To not really understand the need for people to drink alcohol all the time?

[BusWankers]

I really don't understand why people socialise and drink alcohol all the time, or go out specifically to get drunk and have fun, or all the "LOL Prosecco time!" At 11am in a Sunday. And people buying boxes if beers and 4 bottles of wine as part of the weekly shop.

I do drink, very rarely, sometimes for weddings or whatever.bit I really don't understand the normality of everyday drinking.

I know I'm in the minority, bit
..what gives?????

I completely agree with this. I drink (far less than I used to) and I have no problem with people drinking alcohol in moderation but I do think the way its marketed to us as cheeky/liberating/funny is really disturbing. I had the same experience as you recently in an Oliver Bonas trying to find a card for someone's party and it was literally impossible to find a card for an adult female which wasn't some sort of riff on people drinking too much.

The whole "wine o'clock/beer o'clock", "time for prosecco", thing and its grim merchandising is so bizarre. It is happening in parallel to growing awareness of the risks of drinking for health, an increasingly Puritanical youth culture and a robust public health campaign. Why do the people who manufacture this think it reflects our cultural zeitgeist? Is there a cabal of marketing managers who think to themselves: "in an era where women have more political power and agency than at any time in history, what do they most want to talk about? Ah yes, drinking themselves into oblivion." It's not even funny or charming, its a complete cliche. Grim.

I’m with you. I can’t fathom the amount of people that that drink every day after work. I just don’t see the point.
Of course I understand people like different things I’m not stupid. I understand alcohol is addictive. I don’t understand why it’s more socially acceptable to drink every day than it is to not drink on an occasion. People mindsets are strange.

So 60% don't...what does that tell you??

I love a drink, not every day but I’d be gutted to give it up.
I just love the different scenarios with different drinks.
baileys at Christmas wrapping presents, cocktails on Holiday.
Prosecco and crisps with friends, ice cold white wine in the garden in summer.
cider or a shandy at a pub after a long walk.

I will say as well sometimes I love to get tipsy - a night out for a friends birthday or wedding etc then yes it reduces my inhibitions to have a good old dance and I love it.

hangovers not so much but only get a handful a year luckily some of which is because I’m relatively careful in not drinking too quickly, not mixing drinks too much and drinking lots of water but even with the best intentions sometimes it happens.

Im 40’s and my friends and family are a big mix of drinkers - heavy all the way to totally sober.

Not what you think it does....

Because it could be 60 different reasons all contributing 1%.

Which makes alcohol the main and huge contributer to violence...

Never said it was my business. But I'm allowed an opinion and thoughts about it all.

The war in Israel is nine if my busy, yet I'm allowed to think it is terrible....

It's harmful, it's antisocial, it's heavily marketed and it brings out so much nastiness in people. On top of all the above mentioned, doing it every day is quite decadent, to say the least.

War in Israel = potential for global conflict.

Woman buys six bottles of wine = potential for one woman to get sloshed a few times.

Yeah, these are TOTALLY comparable situations.

But you could say this about coffee, cake, chocolate... It is weird when people can't just accept that someone wants a soft drink but there are so many alcohol free drinks available now that there must be plenty of people not drinking as well.

Fine. 🙄 It's not my business why some people eat at McDonald's...but I'm allowed to have an opinion....

It's not my business why people decide to buy super expensive cars, but I'm still allowed to have an opinion.

I am with you. I enjoy a drink but cannot see the point of drinking to the point where I lose control of my emotions, limbs and bladder. For me, one glass of wine or one pint of beer/cider at a time is enough. Evidently I am immune to the massive marketing machine that programmes others to drink to excess and add to the NHS's ever increasing demand.

And for some it is the cause for enormous trauma, hardship, and difficult families.

Switch that around....I don't drink alcohol but others who do struggle to understand it!

No you are not, it was a complete culture shock for relatives of mine when they saw how early people start drinking in this country. Some hammered by 6/7 which was insane.

The airport as well 8am people drinking pints.

I attended a school fair 4-6pm. They were selling alcohol… at a school fair and when I politely declined the tokens to purchase alcohol I was met with a disapproving glare. Alcohol dependency is an issue especially when you can’t even get through a 2 hour fair.

It’s the dependency of it. Why can’t you have a children’s party without booze? Why do you need a depressant to get through it? It also seldom ever stops at one glass of wine.

Erm… it tells me that 60% of violent crimes don’t involve alcohol and 40% do. Yes, of course there will still be crime without alcohol, but there’d be a hell of a lot less.

I was merely pointing out that cake and alcohol aren’t really comparable.

I agree.

For me I don't like the way alcohol changes people.
There would be less fighting and arguing with less drinking....
Domestic violence is often sharply exacerbated by alcohol consumption.....

. @TheFunDog

For me I don't like the way alcohol changes people.
There would be less fighting and arguing with less drinking....
Domestic violence is often sharply exacerbated by alcohol consumption.....

I completely agree. I grew up with a (high functioning) alcoholic father and then married a (less high functioning) man. It took me until post my divorce, which was largely triggered by my husband's abuse, to realise how central alcohol had been in my life up to that point and how much it had corroded so many of my relationships. I've largely stopped drinking now because I hate the way it changes people. So much interpersonal strife in my life could have been avoided if alcohol hadn't been involved.

Drinking to excess and dependent drinking does untold damage to relationships and to people's social behaviour generally. Many people are so inured to this because it's such a part of their lives that they can't really see it until they properly stop.

There are people who drink in genuine moderation and have healthy relationships with alcohol and long may they continue, but there are far more who are in denial about how dependent they are on booze.

A lot of people substitute alcohol for a personality. You really notice when you're not a big drinker yourself.

I know of someone who must drink around 14 bottles of wine and week. Buys 2 every day

I don’t get it either. But I do understand the need to use something for comfort. I comfort eat so I can imagine people comfort drink. I’ll drink on occasions and if I very rarely have a night out, but daily drinking isn’t for me.

I agree . Its the excess and the constant need so many people have to talk about alcohol so much of the time. The worst thing is the personality change. So unnecessary to be constantly drinking.

No, there's no saying the 40% are solely down to alcohol- correlation v causation. They would be less, no doubt, but we don't know how much less.

but I agree cake & alcohol aren't comparable though both nice!!

unfortunately I can't have either at the moment!! (Medical issue) 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

😂😂