A bit out of the usual line of comment or 1uestion. Having never been a drinker ( can't stand the taste of it) I've always been bemused at what a big role alcohol plays in society. It's seen as a key aspects of most of life's big events, as well as being important as location of a social event, as a lubricant for sporting events, big family occasions etc. Are we as a society too nice to alcohol? It destroys many family lives with domestic abuse, is the major contributor to A&E queues on weekends creates massive problems due to alcoholism and is the major contributor to end stage liver disease.
Should its harmful effects not receive greater publicity and its use as a society reduced by whatever means?
Written by
Walt1010
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Well, I agree it gets too much of an easy ride. Cutting out advertising and branding would help massively - similar to the cigarettes approach but not as far as restricting people won’t go down well from a civil liberties perspective. However I’d welcome an approach to alcohol similar to that of cigarettes including more pricing regulation. An alternative is on the horizon but not yet accepted culturally, in the form of psychedelics, with medicinal and therapeutic properties. I’m no supporter but it’s interesting to see how these are becoming more normalised.
What an interesting perspective. I certainly think this is a valid point, especially from the view most of us have had of alcohol's destruction. Any time the government realizes how much money is to be made off of the taxation of such things, the public health issue sort of goes out the window. So many begin drinking to self-medicate at social events due to social anxiety or to lessen uncomfortable feelings, and until proper and adequate (and timely!) medical help for everyone is available this self-medication is likely to continue. It wasn't long ago the U.S. government insisted marijuana was a baaaad drug, however many states have now legalized it with the government taxing up to nearly 40% between the grower and consumer taxes! With so many fingers in the pie making money, I worry about corruption keeping public figures from making the right public health choices to protect us. While we surely can't go back to the Prohibition era, I think we are too nice to alcohol. I don't know the answer, but it certainly is causing a lot of heartache.
Some of my family have social anxiety issues, and I worry that alcohol can become the drug of choice for dealing with it, esp when everything is phrased around meeting people "for a drink". I think my lack of interest in alcohol was definitely strengthened by having family members who liked alcohol too much and who battled because of it, and I think if I had grown up around people who were gregarious social drinkers I would probably just have been the same.
Funny enough the first time I consumed alcohol I didn't like the taste, but I found something to mask it Instead of becoming teetotal. Imho it should contain government health warnings about the damage excessive use causes to the body, like they do with smoking...
I've had very much the same thoughts and was talking to my daughter about this yesterday, haven't touched alcohol for over 30 years no particular reason just circumstances having to drive, pregnancy, having children. It has always amazed me that supermarkets always have offers on alcohol, 6 bottles of wine for a fiver, 3 boxes of cans of beer for £15 but by law they are not allowed to have offers on baby formula, really used to get to me as I couldn't breastfeed, also not allowed to give Clubcard points on baby formula but can give double on alcohol.Every social occasion revolves around alcohol. I used to stand in the playground at school to pick my kids up and there was always the parents saying I've had a bad day going home to have a bottle of wine. Watching the soaps they're always in the pub even though crying that they have no money.
Totally agree with you Walt - I’ve been thinking this for a long time . My husband used to binge drink at weddings parties and on holidays and it changed his personality and he could become abusive - I used to dread going to social events with him .
Now my son has decompensated cirrhosis- he was never abusive or a binge drinker but would drink wine after work to relax and he was regular weekend drinker from his teens .
When I see supermarkets with loads of special offers on drinks and trolleys full I worry about the next generation . Why do TV morning programmes show so much alcohol tasting and recommending brands ? Why do so called TV celebrities talk about enjoying drink and hangovers ? It’s as though it’s become a habit and something to make a joke about without people realising the damage it can do .
A friends grandaughter sadly died this year from liver damage -she was only 28 and starting drinking at university .
Yes Its time the government started promoting responsible drinking and banning adverts and cut price drinks like they did with smoking .
Thanks Walt for posting this - no apologies for my views - alcohol destroys peoples lives .
Best wishes to everyone on this forum and wishing you all health and happiness n 2023. Carol x
Go back 60-plus years ago, children were protected against alcohol.
They weren't allowed into pubs, and all the windows were frosted glass so you couldn’t even look in. If your mother sent you up to the pub to go and fetch your father, you had to wait outside for someone to come out, and then ask them to pass on a message to your dad.
The only other place you could buy alcohol back then was from the local off-license, but even then you had to be accompanied by an adult. So the children of the 60s were protected.
Fast forward 60 years and everything has changed. Walk into any supermarket and you are surrounded by bottles and beers as soon as you walk in.
Last years “Father’s Day”, the shelves were full of bottles of whiskey and beers. It’s everywhere. This sends out a message to children that all Fathers drink alcohol.
If someone was trying to stop drinking alcohol, there was a time when they knew where the alcohol aisle was and could just avoid it. Parents could tell children that there was nothing of any interest down that aisle and avoid it. But now it’s everywhere. The all too-powerful brewery industry offers incentives to retailers to sell as much of their product as they can. Morality has been allowed to decline.
I tried some years ago to get the Alcohol-Health Alliance” (now known as Alcohol-Change) to get behind a campaign to encourage retailers to keep all alcohol in their alcohol aisle but I never had a reply.
Some years ago, I tried to get my local MP involved and invited her to join me at the local hospital’s liver ward to see for herself the damage alcohol is doing to her constituents. She declined and said that she had a conflict of interest as she received funds from CAMRA (campaign for real ale), for her reelection campaign (glad to say she was never reelected).
Maybe others may have better luck in getting their MPs to back a campaign behind a better moralistic attitude to alcohol availability.
It’s gobsmacking reading that Richard. I’ve never thought of it in those ways. The miniature whiskeys with a glass for Dad, the Prosecco or gin sets for Mum. The drinks industry has had it too good too easy for too long, bringing alcohol into our lives as a ‘normal’ and influencing our children.
