Middle class drinking epidemic ?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=487817&in_page_id=1770&ICO=NEWS&ICL=TOPART

Now the government is telling us the middle class wine drinkers are as bad as binge drinkers.

Are there no pleasures left in life ?

Is there really anything wrong with sharing a bottle of wine with your partner in the evening ? Apparently so.

Should this not be in current affairs....?

yep, that's two to be moved Wormy..!

As for this, it is hardly surprising news...and of course there is something wrong with drinking to excess every week (not that it stops me, I enjoy my wine of an evening, but that doesnt make it healthy!)

It's all about moderation (says me about to go to the pub mid week......)

WormThatTurned wrote:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=487817&in_page_id=1770&ICO=NEWS&ICL=TOPART

Now the government is telling us the middle class wine drinkers are as bad as binge drinkers.

The government can't win can they?

If they tell us then we think they are killjoys, if they don't then we blame them afterwards when our livers are 'cooked'.

Imagine if the government who were in power when the scientists worked out the link between smoking and lung cancer had kept it under their hats because they didn't want to spoil everyone's fun. Nobody's suggesting that drinkers will take a blind bit of notice but if the evidence is there, it would be irresponsible not to tell people.

Not so long ago a couple of glasses of wine with your wine was healthy. Now your a binge drinker.

Next they'll be telling us how to wipe our own arses.

A shared bottle of wine a night isnt going to hurt anyone. In fact the benefits (relaxation/ enjoyment) far outweigh the miniscule negatives.

They should be concentrating on the young drinkers who not only drink to get drunk but do it in public. And leave the rest of us to drink in peace.

Just to go O/T slightly it's the same as last September I was told not to drink while pregnant, then I was told it can be good for you, and then by the time I was due I was told it's not good for you again

spoilt_little_brat wrote:

Just to go O/T slightly it's the same as last September I was told not to drink while pregnant, then I was told it can be good for you, and then by the time I was due I was told it's not good for you again

Yeah and look what happened your baby was born with giant clown feet.

WormThatTurned wrote:

A shared bottle of wine a night isnt going to hurt anyone. In fact the benefits (relaxation/ enjoyment) far outweigh the miniscule negatives.

They should be concentrating on the young drinkers who not only drink to get drunk but do it in public. And leave the rest of us to drink in peace.

But they are talking about people drinking at hazardous levels often twice over the safe limits for alcohol - no one is suggesting we cannot enjoy wine at home.

Ignoring "the rest of us" and concentrating on young drinkers is not an option, when the rest of us are drinking more than is healthy. (or perhaps I am just speaking for myself here..... )

And I LOVE my wine...but there is nothing particularly wrong with this article that outlines the facts regarding less visible drinking.

I drink 3-4 glasses in the week. More at weekends 7-8.

Thats over 30 units - well into the danger zone apparently.

Its a load of bolloxx

WormThatTurned wrote:

Not so long ago a couple of glasses of wine with your wine was healthy.

Classic. lol.

Incidentally, I think it's said that a sensible sized glass a day (ie not one of those insane glasses that fit a third or half a bottle in), can give benefits. I'm no doctor though and have totally binged out for too many years in the past, and now drink quite moderately. Boringly some would say.

I've not grown up yet..I was a late starter, my alcohol consumption increased with my earnings, so I guess I am exactly the kind of mature sensible middle class drinker the article alludes to.

I do know that 30 units a week is unhealthy however..

I really fancy a beer now...

...and some cheese.

I'm off.

WormThatTurned wrote:

I drink 3-4 glasses in the week. More at weekends 7-8.

Thats over 30 units - well into the danger zone apparently.

Its a load of bolloxx

Sounds like someone's in denial AND has a lot of bottles in their recycling bin and quite a big bill at Oddbins.

30 units IS over the recommended levels and has been for a long time. If you choose to ignore it then that's your prerogative - nobody's suggesting the government will send someone round to 'tell you off' - but equally you just can't turn round later and complain that the government never warned you.

And if someone who regularly drinks 30 units a week finds themselves on a waiting list for an operation next to someone who doesn't, then they might find that choosing not to take the advice that was offered puts them further down that list than the other person. It's been that way with smokers and people who are heavily over-weight for some time.

That - sadly - seems to be the way things are going.

koshkha wrote:

And if someone who regularly drinks 30 units a week finds themselves on a waiting list for an operation next to someone who doesn't, then they might find that choosing not to take the advice that was offered puts them further down that list than the other person. It's been that way with smokers and people who are heavily over-weight for some time.

That - sadly - seems to be the way things are going.

