Alcohol

[Keef]

I like drinking :)-D

[MadWorld74]

I gave my opinion. An opinion is neither right or wrong. What gets my goat is that some people think they can they tell me my opinion is 'wrong'. Some people really do consider themselves to be the font of all bloody knowledge.

[CamberwellOz]

This guilt talk reminds me of when I got taught my nuns at school. The reason the ads are affecting you is because you personally have thought these thoughts before (OR for me I was rammed full of roman catholic guilt from an early age. Both my primary and high school was run by nuns and they made me feel guilty about everything that made me feel good). I don't want to start a massive religous debate - this is just my opinion about why I don't like the ads.

[CamberwellOz]

*Hides and waits for the uproar*

[david_carnell]

I've got to say I'm with Jah on this one.

This 21 units a week malarky is nonsense. They invented the figure. As in "we've got no fookin clue but this seems about right".

If you look worldwide no one can even decide what a "unit" is:

UK - unit = 8g alcohol

Iceland - 9.5g

Netherlands - 9.9g

Canada - 13.6g

Hungary - 17g

Japan - 19.75g!!!!

And that's Japan people...not a nation renowned for dropping dead in their 50s. Yes, yes, they eat fish 10 x a week but you ever see a Japanese businessman on the lash and you'll see what drunk is.

Second, the "recommmended daily/weekly amount" figure is also hotly disputed:

USA - 196g/week (male)

UK - 168g/week

New Zealand - 210g/week

Australia - 280g/week

Japan - 276.5g/week

Now why should I be concerned about units and allowances again?

Man needs three things to live a happy life. Bread, bacon and beer. I'm buggered if I'm giving up any of those.

[macroban]

Have I got this right?

Catholics drink more alcohol.

[CamberwellOz]

No I feel guilty about drinking alcohol because of my Catholic background....

[ClareC]

annaj Wrote:

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> I think the point of the current campaign is to

> make people aware of how many units are in each

> drink as research has shown that most people

> underestimate how many units they drink.

>

> I don't think that's unreasonable. Whatever you

> view on whether the the government should interfer

> in our health related decisions, surely they have

> a duty to inform.

>

> Let's see if the research behind the campaign is

> reflected on the forum...

> Answer this: If a woman drinks half a bottle of

> wine each evening with dinner, three large glasses

> in the pub on Friday and Saturday and a bottle of

> lager on a Sunday afternoon how many units has she

> had?

@ 51! Thats a lot of alcohol in a week!

[Cassius]

david_carnell Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> USA - 196g/week (male)

> UK - 168g/week

> New Zealand - 210g/week

> Australia - 280g/week

> Japan - 276.5g/week

David - love your figures but do find it surprising that the US has a higher recommended limit than the UK - I thought that they were totally paranoid about drinking over there - mmmm time to move to Australia I think - do you have figures for European countries for comparison?

[mockney piers]

Regards the drunk Japanese businessmen, I believe that's because their livers aren't very good at metabolising alcohol.

In the East they've boiled their water and added infusions to prevent dirty water issues.

Round this part of the world we've traditionally fermented our water to prevent infections/impurities.

Our livers evolved to cope with this, whereas your oriental liver never got enough practice in.

[annaj]

Ok, putting units to one side for a moment, but sticking with the guilt (sorry CamberwellOz!) another way to assess your drinking is the CAGE questionnaire...

Do you think you should Cut down on your drinking?

Has anyone Annoyed you by criticising your drinking?

Do you feel Guilty about drinking?

Have you ever had an Eye-opener?

A score of two or more suggests you may have a problem, 3 or more strongly suggests a problem.

I'll start. I score 1 now, but used to score 3.

Oh and MW74, if you're referring to me, I don't think I'm "the font of all bloody knowledge" I just happen to have quite a lot of experience, both professional and personal, of the adverse effects of alcohol.

[Jah Lush]

I think I should also point out here that it's moderation in all things. As a former problem drinker myself (ok, alcoholic if you like) it took me a very long time to know my limitations.

