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Consumption Culture
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Tony Blair has at last decided to speak out against Binge Drinking (nice of him). Apart from this being way too late, its a good thing.
I think there is a genuine problem in the Uk with a consumption culture.
'If you can do lots of it and not keel over then do it' type ethos, mainly associated with Alcohol, cannabis and Ecstasy.
Why do you think we have such a consumption culture?
I think there is a genuine problem in the Uk with a consumption culture.
'If you can do lots of it and not keel over then do it' type ethos, mainly associated with Alcohol, cannabis and Ecstasy.
Why do you think we have such a consumption culture?
0
Comments
Obviously I can't speak for everyone, but personally I just enjoy going out at the weekend and getting mullered - I guess in a sense you could class it as a stress reliever from the monotony of the average week.
It's a problem that's not going to go away very easily, but from the individuals' POV I wouldn't consider it a problem unless week in, week out I found myself with my head down the toilet.
i know i was heavy on the reefer for 4 years because i didnt really want to face up to dealing with life, im sure thats true for a lot of people......being continually monged seemed to make it easier to get thru the day, but thats all down to the individual's mentality. dont get me wrong i love pot but there is substance use, and then there is abuse.......
Its a cultural problem, a feeling that more is certainly better when it comes to intoxicants.
Of course it could well be effected by us having the longest working hours in Western Europe, but then there are so many smaller factors that go into it I dont think there is one cause.
Also, now I think it is self feeding, obviously the 'laddet' type culture of women being equals and behaving like the worst blokes comes into play.
Alcohol needs to be emphasised more in drug education, and it needs to be made clear that regular consumption of large amounts of alcohol can be as serious as other 'illegal' substances.
Currently i do not think this informational balance exists :no:
Also, i think anti-consumption broadcasts/information should be alot more forthright. Sterotypically when an ad/government message is produced, it has a warning that 'knowing when to stop is a good thing' combined with some bloke making a fool of himself. The dangers need to be stressed that there is often much more at stake than embarrassment.
That and an increase in the taxation of alcohol.
Prohibition would be unworkable. And whats more Capone hats would be back in fashion! We'd all have to drink Long Island ice tea in people's flats:D
Increased taxation would be a good idea, but i think education is generally the way foward with regards consumption.:D
Of all the 'Public Health time bombs' we keep hearing about, this one might well blow!:(
so i'm totaly against increasing the price cos todays youngsters can't hold their drink.
it's cheap on the continent and they have nothing like the problems we have.
people need to take some responsibility ...have a little self respect.
the last thing we need is yet more fucking government interference in our lives.
There needs to be a whole range of methods to attempt to bring the huge drinking problem under control.
Of course there should be messages about self restraint and self respect, but tied with that there needs to be tough measures to try and slow/reduce peoples drinking.
so yeah, its great to have an escape and im 16!!! i think its sad, very sad.
the thing is though before, when i was a virgin to smoking pot i thought the world was beautiful, the green of the trees and blue of the sky etc but then i got stoned and i was like OMG the world is even more beautiful. i sat just staring at this one spot on the ground where the sun was playing with the shadows and stuff. it was so great.
and the drinking to excess is great just to relax and it gives you that courage to go to talk to the lad uv had your eye on for the past however long.
anyway i think some of the best experiences happen when under the influence of something or other.
What is this country coming to where its wrong to enjoy yourself. God they must really hate us because they tax anything fun and indulgent to the hilt and make us work mre hours to fill their coffers.
Yes in some ways i do agree this country does indulge in weekend binge drinking but look what we have to live with..
- 40+ hours of work (the hardest working in europe)
- low wages (1 reason we get so much foreign investment)
- Strict drug laws (at least allow cannabis relaxation like in holland)
- practically 9 months of shite weather, knowhere nice to escape
- 11pm last drinks call, which is actually a law imposed to stop factory workers being drunk during the World wars
The governments primary concern for binge drinking is that it encourages rowdy behavior. Well if you think about it the rowdy people are the types of people who cause trouble when the drunk..it doesnt really matter how fast they got drunk!
And, I will stress again, the reason they put into place laws and regulations which 'stop us having fun' is because the majority of voters want them too.
They are, when it comes down to it answerable to the voters, and given most drug using young people do not vote why should they EVER listen to their view.
You mention about us having strict drug laws, I dont think so, not in comparison with a lot of places. Yes they are needlessly harsh but at the same time we have moved a long way in the last 5 years.
The use of the caution for drug use has massively increased. The idea that you could get away with just a legal tap on the wrist for having class A would have been totally crazy not that long ago.
The legal frame work will catch up, but in many cities we have de facto decriminalisation of all recreational drug use.
As for minimum wage, well thats a very complex issue, yes other countries have higher wages but then their growth rates are pathetic. They also pay higher taxes.
I think it is bloody obvious if you go down any high street in the UK at 11pm on a Friday that something is deeply wrong with the drinking culture.
What will you see?
- Drunk women stumbling all over the place
- Men fighting
- People being sick
- People passed out in the gutter
The list goes on. How can you say that relatively minor measures against this are a bad thing?
Bong mate i think you've been watching to many of those "police in action" type reality shows. These shows are developed to show and exagerate the bad sides of a weekend night for our entertainment.
I go out practically every weekend to my local town which may i add has 3 big clubs and countless bars and i hardly ever see any trouble.