To play devils advocate, I disagree that it should be take away from responsible drinking adults. Increasing the cost per unit has not reduced the amount of alcoholics in Scotland no matter what Nicola Sturgeon does to tweak the statistics. I don’t say this light hearted and not educated , my husband is an alcoholic who is 7 months sober and I have two autoimmune liver diseases which has caused cirrhosis.
My husband could not have cared what warning labels were on the bottles or the cost , that was a worry for another day . I am thankful he is on a good path at the moment and pray he stays as strong and focused as he is just now . Neither of us blame the advertising or lack of knowledge on the situation he/we were in. He had to accept what he was doing and want to stop , really look at why he drank and deal with that . It was hard and nearly broke our marriage.
I don’t belittle the struggles of anyone who is in the situation but we have to take responsibility for choices we make in life.
As I said , playing devils advocate and speaking another opinion. Everyone has their own story and this is just a snippet of mine.
Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and best wishes to you all in the New Year. X
I absolutely agree there needs to be some sort of restrictions in place, you can’t buy anymore than two boxes of paracetamol at any supermarket, yet can buy as much alcohol as you want.
I have recently lost my husband to decompensated cirrhosis, caused by alcohol, he said to me and his liver team he never realised how dangerous it was and there are not enough clear warnings of the damage that it can do.
I do drink on occasions and will be having a glass or two this evening with our Christmas lunch, however I’m not a regular drinker and only drink occasionally, I understand that some people can’t do that and I do understand that it’s unfair to restrict sensible drinkers, however applying restrictions to the sale of alcohol won’t really affect those that drink sensibly.
Just a few thoughts, and I honestly hope I do not offend anyone, not my intention.
If I elect to drive at 100mph in a 70 zone.
Crash and injure or kill myself.
I know the dangers and risks, but chose to ignore the speed limits, for whatever reason.
Who is to blame. Surely the driver.
Should we limit all cars to max 70mph.
Recall all cars and do a retro fit.
If I chose to drink to excess and ignore the known recommended limits or even worse my own inbuilt limits. e.g falling over, slurring speech, feeling ill, ignoring advice from onlookers. And continue the same antics on subsequent occasions until I end up in hospital. Who is the idiot.
Yes I used to be one.
bleach is more dangerous than alcohol. should the sellers limit the quantity we can purchase.
You cannot blame or limit a legal substance for a minority of misuse.
Most products are correctly labelled to warn of any dangers or recommendations
"Except" many food products
With additives such as MSG cunningly disguised as hydrolysed vegetable protein or similar, then there is the E's and artificial sweeteners.
MSG is a prime candidate for NAFLD/NASH
So if we hack on alcohol we must also address lack of knowledge and warning about food additives, which to me, is much more important. At least we roughly know the contents of an alcohol bottle
I guess it’s the fact that alcohol has slowly and surely become normal and accepted and is beyond the boundaries that protect people. Hangovers are chuckled at, being drunk is considered funny and not embarrassing (it used to be) and it never dawned on me until now how by linking it to dads and mums for gifts is so damaging. Seeing children in beer gardens is just not right - they see too much bad behaviour. Keep it behind closed doors, limit shopping visibility, and keep children away from it, would be my call.
You are absolutely right, getting p@@sed is no longer the stigma it used to be Sadly in situations and circles, it is even applauded, silly boys time, who can drink the most etc ..
Protecting children should be paramount. But education is really the best way. Kids nowadays will get alcohol, if not drugs, one way or another.
How you educate a child about the dangers is anyone's guess.
I will not tell you how my dad enlightened myself, which has zero effect once I turned 18. Not funny but true. Belated 18th birthday ended up in a police station, drunk and incapable.
Hiding or shielding things makes it super naughty and interesting.
I actually knew one group of kids in Manchester who were actually building their own still, until Police scuppered their plans after a phone call, no idea who grassed them up.
But reduced visibility cannot do any harm.
Adult gatherings, on many occasions when I was making merry at Friends houses in Scotland, we had a system of simple peer pressure when one or more adults were wobbling.
Taxi ordered. Call you tomorrow. Sometimes fully escorted.
And let’s not forget that alcohol has its uses in keeping people ‘happy’, docile and otherwise distracted. Imagine a country of people with 100 per cent sober minds. What an astute and articulate handful we would be. Challenging and rousing on issues that matter instead of being focused on getting through the week with short term goals of Friday and Saturday nights. Excuse me my conspiracy theory 😜
When all is said and done , it boils down to the individual and their choices in life, no excuses and no passing the buck. Restricting or making it harder for responsible drinkers because a few abuse is not fair . Everyone who drinks too much is aware of the possibilities in front of them but choose to bury their heads in the sand/ another bottle of alcohol .
What I think does need to be put in place, are programs and support systems for people that choose to stop. AA is not for everyone, my husband tried a few times but just didn’t like it. The nhs was useless with waiting times so long ,he would still be drinking now. We got him in to speak to someone privately, don’t get me wrong we don’t have a lot of money but what it cost was a lot less than what he spent on drink. He hasn’t looked back.
I also think there should be health adverts on the TV and in newspapers showing you the effects of alcohol on your liver . They did this with smoking to make people realise the damage it does . My son didn’t realise the damage drinking does / he didn’t think a couple of large glasses of wine a night was too much . Then he thought if he stopped drinking the damage would go away and his liver would repair itself . Eduction about the health effects of alcohol should be paramount .
Thanks everyone for your comments - especially Richard - very enlightening .
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Instead of becoming teetotal. Imho it should contain government health warnings about the damage excessive use causes to the body, like they do with smoking...
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