Home› Politics & Debate
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨
Options

One in four are binge drinkers!

BillieTheBotBillieTheBot Posts: 8,721 Bot
in Politics & Debate
Story.

Of course, I'd be more worried if the definition of a binge drinker wasn't someone who drank eight units of alcohol in one day.

Three bottles of Newcastle Brown makes me a binge drinker does it? :chin:
Beep boop. I'm a bot.
«1

Comments

  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Its my right as a Britain to go out and have 7 pints of real ale and damn anyone to hell who says otherwise.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The Matadore wrote:
    Its my right as a Britain to go out and have 7 pints of real ale and damn anyone to hell who says otherwise.
    I completely agree with you for once Matadore.

    The same goes for drugs, incidentally.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No surprises there.

    Most people's social lives revolve around alcohol and drinking establishments in which there is little else to do but drink. This is not necessarily a bad thing but people should be aware of the risks of heavy drinking.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Three bottles of beer is not "heavy" drinking.

    The only way they drew up the daily limit was to divide the weekly limit by seven. It's a nonsense, and a non story.

    But the moral morons will be up in arms.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit, are you post-whoring?

    :p
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote:
    Three bottles of beer is not "heavy" drinking.

    The only way they drew up the daily limit was to divide the weekly limit by seven. It's a nonsense, and a non story.

    But the moral morons will be up in arms.
    Wherever the guideline is drawn there will be uproar. I didn't suggest three bottles of beer is excessive, but I think heavy drinking is. I personally think nothing of finishing a bottle of wine, but I do so with the knowledge that one glass would be better for me than 4/5.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    if the government spent more time trying to help real alcoholics in terms of counselling and long term help, and spent the money done in surveys on clean needles for drug users, things would be so much better
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    wheresmyplacebo wrote:
    if the government spent more time trying to help real alcoholics in terms of counselling and long term help, and spent the money done in surveys on clean needles for drug users, things would be so much better
    Not all alcoholics have psychological problems, and not all will respond to "counselling".
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kentish wrote:
    Not all alcoholics have psychological problems, and not all will respond to "counselling".

    So you don't think addiction itself is a mental health problem? What on earth do you think it is?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Blagsta wrote:
    So you don't think addiction itself is a mental health problem? What on earth do you think it is?
    I was going to edit my post to make it clearer. I think addiction can be a mental health issue, but alcoholism is more complicated than that. The fact remains, however we classify addiction, that current treatments are often poorly effective and that is because of underlying socio-economic conditions.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'd agree with most of that. What model of addiction would you subscribe to?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I have no expertise in the area, but I subscribe to the view that people become dependent on substances either through direct physical means (requiring a physiological withdrawal process) or more often because of a simple desire to partake in a particular activity - and this would include modern addictions to texting, gambling, shopping - and getting short-lived satisfaction from that activity.

    The origin of that desire, it has been claimed, can be genetic...social...psychological...etc and I don't understand how each of the factors interact. I know some people think that all addictions have a physical basis, but I'm still to be convinced.

    There is also the difference between dependence and addiction and I'm sure there are official definitions of these.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yes, addiction and dependence etc are slippery terms. However, most drugs are not actually physically addictive. Yes, there is a physilogical component for some drugs (heroin, alcohol and benzos) but that then begs the question of why people use to the extent that they become physilogically dependent in the first place. The most widely accepted model afaik is the bio-psycho-social model, i.e, it is a result of an interaction of biology, psychological (emotional) and social factors.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Bio-psycho-social ideas apply to all medical complaints. But this takes us back to my point about counselling not being the panacea it is too often portrayed to be. It would be irresponsible of me to sit back and allow the assertion that if only we could offer more treatment centres or therapy slots, we would solve the addiction problem in this country. (Not that those are bad things, just not suitable for all).
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Counselling techniques do work though.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    They can indeed but only with genuine and committed co-operation (or what we should now call 'concordance') with the therapy. Getting that from an addict in the first place is difficult, and as notorious liars it is a difficult job and not for the faint hearted.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kentish wrote:
    They can indeed but only with genuine and committed co-operation (or what we should now call 'concordance') with the therapy. Getting that from an addict in the first place is difficult, and as notorious liars it is a difficult job and not for the faint hearted.
    i don't believe addiction is a mental health issue ...more an emotional and spiritual problem.

    counceling a liar isn't or shouldn't realy be a problem.
    lies can only be based on the persons knowledge experience and fantasies.
    the lies a person tells ...tells you at least as much and often more ...than the truth.
  • Options
    Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    Binge Drinking can't be defined within set units. Depends on the person, their health, weight, and various bodily functions.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Teh_Gerbil wrote:
    Binge Drinking can't be defined within set units. Depends on the person, their health, weight, and various bodily functions.
    How would you combine all those factors into concise and usable public health advice for the general public?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I drink so much I shat out my liver.
  • Options
    Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    Kentish wrote:
    How would you combine all those factors into concise and usable public health advice for the general public?

    Know your limits is the golden rule. It's been taught for centuries to children by parents.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Teh_Gerbil wrote:
    Know your limits is the golden rule. It's been taught for centuries to children by parents.
    I suggest you go out on the toon and see if your policy would work.
  • Options
    Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    Kentish wrote:
    I suggest you go out on the toon and see if your policy would work.

    Well, worked for me. The fact is, some people drink JUST to get off their faces and end up fighting, and being an arse. WHY is the reason we need to look at... WHY would you want to do that? When we can find this out, and resolve it... the problem will hopefully go away.

    For people who do not, most learn their limits and stick to them.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    morrocan roll wrote:
    i don't believe addiction is a mental health issue ...more an emotional and spiritual problem.

    I include emotional problems in mental health.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Alcohol Concern class a binge drinker as someone who drinks to get drunk, so on that basis I'd say its about 99% of drinkers at some point.

    The unit counts are next to useless because lager has got stronger, wine glasses bigger and people dont really know how much they are consuming.

    I'd say consuming your weeks amount in one night could easily be classed as binge drinking.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Weeks amount for a man is 22 units I beleive which is about 9 pints of lager (not Stella!)

    I think I drank that much last night actually.... :blush:
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    They keep bringing it down then. According to my old GP it was 30 units for blokes.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I might be wrong, I am pretty sure it is 22 though........
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The limits are 21 for men, 14 for women. There were noises about increasing it to 28 for men and 21 for women a while ago, but I don't think it actually happened. The best way to measure a unit is the %abv x vol in litres so a pint of 5% lager (Stella, Kronenbourg, Grolsch etc) is 5 x 0.568 = 2.84 units.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Stella is 5.2% so its only a fraction under 3 units a pint.
Sign In or Register to comment.