If you look at your typical club (in this case mine is the works in kingston) on a saturday night you get between 600-1000 people in there. Now in any 1 night you may get between 0-3 fights in there and i havent seen a fight in there for months. So lets say in any one night there may be 5 fights and there are 3 people involved in each. Thats 15 people max.
1000 people 15 trouble makers = 1.5%
obviously this is just my estimation but you get my point..the media, police, government love to make light and exagerate that we are a yob culture who are intent on gettin pissed and making trouble, but really its just a slight percentage that make the rest of us look bad.
for the most overworked people in the union ...for the most pissed weekenders in the euro union ...we seem to have the best economy and production! we are the little islanders who built the biggest empire ever seen on earth ...whilst cannabis and opium and heroin were legal ...
maybe that's the british.
maybe we need something more than football to get rat arsed about ...
as a nation we are in europe ...the only ones pissed enough to put the word ...GREAT ...INTO THE TITLE OF OUR COLLECTIVE NATION.
ONLY THE IRISH SCOTS AND ENGLISH COULD BUILD THE GREATEST EMPIRE EVER SEEN ...ALLL DRUG AND oops caps ...fueled.
maybe it's not such a bad thing ...maybe it needs to be chanelled better.
come on ...lets conquer the fucking planet again.
all valid points and all factors that i see everyday at work, i have collegues with gambling and drinking problems that they did not have before working for the company.
one point tho; at least they are alive to do this. Also, what is the use of having such great output and production, only to never have the time to enjoy it? (other than to benefit a privilaged few
You can not argue with figures like that, it costs the NHS £13 billion alone.
I am not suggesting any measures which would have a big impact upon 99% of drinkers. A little more taxation on boose wouldnt cause a serious problem for most. And a ban on advertising would make little impact upon those who are responsible.
We, as a nation will have to make ugly choices about the NHS in coming years, the life style illnesses - smoking, drinking and obesity will totally cripple the NHS. We are either going to have to totally change the way the NHS works and perhaps re-evaluate the policy of having it at all. Or we are going to have to bring these problems under control.
Not an option :no:
:yes:
This is going to require a massive cultural shift i believe, there should be massive investment in both biomedical and sociological studies into binge drinking and the cultural factors which influence it.
Such a diverse population packed onto such a small island...this is not going to be easy:p
As harsh as it sounds we are going to have to make tough choices because other wise we will NOT be able to pay for it.
Your right, investment is needed in an attempt to stem the tide as it were.
It can be done, but will it?
This problem isnt new, but i think it is acceptance that has changed.
The frequency with which one can get 'wankered' (medical term
Also, with more 'Town' pubs and clubs about (stuff like Yates, Walkabouts and other McDonalds-with-a-late-license type establishments) the settings in which this behaviour can acceptably occur has increased.
This was one of the reasons for my 'lull in youth culture' post a little while back. When i went to Harcore Heaven i had 1 smirnoff ice and had the most blinding time i've had since i started going out (i was on nothing else either, was offered a pill but declined).
I think this was partly due to the fact that i was entertained, i cared about what i was there for (SEDUCTION, STYLES, DOUGAL, SLIPMATT, HIXXY! :hyper: ) whereas one can only be entertained for so long by 'Build me up, buttercup' :no:
That way we can go for a clean sweep, start over again without the louts.
Why dont we just legalise prostitution that way we dont need to get 'wankered' to pull women..we can use our beer money and go straight to the source, then again we'd probably need to get wankered for the bottle.....damn another policy out the window.
Why do the government think that by taxing booze and making it more expensive will defeat the problem.
Ok look at speeding - wouldnt you feel hard done by if the government decided to increase road tax because they needed the money to pay for accidents caused by speeding, instead the government decided to install speed cameras and tax those who were caught which is totally justified and helps fund public services.
So instead of punishing us all why dont they just fine(compulsary as well) those who are caught drunk and disorderly, causing public offence or any other crime influenced by alcohol. That way it funds the public services and hits the trouble makers where it really hurts, and skint trouble makers equals less trouble.
Anyway i just think that the government needs to look closely at their policy on this one or fear upsetting alot of students and we know how hardcore students are when it comes to politics.
Morrocan it brings a tear to my eye to hear such rousing words.
If only this country and its government hadnt become so spineless and pathetic.
I mean i cant even hang the england flag outside my window on st georges day without being fined and dubbed racist yet a man can stand in the street, preach hatred, encourage terrorism on our country and burn our flag whilst laughing at the government for giving him handouts....pff!!!
maybe i should be letting out my anger in the politics forum and not the drugs, lol
They also hit those who are least able to pay, and if they end up getting a criminal record out of it then they are likely to become totally disenfranchised with society and more dangerous as a result.
Legalised prostitution is an entirely good idea, its already there and accepted so why not make it legal. But thats not quite the issue.
Yes, I agree that just higher taxes on alcohol in of itself will not solve the problem, but I believe brought in with a raft of other measures it could help.
In the main I would tighten licencing authorites and ban all happy hours, drink all you can and other such deals.
now thats the kind of promotion that could be seen as harmful (but we've all got brains, have we not?)
I think the idea of paying 10 or 15 quid on the door and then all drinks are free vile. Anyone knows if you go to an 'all-you-can-eat' restaurant you eat till you feel sick. The same principle has to apply with these booze promotions.
So many members of the public dont seem to understand how dangerous alcohol is. Its actually not even that hard to OD on.
If you are completely wankered and then smoke (for example) some particularly strong munk, it places an even greater strain on the heart.
Also puts you in a more incapable state.