Nothing sad about it, it just makes good medical and economic sense particularly in a universal health care system which is essentially free at the point of consumption and only has a scarce amount of resources.

If people choose to drink to excess (30 units a week is excess) then they accept the consequences of their choices just as I accept that on Saturday I will feel very rough after drinking unwisely on Friday night.

koshkha wrote:

WormThatTurned wrote:

I drink 3-4 glasses in the week. More at weekends 7-8.

Thats over 30 units - well into the danger zone apparently.

Its a load of bolloxx

Sounds like someone's in denial AND has a lot of bottles in their recycling bin and quite a big bill at Oddbins.

30 units IS over the recommended levels and has been for a long time. If you choose to ignore it then that's your prerogative - nobody's suggesting the government will send someone round to 'tell you off' - but equally you just can't turn round later and complain that the government never warned you.

And if someone who regularly drinks 30 units a week finds themselves on a waiting list for an operation next to someone who doesn't, then they might find that choosing not to take the advice that was offered puts them further down that list than the other person. It's been that way with smokers and people who are heavily over-weight for some time.

That - sadly - seems to be the way things are going.

Totally agree! The evidence is clear drinking more than 21 units a week (for a man- 14 for a woman) MAY be damaging their health..this is not a question of spin or the 'nanny' state it's just the results of long term medical studies. I think the government have a duty to tell us and we then have a CHOICE to do something about it in the same way as we have for smoking.

Drinking a glass of wine per day will have some positive effects on health that is still true but drinking ONE glass a day will not take you over the weekly limit, there is no contradiction there.

All the talk of units brings back memories of the life insurance forms I used to complete with customers, everyone used to understate the amount they drank in a week except one customer who I had to get a calculator out for, mind you he did smell of alcohol at 9.00 in the morning and guess what?

"computer says No"

Ive only ever been drunk once in my life. I have never been to a doctors surgery or had to go to a hospital. I am very fit and active. When I signed on at my new doctors surgery I had to go for a medical - they said I was in excellent shape.

3-4 glasses of wine a night doesnt constitute a drinking problem IMO.

God, they'll have everyone in bed by 8 next.

I drink maybe 1-2 glasses of wine a week. I go to the pub every Saturday but just stick to pop as I have a kid with me. However saying that I do 'binge' when I go out (not that I have been out drinking for a year. I really dont see that much of a problem with having a few glasses at night with a meal etc if in company.

I do however have a problem with drinking whilst on your own, I see drinking as a social thing and dont see how/why people want to be alone and drink a bottle to themselves.

WormThatTurned wrote:

Ive only ever been drunk once in my life. I have never been to a doctors surgery or had to go to a hospital. I am very fit and active. When I signed on at my new doctors surgery I had to go for a medical - they said I was in excellent shape.

3-4 glasses of wine a night doesnt constitute a drinking problem IMO.

God, they'll have everyone in bed by 8 next.

4 glasses of wine constitutes being drunk. Hell - thats nearly a bottle of wine! Depending on what time you go to bed at, and then get up to drive, you may well be still over the legal driving limit on that......

Hell - two glasses of wine and I am drunk!

[quote="drewboy"]

WormThatTurned wrote:

Ive only ever been drunk once in my life. I have never been to a doctors surgery or had to go to a hospital. I am very fit and active. When I signed on at my new doctors surgery I had to go for a medical - they said I was in excellent shape.

3-4 glasses of wine a night doesnt constitute a drinking problem IMO.

!

Rubbish - thats what they might tell you. Your over the legal limit to drive but your not drunk unless you have a very low tolerance.

When I was a kid we were told to eat bread and potatoes to make us healthy. Now there a no-no. I'm very sceptical of so called medical studies, especially this one.

Drinking a bottle of wine a night in your home with your partner is a non- issue. Your doing nobody else any harm and the health effects are negligable.

3-4 250ml glasses is a bottle and a third (typical pub serving nowadays), even the 175ml only takes 4 glasses for a bottle..that definitely isnt a safe limit for drinking long term, will cause problems with liver, among other problems...

I love a glass of wine (not had any tonight ) but that doesn't make it any less harmful and the health effects definitely ain't negligible.

I can get 7 glasses out of a bottle but I guess Im not filling my glass to the brim.

Im as healthy as anyone I know in my agegroup in my circle of friends (certainly the fittest).

I believe the dangers of moderate drinking (which a bottle of wine a day is) are overstated to try and scaremonger people into behaving differently.

If your willing to be led like that, fine. Im not one.

A bottle of wine a day is not moderate drinking.

A shared bottle is.