To rant about alcohol and the way it's normalised?

[CheapSausagesAndSpam]

It's EVERYWHERE and it's poisonous. People normalise it..."Oh...wine o'clock already tra la la!"

And all that shite.

It's responsible for thousands of deaths and injuries and trauma every year and yet it's the first thing people think of when they want to celebrate something.

Get this

3 May 2017: New figures released today show that hospital admissions due to alcohol are at their highest ever levels.

The data, summarised in a release from NHS Digital, shows that alcohol-related hospital admissions in England have increased by 64% over the last decade, with an extra 430,000 people being admitted due to alcohol-related causes in 2015/16 compared with 2005/06.

This takes the total number of alcohol-related hospital admissions to over 1.1 million in 2015/16.

And this

Alcohol is linked to over 60 illnesses and diseases, including heart disease, liver disease and cancer. Figures from the local alcohol profiles for England show that admissions due to liver disease have gone up 57% over the last decade, and that the number of people diagnosed with alcohol-related cancer has increased 8%.

How is this a lovely drink? How is this something that is ok to do in front of children and even to allow children to partake of?

People on MN often say "Oh I let my 12 year old have half a glass of wine...it's a good way to introduce it!"

WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO!?

And new research points to the fact that it causes irreversable damage to stem cells, scrambling DNA and eventually causing cancers.

www.theguardian.com/science/2018/jan/03/alcohol-can-cause-irreversible-genetic-damage-to-stem-cells-says-study?CMP=fb_gu

Think about it. Society is not doing itself any favours.

Bold fail again, I clearly need a drink

No, not odd at all.

I enjoy a good cup of coffee just as much as I enjoy a good vodka & tonic. And I would be perfectly happy to just drink coffee at a party if there wasn't a decent vodka on offer.

So did you serve tea and coffee at your wedding?

I am agreeing with you all

I would love to be able to go to a party and not drink . But that never happens . Well only when I am Pregant or post operative !

As I Gwen said I assume Everyone is like me ! And bar a few , my friends are too

If Everyone was moderate drinkers like you the world would be a healthier and better place .

Anyway new year new me and all that ! If I can give up smoking I can give up binge drinking

I don’t want to debate what the OP said as i find the discussion interesting , and people’s opinions of value - if that makes sense

Jeez vodka is vodka. Smirnoff vs Grey Goose. I probably couldn't tell the difference. Not sure I ever asked for coffee at a party though. If I didn't want to drink I'd be sure to take something soft with me. I would feel it extremely impolite to ask my host to make coffee.

So did you serve tea and coffee at your wedding?

Many many people do!

So did you serve tea and coffee at your wedding?

Many many people do!

My reception was an afternoon tea party so I did. i did offer wine as well because unlike TOG I acknowledged that alcohol can add to the enjoyment of an occasion.

What did annoy me was an alcohol free funeral wake . Never had we needed a glass of wine more !

I love a drink, personally. I think it's probably best if you don't imbibe, OP. If you 'rant' like that when sober then it would be carnage! I am surmising there is some cause-related rage here?

notbad good point well made

DV is caused by violent men, not alcohol, same for the rest. It is such a cop out to blame it on booze.

Oh yes - the 'guns don't kill people, people kill people' argument. Sounds as stupid here as it does there.

I find it astounding that people are actually arguing against the fact that alcohol contributes to so many social ills. Some huge mental gymnastics going on.

I remember hearing an interview with our top police officer, and he was asked if he could wave a magic wand to change something that would have the most positive effect on crime and violence.

He said if he could only make one change, he wished alcohol didn't exist.

I cant believe so many people deliberately conflate one drink with alcoholism, or binge drinking.

All alcohol does is lower your inhibitions. It doesn't make you do anything. Like many other people, I've been drunk and never been violent.

I cant believe so many people deliberately conflate one drink with alcoholism, or binge drinking.

I can't believe so many people think that because they don't have a problem with alcohol, it cannot therefore be harmful on a societal level.

Like many other people, I've been drunk and never been violent.

Perfect example. Neither have I, but I have the mental capacity to understand that alcohol can lead to some seriously bad consequences for many, many people.

Ironically, it is often (not always) the most vocal defenders of alcohol who are the most vocal anti-any-other-drug. It's a weird cognitive dissonance that just because the State has decided it's OK, they lose the ability to look at the bigger picture.

Go and visit your local court sometime. You'll find:

• people who've crashed cars
• people who've hit random members of the public
• people who've attacked family members
• people who've driven dangerously
• etc

None of them are there because they ate cake. Not even Withnail.

The criminal justice system is very expensive.

DV is caused by violent men, not alcohol, same for the rest. It is such a cop out to blame it on booze.

Hahahahaha! Did someone really say this? If an arsehole loses his self-control because he's drunk, it's clearly caused by both.

As for me, a moderate drinker, there's nothing duller than having to be with drunks. If they're not trouble, they're still very, very dull company.

I lived in the US and felt a bit embarrassed that we cannot do anything - christening or welcoming parties, weddings, funerals, birthdays - any get togethers really, without booze to cheer us up.
I suspect most other countries don't drink like we do. The most annoying thing is the denial, the idea that WE know how to enjoy ourselves, have a laugh. When it must be quite the opposite - WE don't know how to enjoy other people's company without dulling our senses and unhibiting ourselves with booze.

Op I'm 100% with you on this one! I find it awful that most of us can't go out for an evening/ night without being completely 'ruined' by alcohol. My views may be biased but i have watched too many loved once abuse alcohol to the point of servers health problems and death. It's a substance I wish had never been invented!

I can live a life alcohol free so find it very concerning how many people feel they need alcohol daily or to have a good time.

I also hate it when people say ' I don't drink or smoke so' like everyone should

I assume the Gov does nothing about booze because of the income they get from the huge amount of tax on it.

When will the tax benefits be offset by the costs to the NHS and police ?

I went to buy a birthday card for a girlfriend recently and was staggered at the volume of cards that had alcohol references. I am v partial to a glass of wine, but I agree with OP that the normalisation of alcohol misuse is potentially dangerous.

I read a post here a few years back. 2 couples had gone out for meals/drinks. Later on back at theirs the OPs friend's DH followed her into kitchen, groped her roughly and made very explicit sexual suggestions. OP was mortified and wanted to know how/if she should tell her DH or her friend. But when she posted here the vast majority of responses were to excuse him as everyone acts differently when they drink so "these things happen". I remember thinking really...? So, a man or woman can have a few drinks then just grope and be sexually suggestive to mate's partner and it's ok..? Who knew..

ExH was allowed a sip of his dad's drink from around age 13. He was an alcoholic by age 20, managed to beat it but then years later, started drinking again. He now doesn't drink at all as according to him 1 drink is all it takes.

I assume the Gov does nothing about booze because of the income they get from the huge amount of tax on it.

I'm loving the inherent contradiction in that statement.

Hahahahaha! Did someone really say this? If an arsehole loses his self-control because he's drunk, it's clearly caused by both

Yes. Hilarious as you may find it, it's also the official line from Womens Aid. . You're excusing violent men on the basis of a loss of control from drink. You should be ashamed of yourself.

None of them are there because they ate cake. Not even Withnail

None of them are there because of the alcohol either. They made their choices.
What's with all the making excuses here?