Did anybody see the Panaroma about binge drinking last night?

[Orangelight23]

Real eye opener for me. Women in their 30s being diagnosed with liver disease. I must admit I have myself been drawn into wine culture and drinking wine to relax.

It's made me have a real think about my alcohol intake to be honest.

@Grandmasswagbag Thankyou! Phew haha. I used to drink all sorts, neat vodka etc every weekend but stopped around age 22 and then rarely since.
The body is so amazing sometimes and yet so fragile in other ways.

I think a lot of people think that the alcohol related illnesses won't happen to them. That certainly happened in my family. My parents were teachers, my sister a graduate working in a solicitor's office. My whole family did sport all the time- my mum ran multiple marathons. It started out just social drinking or drinking on a Friday to wind down and it crept up. My mum was signed off work due to poor mental health due to her marriage breaking down and with the time on her hands just started gradually drinking more. To the outside world she was still just a social drinker. My sister enjoyed a beer after work, that beer slowly increased to 5-6 pints. Then wine on top.

The thing about alcoholism is that people hold it all together, until one day it all falls apart. The shakes start, you're unable to work, parent and function and it goes to shit. When the wheels start to fall off they come off quickly.

My sister died in her 30s leaving a 7 year old. My mum is alive in her 70s but needing home care due to alcohol related brain damage. In 2010 you'd have thought they just enjoyed a drink and were the life and souls of the party. By 2014 alcohol had ruined our family.

I was drinking 2 to 3 bottles a day rather than a week. I love wine but I know that I can’t stop at just one or two glasses so I quit altogether. I’ve lost 3 & a half stone so far, my skin has stopped looking red & blotchy, I rarely fall asleep in the day anymore & my mood is way way calmer. Sleep much better too.

I think you need to step away from this thread if it's making you this upset.

That was meant to be in response to someone, but why do I need to step away, what point have I made that has gone too far? I wish to talk about the ill effects of alcohol, which is the subject of this thread, what is not needed is alcohol defenders piping up, just debate about alcohol and health.

Nobody is saying that. It’s interesting that that is what you have taken from the thread though.

I constantly see ads for gins spirits vodka etc. Those are the things which people don't realise are killing them, my father has been drinking endless pints of beer all his adult life with no ill effects so far.
Think about the difference in percentage a beer is about 5% and wine is about 15%? Roughly I think i might be wrong. Vodka and spirits are more popular with younger people and a lot stronger.

Even worse is the rise of cocktails with monster energy drink in, Ive noticed these becoming more popular in pubs recently, sounds like a recipe for a heart attack by 25

The Christmas lights are up in our village so we're doing a family walk around tonight to have a nose. Now I'm not going to lie normally that would be a perfect excuse for me to come home and have Bailey's or wine but tonight I am going to settle for a hot chocolate.

I think it's the changes like that I need to start with. I need to try and stop making alcohol involved in most events.

Or you demonise even one glass of wine, force your opinions on everyone else. Whilst sat there eating chocolate on your sofa, overweight with high cholesterol and god knows what other health issues - because we know being overweight is very bad for your health. But because a drop of alcohol never passes your lips you’re healthier than the moderate drinker who exercises and eats well?

Not a single person on this thread has said that, so it's an interesting conclusion you've managed to come to.

Of course overeating and a sedentary lifestyle are both bad for you, that doesn't mean people can't discuss the dangers of alcohol though.

But alcohol IS a fundamental feature of most if not all social events isn't it? That's the thing. If you are a non drinker like me, social events can become quite boring very quickly when others around you are getting louder and louder and laughing like hyenas at non funny things and so on.

I'm not a prude, I go to these things like the pub to listen to a good live music session, weddings, christenings, graduations, birthdays, funerals even, and so on. Every single event is alcohol related. Most I enjoy, but truthfully - some I can't wait to get away from!

Now I realise that with drink driving laws not everyone partakes, but those who don't for these reasons are prone to having to say, "ah no, I'll have a coke, I'm driving" rather than just saying no thanks. Not drinking seems to need an excuse and is quite "othering" when out socially I find.

But anyway, wishing you all the best in your journeys, whether that's to carry on regardless and love it, or cut it down or out. Choices are adult decisions, and the minute the thought police come out is the time many ignore the lecturing!

You seem very upset.

This thread is about the Panorama programme on binge drinking.

Nobody has defended binge drinking. Not one poster.

It is not a thread about abstaining and villifying all/any amont of alcohol.

It's a really tricky one. And a lot of the stuff on here is anecdotal. For everyone who has known someone who died young, someone else will know someone who drank 10 bottles of wine a week and lived to be 95.

Dh and I definitely drink too much. I partied hard in my twenties then settled down and was a weekend only drinker. Then during Covid all bets were off. There was no working week, nowhere to go and we got into the habit of a bottle of wine (each!) most nights. Working from home also played a part as there was no commute or feeling hungover in a sweaty office all day.

Anyway we aren't that bad now but we do both still drink most nights of the week. For me it's G&T or wine. My measures are ridiculous and I'd say a G&T for me is probably a treble or quadruple shot in a massive glass with tonic that will last me the evening.

