I want a bit of discussion about the differences in drinking habits between UK, US, europe etc.
It seems to me that America has a very healthy attitude to drinking when compared to here in the UK.
younger members have said they are going to steer clear of drinking and others seem to have an idea of what constitutes a ‘lot’ of alcohol which is a much less than would be considered a lot here.
just wondering if you got any input about why. or am I totally wrong here?
btw, the reason I was pondering this is because recently I’ve had to carry my 14 year old sister home a few times because she’s been extremely wasted and it’s a pretty normal occurrence for people to start drinking at that sort of age and start to develop a habit of it(I know I did).
Well lego… Around my area… Seeing a young lady or gentlemen around the age of 14 being wasted is a common site as well. But they would have to look older though… Alot of the parties around here require that you at least look like you are over 18 years old…
I think what helps it out around here is the strict laws that govern this… Can’t drink til you are 21 and drinking below that suffers extreme consequences…Jail time… No driving licenses and allt hat kind of stuff…
But all in all… We do… I’ve only seen a couple of my friends get soo drunk that they needed to be dragged someplace… I’ve been in a couple states of intoxication that I’ve gotten sick… But never to the point of not being able to move… We know what’ll get us to the safe point of dirnking and so we get ourselves there
Well, I know that at the school that I go to, drinking is common-place. This is why I am proud to say that, on my right tricep, I have a tattoo that says “S X E” which stands for “straightedge.” This means that I don’t drink, smoke, or do drugs, and I won’t have sex until I am married. These are values that I have picked up on my own and plan to keep as long as I live. I am about the only person that feels this way, but it works for me.
I’m quite impressed with your will power loki, glad you’ve got something that works for you.
As for the law, the only consequences here are from parents
I’m sure the 21 limit as opposed to our 18 helps. But in mainland Europe the age limit is mostly 16 as far as I know, and they have a very healthy attitude when it comes to drink.
maybe, it appears worse to me than it actually is since I’m a student, which is a notoriously bad category for binge drinking, but we go out at least 2-3 times a week and get completely wrecked(it’s a rare occurance for me to remember the bulk of a night). it just seems that the culture that’s developing will make Britain drink itself to death.
ya knowPhil, I think you’re onto something. maybe it’s a pessimstic attitude. a lack of the “american dream” thing or the laid-back attitude of Europe.
I suppose it could be a lack of ambitions, get a crappy job work till you retire then die, might as well drink our way through it. subconsciously anyway.
I don’t know how it could be changed though. it’d take a while.
anyone from other nations have input? what’s the attitude like where you are, and why(if you think you know)?
Let me first say that, I do not know how you all feel about boozing, but I for one am for it. (clearly)
That said, there is alot to look out for. Getting caught DUI can get you in some serious poo-poo. It can also get you dead. I have lost some very close friends over the years because they were not smart enough to control themselves.
Alcoholism is in my family and I am VERY well aware of that. I make it a point to take a step back an evaluate my habbits from time to time. I drink socially. I never drink alone. And I do not drink to get drunk. (Hey it happens but its not my intent)
Most importantly I dont drink during the week when i work and I dont drink and drive. (Automobiles)
I got hammered and was tooling around on my buddes snowmobile a couple of weeks ago…ha ha that was a blast.
i think drinking is more of a cultural thing… look in places like Australia, France, Ireland, and germany, nations that have traditionally drank heavily, whether in economic hardships or prosperity, whether their government was socialist or conservative. It’s more of a social mentality towards drinking. In Australia, when a boy turns 18, his parents give him a shot glass and that’s perfectly normal. Here in america, thats not socially acceptable for most people. while economic, militaristic or political situations do have a bearing on how hard a nation drinks, i think the consistantly heavy drinking countries do so because thats how their culture is…
Her in holland you have to be 16 to drink.
But you can buy a joint here for 2 euro and i am 16
O jea did i tell you you needed to be 18 to buy a joint.
I think that our attitudes towards drinking are not only influenced by our cultures, but heavily by our parents as well.
I’m 17 years old, and live in Canada, and underage drinking is quite commonplace in Alberta where we live… I do drink, but in moderation and I never drink and drive. I think that most people would be quite surprised at how responsible most kids here are towards making sure that everyone has a designated driver and a safe ride home.
I think that if your parents drink when you’re younger and are responsible about it, you will have a healthy attitude towards it when you’re older… Say, 15 - 17. (Legal age here is 18) If your parents let you drink when you’re about my age, I think that it shows a certain level of thier trust in you.
I don’t drink. Maybe its because I haven’t, but I just don’t see the point of drinking when it gives you a headache, slows your responses, and you forget everything that happens after drinking it anyways (if you drink a lot). I may drink later in life, but not until i’m outta college. I really don’t wanna have a bad hangover, miss an exam, and have to drop out.
Maybe its got no correlation, but everybody I knew from middle school, that was smart, who now drinks, is now about half as smart as they were back then. It just seems pointless to me.
My dad does have a rule with me and my sister though, we can drink as much as we want, but only in front of him. He doesn’t really care if we drink, he just doesn’t want us driving home and killing ourselves or someone else.
I think the reason is the different cultures. But, the laws have some impact as well.
I get wasted often, but mostly bacause I cant stand a week w/o partying…
My opinion is that drinking does come from a country’s origins… France and Italy are the the birthplaces of wines, germany of beer, russia of vodka and so on…
If you look at the US, which is a relatively young country, the first people to come had strict rules and were austere, maybe that has passed on to the generations and the immigrants…
I do agree that alcohol is also a disaster, if you look at France’s automobile casualties for example, all due to Alcohol…
I’ve been in Tchekoslovakia and i learned what DRINKING really meant, tasted absinth and some of the cruelest alcohols that would scrape paint of the walls. It’s just how you feel towards booze that matters. I for example cant stand weed, i just dont like it and cough when i try to smoke, so i’d rather drink or just have fun without !!
- mlk
…i found why americans dont drink that much actually, it’s called Coke
i regulary go drinking with my mates on a weekend here in yorkshire england, and i must say that alot of the time we do get wasted… but around here that is the case for most people… however, my dad gets wasted way too much and it has really destroyed his life - so this makes me realize what it can do to you…
attitude towards it when you’re older… Say, 15 - 17. (Legal age here is 18) If your parents let you drink when you’re about my age, I think that it shows a certain level of thier trust in you.
