to think the drink culture encourages us to drink more?

[ssd]

just seen an asda advert on here...happy halloween...1 ltr spirits only £16

I often read the brave babes thread, it's so encouraging, heart breaking yet strong

yet we're bombarded by messages saying "drink more, its great!"

and drink responsibly in tiny letters at the end....

in whose interest is it to constantly promote cheap alcohol, someone must be making a huge profit from it all, keeping us on teetering on the level of alcoholics so they can ensure profits never go down

its just so wrong

I barely drink. I used to drink a lot. I DO feel pleased with myself. I know I am healthier and happier than old drinking me. If that comes across as superior then that says more about people's need to have others validating their drinking than me.

I agree with English. So don't buy it. I hardly drink these days, my body can't tolerate it much anymore as I age, but I'm sick of nannying like minimum pricing and sugar tax which punish people who are responsible.

Smugness is such an unpleasant trait.

Well that’s kind of the point of the drinking culture .... the massive wealthy booze tycoons want us to drink as much as possible so they get more money... take as old as time.

And yes @ThroughThickAndThin01 I finished my postgrad this year and have to say that my alcohol tolerance, through virtue of the excess drinking pushed, is sickeningly high.

I know it’s my choice and I can choose not to drink but it felt inclusive to drink at uni.

What happens is there's always alcohol at home for many and a nightly drink/s is the norm, the chidren copy from their teens and the cycle repeats. Drinking is part of life for many sadly, I know very few people now that don't drink.

Going back to the 60s and for the start of the 70s I would say in my peer group it was unheard of to have alcohol in the house.
There might have been a ginger wine or sherry left over from Christmas and it would stay there till next Christmas. people didn't automatically go to the wine shop and buy a bottle of wine or a few beers . if you were going to drink it was done on nights out in the local pub.

The whole culture has changed

I see your point but your title makes no sense. The ad you mention is an obvious play on words. As others have said, there is a big range between a mess and no touching a drop. You could jsut as easily apply your complaint to most other advertising. Sweets also have nothing to do with Halloween, make up with happiness or cars with being a man but adverts still try to suggest them all. It's not an isoltated area. Advertising as a whole could be blamed for the disgusting overconsumption we see every day.

I have no idea what my point is but it has been an interesting thread to read.

Well that’s kind of the point of the drinking culture .... the massive wealthy booze tycoons want us to drink as much as possible so they get more money... take as old as time

I would say it is more to do with keeping the populace in a stupor so they never have a clear head to think.

I agree. I am on a train with a hen party on it, they are getting stuck in to the booze- it's 11am FFS. We now know just how bad drinking is for you alcohol marketing is irresponsible IMO

Thank you LyingWitch and call me callmehannahbaker
I have it under control now, but it's been a eye-opening year in lot's of ways.

It has struck me how normal drinking is, how many people told me my wine consumption was normal and it seemed it, they were doing it too. Mum's at the school gate openly talking about how they were longing for 7pm on Friday, passing on when the 25% off 6 bottles was next on and I can't remember the last time I was invited for coffee, always 'come for a glass of wine'

I remember my own mum would have friends over in the early evening for a cup of tea, lots of booze in was for christmas and a bottle of wine between 4 over dinner was more the norm.
Now, going to a dinner party people bring 3 bottles in my circles, one for the host, one for each partner.

For me, it got out of hand, it is easily done and a great many people reading will start on the wine at 6pm tonight while cooking dinner, to sip during the film and so on. I did that ,so did everyone I know.
Half a bottle became a whole one, became 2 and then the weekend began on Thursday night. I thought I was OK because I never drank on a Monday.

But that was me, I envy people who can enjoy one glass at dinner and wish I was one of them.
Right now, I could walk to the corner shop and buy as much as I wanted for little money. Years ago you would have to plan to buy alcohol.

Anyway, it's an interesting debate

I agree with grumpyold blonde.

The culture is very much gin! Wine! Kids in bed, mummy’s drinking! as if it’s some massive hilarious joke. That non drinkers are boring old farts that just don’t get it. Giggle, it’s wine o’clock!

When i grew up adults didn’t drink at home, unless you had friends round. You went to the pub.

My mum was very much “ooh, 6’o clock, wine time”, and talking about “needing” or “deserving” a glass of wine every night. Only a glass or two, harmless habit, relaxing etc.

Until she came to me for three days one christmas and i only had one bottle of wine in (we don’t drink). She had me driving miles on christmas eve to the only open wine merchant for 6 bottles in case nowhere was open christmas/boxing day. Her absolute panic at the idea of there being no wine in the house made her realise her fun little habit wasn’t healthy at all.

Making something the norm is a tried and testing advertising tactic (Google 'nudge theory') Its based on psychology, we're more likely to do something if we believe it's normal and most other people are doing it.

Add cheap booze in supermarkets to this, it's a green light to drink as much as you want - and for people who battle with alcohol this is an issue.

That's why banning the advertising of smoking, increasing prices and making smoking socially unacceptable has successfully reduced the numbers of people who smoke.

A few of my family members are hospital doctors and paramedics. They believe that a huge amount of the problems with the NHS (especially a&e) would be solved if alcohol disappeared. Alcohol causes more health problems than smoking but our economy and social lives depend on breweries, pubs and supermarkets selling drink. It may become one of the big challenges of our future.

Op, YANBU

I rarely drink, I just don't like it.

I can't believe that so many people drink so much. It's utterly pointless to me.

I rarely drink and from dads side I come from a family of alcoholics so I do realise that I might be extra sensitive to others drinking.

I do think that a lot more people are problematic drinkers than they realise because it's so normal. I know quite a lotof people who won't have a drink unless I have one as well. If you want to drink then do so but it's ridiculous that you won't allow yourself a drink if not the whole group is doing it. That points to a problem to me. I'd happily drink something else than my friends and family so why is it different when alcohol is involved?

Also, drinking from emotional reasons (had a bad day, tired, celebrate friday and other daft excuses) is a red flag for me as well. Of course I will toast to a wedding. And I do have a glass of wine very occasionally because I like the feeling of drinking it but you shouldn't need an excuse.

And of course if a sober month is a dreaded or difficult thing then you might have a think about your drinking habit as well.

I think that it has been normalised to a point that it is more difficult to realise when you are slipping into bad deinking habits.

You have to remember supermarkets didn't come into existence untill late 60s (might have been earlier in some areas but I am just remembering my own town). Before that you had to go to the bakers for bread , the green grocers for fruit and veg etc and a vintners for alcohol.

If I could hazzard a guess on when things changed I would say around 1986/87.