Do I think it's good for me? No. Do I feel better when I've had a night off? Yes. I really am trying to cut back and find more productive ways to spend my time when the dc are in bed and I'm exhausted. The sad fact is that it's become a habit for me and one that brings me a lot of enjoyment and comfort (at the time). Because when life is a slog and there's not much to do, you seek comfort in the things that make you feel nice.

I am actively trying to cut back and some of the stats on this thread are very hard to read. But it's difficult to give up something you enjoy.

If you are a non drinker like me, social events can become quite boring very quickly when others around you are getting louder and louder and laughing like hyenas at non funny things and so on

I think this is why it's difficult to include non drinkers in events where a lot of alcohol will be consumed. You may think you're hiding your feelings, but they likely show on your face. I've seen the non drinkers looking bored and it does put a bit of a "downer" on things. Because you want them to be having a good time too and they're clearly not.

I realised that the reason I drank a lot when out is that otherwise I would feel bored! I've had to rethink what I actually want to do socially. If I feel I "need" to drink to make it fun, then I just don't go now. Alcohol was my "reward" for forcing myself to go to whatever event it was. So the easy answer is to just not go. That's not to say I never go out now, but only if it's something that really interests me.

I have to say I do find all the comments about people needing alcohol to relax and unwind quite interesting and I do wonder if it's not a bit of a vicious circle.

Even though it feels nice to drink, alcohol is a depressive so often affects your sleep and makes you feel awful the next day. You then struggle through work and bedtime and feel like you need another drink to make you feel better, and on and on it goes.

And before I'm attacked for demonising alcohol and not other bad habits, the same applies to people who sit on the sofa eating Malteasers all evening, or who claim they find have time for exercise when they spent three hours a night in front of the telly.

I don't say that to be preachy, I've been guilty of all those bad habits at some point, but it's incredibly easy to see how people fall into a pattern of drinking on a daily basis and how theamount can easily creep up on you.

I think this is why it's difficult to include non drinkers in events where a lot of alcohol will be consumed. You may think you're hiding your feelings, but they likely show on your face. I've seen the non drinkers looking bored and it does put a bit of a "downer" on things. Because you want them to be having a good time too and they're clearly not.

It's interesting that the drinkers never really think to accommodate those that don't drink by reducing their consumption or picking an activity that isn't entirely centred around booze, though.

I mean, if I had a friend who clearly didn't enjoy drinking or sitting in the pub, I wouldn't invite them anyway and then complain they were putting a downer on things - I would pick an activity that we would both enjoy and save the drinking and pub visit for another time instead.

That's not true of all drinkers. I'm quite happy to meet a friend for lunch (none boozy), a walk or the cinema amongst other things.

My mum died of bowel cancer at 67 and was completely tee-total.

@30percent Yeah I think the harder stuff kills faster. My cousin suddenly took to drinking bottles of spirits every night and died within 2 years. My friend who has been on cider every night for decades definitely has symptoms but is very functional.. it's more of a very slow deterioration.
And yes these energy drinks scare me.

@ivegoneswimming yes, I should have been more clear that it's obviously not everyone.

It's just interesting that PP says they find it hard to include non-drinkers in social events - there are hundreds of things you can do that don't involve alcohol.

“You seem very upset” is incredibly patronising, I’m not talking about the defence of binge drinking, just generally the need of drinkers to defend their drinking at all on a thread talking about some of the ill effects of alcohol consumption, which this thread and the program is about. There is no need for people to be on here saying ‘well my drinking is alright, I’m not the problem, I should be able to enjoy alcohol in moderation’. No one including me has said you can’t, but if we are discussing what alcohol can do to the human body, there is no need for these sort of patronising moderate drinker interjections. So please don’t tilt your head and calculating tell me I seem very upset.

@cookiebee I agree you seem triggered and upset by this.

You also don't get to moderate what other people are saying. It's a discussion about the health risks of alcohol - so if people come here to say well I drink alcohol but haven't had any health issues then it's their experience and relevant to the subject.

I'm not sure why you're trying to censor what people are allowed to talk about.

or wallet

Then why is it perfectly normal, socially accountable for teenagers and students to get drunk all the time at parties?

How do red wine drinking countries fare? Particularly the French who in my experience drink morning noon and night? Is the bread and cheese absorbing
the poison? Do we drink for the sake of it, without food?

I’m not trying to moderate, just can’t really get across that those who are saying that they are fine drinking is not helping the wider discussion about ill health and alcohol, it doesn’t help at all. Let me try one more example, there was a discussion about the cancer bell on here, the bell that people get to ring out loud when they have successfully finished treatment. Generally lots of us agreed that it should be banned, because there are people and families on that ward that have to listen to it even though there is no hope of recovery for them, it like a big ‘see you later losers, I’m fine!’

So when we have a thread about how alcohol has negatively effected many people, people tell their traumatic stories, then someone says ‘well I don’t have an issue so I don’t see why I should be demonised’, then it’s that same fuck you to anyone talking about the negative aspects that have effected their lives, can there not just be one discussion without the ‘well I’m alright’ brigade?