Between the ages of 28 and 35 I had eight attacks of acute pancreatitis which was caused by my excessive drinking and not eating. Drink had become my food. If you ever have the dreaded pancreatitis the medical profession will tell you that you can never drink again or it will surely kill you and it is a killer, people do die from it so I guess I'm rather lucky to still be here. But I don't believe in total abstinence and I love a drinkpoo and shall continue to do so without some government twerp or man in a white coat telling me I can't.

I did my time of abstinence, I first went nine months, fell of the wagon and then did a year without drinking and after a few more attacks and a bit more abstinence finally got my drinking under control. I'm hardly a paragon of virtue I'll admit as I still on occasion like to drink to excess as the Right Honourable Sir Mockney has kindly pointed but I know my limits and having now gone 15 years without being ill I feel I must be doing something right.

I no longer drink every day and indeed do try go through the week without one. I don't always succeed but I do try and I've even gone weekends without a drink to but when Friday comes along I do get the feeling of letting the tigers out of the cage especially after a particularly shitty week in the office. It helps me relax and wind down.

Anyway I'm rambling a bit here so I'll let others carry on and join the debate again bit later.

[david_carnell]

Cassius Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> David - love your figures but do find it

> surprising that the US has a higher recommended

> limit than the UK - I thought that they were

> totally paranoid about drinking over there - mmmm

> time to move to Australia I think - do you have

> figures for European countries for comparison?

Many Euro countries only give daily limits so you'd have to "do the math" (Or I'll do it for you)

UK - 168g/week

Austria: 24g/day = 168g/week

Czech Republic 24g/day = 168g/week

Italy: 40g/day = 280g/week

Netherlands: 29.7g/day = 207.9g/week

Portugal 37g/day = 259g/week

Spain: 30g/day = 210g/week

Sweden: 20g/day = 140g/week

Switzerland: 24g/day = 168g/week

What's Portugal like this time of year/life?

[TillieTrotter]

What's in an Eye Opener Annaj? Might have one of those tonight. :)-D

[Keef]

Hello everyone, my name is Keef, and......

[Brendan]

Bloody hell! I go out to the pub for lunch and you lot manage a page and a half of posts on alcohol. Don?t you know it?s Friday afternoon and you should be drinking man!

[mockney piers]

I have been 4, but am pottering on 2, hopefully on the cusp of 1.

[annaj]

Oh and the Japanese businessmen - an inbuilt lack alcoholdehydrogenase, the enzyme required to metabolise alcohol, is much more common in those of oriental origin.

[annaj]

An eyeopener is a drink first thing in the morning, or when you wake up.

[david_carnell]

The Japanese thing was a bit of light hearted banter but the fact remains that the Japanese government (not renowned for their dim-wittedness) seem to think it entirely acceptable to drink nearly twice what the UK govt does. Now both cannot be right but both certainly can be wrong.

[KalamityKel]

The after effects of drinking? Hmmm I'll let u know when I'm de-pickled :-S I'm way too easily influenced by norty drinkers...

[CamberwellOz]

I think I want an Eye Opener too.... reminds me of Aussie boys trying to open beer bottles with their hmm the bone above your eye socket? Supraorbital process?

[Asset]

ooh yes, I like those.

When camping in france we often would finsh the remains of the previous night's bottle of red before packing up.

When in Rome (or France).....

Since the beginning of this year I've cut down a lot on the consumption. I was the bigger half of a bottle a night but now tend not to drink during the week or just have a little stubby of pissy lager. I really miss having wine with my evening meal but am unable to restrict myself to one glass.

My name is Asset.....

[Cassius]

David - now I am POSITIVE that I want to move to Italy - it beckons - it beckons......

Maybe the Black Cherry could create an Eye Opener for us all...... come on Jamie you know you want to.......

[Brendan]

Anna I answered no to all your questions. Does that mean I should start to drink more?