'Baby Boomers' and Alcohol

The Italians, French and Spanish have nothing like our alcohol related problems, palliser.

To be honest, I get a bit twitchy at the call of 'killjoy' and equivalent - like your 'miserable rules '. What's more miserable than an elderly drunkard and the family having to cope?

I am not saying you are an elderly drunkard, btw

I am one, but I'm not 65 yet so I'd better get some more practice in!

That was to rosequartz - I was not admitting to being an elderly drunkard!

I enjoyed that, Ana! .

Well, I'm very pleased, Maggie!

France has admitted to its own problems with alcohol abuse for years, elena.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/france-does-have-a-drink-problem-survey-reveals-516817.html

i like a glass or two, but try to do half the week alcohol free and did manage a dry January. All this medical "advice" annoys me, mostly because it changes every few years and is often based on dodgy data and tiny samples. I agree life is for living and if you enjoy a drink and aren't driving or operating machinery etc. then why not. I do hate to see people of any age binge drinking though.

daffydill - I'm the same age as you and have a similar attitude.
But another related point - most of us at this age are taking some kind of medication, and some meds conflict with alcohol.
eg I believe statins work through the liver, and that's where the metabolism of alcohol takes place. I don't want to wreck my liver, so although I enjoy wine I try to limit the amount I drink. And the time.

Well, a 'binge' for women is classed as 6 units in a single session, which as it could be spread over several hours seems quite a modest amount - much less than a bottle of average wine.

Thanks for making my point Elena. No the French and Spaniards don't have the problems we have.

Sorry you get twitchy (try a glass of wine). Seriously, i agree that drinking does not mean you are not miserable and a free spirit (pun unintended). I was just throwing into the debate that all recommendations and rules should be used as guidance when you get to our age. Come on, we're old enough to understand responsibility and our own limitations. I don't think there's anything wrongwith enjoying lunch with my friends and opening a couple of bottles of prosecco or enjoying my glass of wine every evening. I'm sure the non-drinkers amongst us eat cake and chocolate despite exceeding 2000 calories a day and the danger of diabetes, tooth decay, heart problems etc.

Just because I am a non drinker palliser65 doesn't mean I don't think anyone else should have a drink if they enjoy it.

I have just read that the proportion considered to be heavy drinkers in the survey was only 7% of the 20% who drank alcohol, not 7% of the total as reported elsewhere. So much bad reporting around.
I should also like to know the scientific basis for the "safe" number of units because I have frequently read that the number was not based on real evidence and differs in different countries. Also - what are the relative risks? If it means that I am going to die at 90 instead of 95 then I will continue enjoying a few glasses of wine a week, thanks.
As my doctor used to say - you can give up all the things you enjoy and you might live a bit longer, but it would feel like a very long time.
I am not advocating drinking to excess, binge drinking or drinking to a level that impacts negatively on others, but I would like to see some proper evidence.

I have just been reading all the posts on this thread and agree with most of them - all things in moderation.

I am taking this seriously.........

But is it just me (perhaps its the time of day I reading this) but does anyone else want to pour a cold glass of wine immediately?

Only interest is in the origin of drugs/alcohol. Apparently the former predates the latter-being used almost in Neanderthal times-(40,000 + yrs. ago?) as depicted in cave paintings-Poppy seeds/hemp/ mandrake roots/coca leaves? According to Google Velvet monkeys prefer the sugary glucose plants (stimulate/comfort the brain?) hence the humanoid connection?

Of course the Europeans have alcohol problems.

We have worse ones, however.

One thing mentioned in the news is the size of glasses in the UK, both in homes and at pubs. How often do you hear 'oh but I've only had one glass' or 'two glasses' but HUGE ones. Here all wine is sold by the deciliter, half bottle or bottle- so there is no fooling anyone. Some wine glasses are the size of swimming pools!

It's up to people to educate themselves about the number of units they're drinking, and what size the measures are in pubs etc.

Each bottle of wine bought in a supermarket has the number of units it contains clearly printed.

Multiply the alcohol content by the size of the glass (e.g. 175 ml glass x 12% alcohol = 2.1 units). There's no excuse for not knowing how much you're drinking.

Oh totally agree. And yet, for anyone with a 'problem' with alcohol- it is easy to 'hide' behind the 'one glass' (large one being 2.5 decilitre or 250 mils or a full 1/3 of a bottle)- if they had to go to the bar 3 times to buy separately, they might hesitate more, perhaps?.

According to Google Velvet monkeys prefer the sugary glucose plants (stimulate/comfort the brain?) hence the humanoid connection?

I am Rh- but I also like and
I have to exercise great self-control otherwise I would indulge to excess (which may not be someone else's excess of course).

One thing the UK is world class at is beating ourselves up and believing we're so much worse than anyone else. OECD figures for annual pure alcohol consumption per head: France (3rd) 12 litres, Spain (6th) 11.4 litres, UK (15th, with Switzerland) 10 litres.

The headline for today's report could actually be that the vast majority of the people surveyed drank very little, but I suppose this isn't the sort of news that we like to hear.

Tomorrow's Headlines:

'Baby Boomers Deny Drinking to Excess'

so everyone immediately thinks they have something to hide!

Rosequartz I am not hiding anything. I am reading this drinking my evening glass of red, for the sake of my health you understand! I have a glass of good quality wine every evening with my evening meal after the DGSs go home, as a reward for getting through the day. It is my only weakness! And a block of dark chocolate .....

Life is short when you are 65!

I'm reading this with a glass of Mud House in hand. Good wine in moderation can only enhance life if you like wine. I cringe when given wine to swig as I have good taste buds and I don't want to corrupt them. DH smoked for a long long time and I pity his taste buds. And I'm raising a toast to my dear mother whom I miss terribly even after all these years. I am now a day older than ever she was.

Well, I would like to apologise. I posted rubbish. 'All things in moderation'
Went away and and cringed. Heroin in moderation?

Thank you, Gransnetters you were kind to me this time.

But I did pour that glass of wine. No work tomorrow

All those retired people moving to the sun and cheap Alcohol says it all.