge role to play in deciding how long, or how healthy your life will be. We've all seen those people who smoke 40 a day for 60 years, have a relatively poor diet, and enjoy a drink, yet there they are aged 91, still bombproof. Conversely we all know people who have been fit, healthy, non smokers and light drinkers, who have dropped dead in their 40's and 50's from heart problems, cancers, or other issues.
Personally speaking, I have a non-addictive personality, and I can drink daily for weeks on end (1 or 2 glasses), then go through phases of mostly 'forgetting' to have a drink and not bothering for a while. I don't get cravings. But I do really like wines and fine spirits (Cognac etc). I derive a lot of pleasure from nice wines and also a nice real ale. I almost never drink to get drunk as I simply cannot stand feeling groggy or having a hangover, but I do love a drink. I also enjoy drinking socially with friends and having a drink after work with colleagues.
I accept that alcohol is harmful, yet I won't be curbing my drinking in some attempt to lengthen my lifespan.
My opinion is that obesity and diet is a far bigger health issue than alcohol, certainly given the number of younger people less interested in alcohol than previous generations.
The problems with weight and poor diet are known and accepted. There is a great deal of research completed over recent years to support that, to the extent that there is no logical argument against the consensus. There has not been the same degree of research on how harmful alcohol can be. There's lots on how drink can affect decision making at low levels, giving rise to the lowering of DD limits in many countries. But there's not the same degree of research on general harm, although there are some if you look hard enough. Also, for most people, genetics have a huge role to play in deciding how long, or how healthy your life will be. We've all seen those people who smoke 40 a day for 60 years, have a relatively poor diet, and enjoy a drink, yet there they are aged 91, still bombproof. Conversely we all know people who have been fit, healthy, non smokers and light drinkers, who have dropped dead in their 40's and 50's from heart problems, cancers, or other issues.
Personally speaking, I have a non-addictive personality, and I can drink daily for weeks on end (1 or 2 glasses), then go through phases of mostly 'forgetting' to have a drink and not bothering for a while. I don't get cravings. But I do really like wines and fine spirits (Cognac etc). I derive a lot of pleasure from nice wines and also a nice real ale. I almost never drink to get drunk as I simply cannot stand feeling groggy or having a hangover, but I do love a drink. I also enjoy drinking socially with friends and having a drink after work with colleagues.
I accept that alcohol is harmful, yet I won't be curbing my drinking in some attempt to lengthen my lifespan.
My opinion is that obesity and diet is a far bigger health issue than alcohol, certainly given the number of younger people less interested in alcohol than previous generations.
I don't want to pick on you, but you do make personal comments, so:
Your comment - . . . curbing my drinking in some attempt to lengthen my lifespan - is one that was used, way back, to support smoking, despite even low amounts having serious side effects. The factor covered up by such statements is that quality of life suffers through drinking as well as smoking. Perhaps 'curbing my drinking in a probably successful attempt to reduce the time I will have a decent quality of life' might be more accurate.
You say you 'almost never drink to get drunk' as if this is some form of get out of gaol free card, but it ignores what research there is. Occasional binge drinking is very harmful, especially so for those who only occasionally imbibe, which, fair enough, seems to appear not include you.
There are a number of harmful effects from the number of harmful products burned in smoking. It is not all about cancer in one's 40s and 50s, and the same goes for alcoholic drinks. I was scheduled for a biopsy on two lumps in my throat and, concerned, I saw the surgeon to ask about likely outcomes. A tracheotomy was the norm, which meant I would lose my job. He asked if I smoked and drank at the same time, or drank is a smoky atmosphere. When I told him I neither drank nor smoked, he said that in (I think) eight years of performing biopsies on roughly eight people three times a week, he had never performed a tracheotomy (in the circumstances) on any patient that neither smoked nor drank. Yet I found no research on the matter. Out of the 9 fellow biopsies, 7 had tracheotomies, 1 - me - was sent home without intervention, and the remaining one, a lovely chap, was sent home as the cancer was too established to remove. Or rather, he was sent home to die.
Even small amounts of alcohol strips away protective layers in one's mouth and throat.
Alcohol is a dangerous substance, yet there is social pressure to conform to the norm. There have been suggestions that kids using Es has meant that they don't drink alcohol so much. This is good news for their longevity and general health, albeit rather sadly.
Lead a miserable existence can not be inviting.Any medical advice which states a glass of red wine is bad for you should be thrown in the bin, set alight and perpetrators of such drivel be taken to Italy and/or France be made to state such a thing repeatedly until the local population get bored of kicking them to death.
Utterly inanely stupid drivel. A bottle of red wine a day is going to be sub optimal, but frankly nobody sane is going to do such a thing. A glass a day - well, history says no. And history always beats everybody else.
Utterly inanely stupid drivel. A bottle of red wine a day is going to be sub optimal, but frankly nobody sane is going to do such a thing. A glass a day - well, history says no. And history always beats everybody else.
Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff