Alcohol & Personal Responsibility

slowbike

Shirley Basso wrote:

and it would make me so damn fat.

Ah yes, but then you could announce on Facetwat that you've given it up and lost 15 stone ...


It all comes back to "common sense" doesn't it .. where those who should be responsible are angry at authorities for not telling them what they should do ... and once those authorities start putting rules in place, there's outrage at being told what to do - this isn't just drink - it's everything.

slowbike

Tangled Metal wrote:

Mind you I've been a right pi$$head this week, two glasses of wine over 3 days! Not drank that much for several months. I need a detox!

Woh - steady on !! Don't go leaving glasses of wine about ...

Our little one doesn't like beer or wine - yes, I've let him taste them - why wouldn't I - he'd only be curious - I'm sure he will in time - I've got the loud music ready for his first hangover

keef66

I'm guessing my modest drinking is more likely to be beneficial than harmful. I get the impression that my GP doesn't believe me when I say I only drink 2 or 3 units a week, and often nothing at all.

I was never at risk of becoming a problem drinker; hangovers are always shocking, and it's worse the older I get.

shirley_basso

Tangled Metal wrote:

Slowbike wrote:

Tangled Metal wrote:

Slowbike wrote:

Tangled Metal wrote:

It's a public health matter to get this information out. One that the authorities really have failed to do.

yup, I don't disagree, but the responsibility for safe consumption still resides with the individual.

Of course! We all have personal responsibility. I'd never argue against that for capable adults.

One beer a night? What abv? Very easy to drink above 14 units with good beer.

One beer in a night - sometimes - ie not every night and not regularly ... but then I know I don't have an issue with it.

I've just had a look (https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/understand ... calculator) - because I _used_ to drink 3 pints on a club night out - every week (over the off season) - and even that is below the recommended limit, although as it's in one go it's not recommended ... interesting that they equate it to nearly 2 burgers and 55 mins running - it used to take me ~20mins to get to the pub and same back - so that's most of it burnt off then


Wow - I'm blummin virtuous aren't I - it's not that really - it's just I never really "took" to drink ... it's fine in a social occasion, but I don't like to go beyond the point where I know what I'm doing - if I want to "forget my day" then I'd go and do sport. And these days it's easier - I don't want to be "drunk" with a young child in the house - and my tolerance levels have dropped ...

We're probably on the same page with alcohol. Young child and low alcohol intake.

Mind you I've been a right pi$$head this week, two glasses of wine over 3 days! Not drank that much for several months. I need a detox!

Similar story, although about to go on a staycation / holiday in the car to stay with some friends, and my wine merchant is running a special on double magnums of a good rose and I'm enough of a knob to post that kind of thing on instagram.

Ben6899

Title needs fixing... bugs me every time I read it!

slowbike

Ben6899 wrote:

Title needs fixing... bugs me every time I read it!

I can't spell it - or drink it ...

slowbike

Shirley Basso wrote:

Similar story, although about to go on a staycation / holiday in the car to stay with some friends, and my wine merchant is running a special on double magnums of a good rose and I'm enough of a knob to post that kind of thing on instagram.

Fill ya boots .... so to speak ...

webboo

The number of units for safe drinking is just an arbitrary figure, given the impossibility of doing research that could come up with an accurate number of units. It’s like the number of portions of fruit and veg again an arbitrary figure.
Yes I do know alcohol is harmful but just how much is what you can’t say.

chris_bass

Webboo wrote:

The number of units for safe drinking is just an arbitrary figure, given the impossibility of doing research that could come up with an accurate number of units. It’s like the number of portions of fruit and veg again an arbitrary figure.
Yes I do know alcohol is harmful but just how much is what you can’t say.

sort of true but you could say the same thing about almost anything!

think of it like the vouchers you get in supermarkets - if you regularly spend £35 you'll get a voucher for X% off if you spend £40 to encourage you to spend a little more. if you spend £20 then you might only have to spend £25 to get some money off - they just want you to spend a bit more than you normally would.

if people generally eat 3 or 4 portions of fruit and veg a day then saying 5 is good is achievable, adding one more isn't too bad - the real number is probably more like 8 or 9 but asking someone to double their usual intake will make them not even bother.

the "safe" limit for alcohol is probably zero but asking people not to drink at all is never going to be well received, bu if the average drinker has 15 to 20 units a week then setting the limit at 14 will make them think about it and maybe cut down a little bit.

it definitely got us lot talking about it anyway!

keef66

Some toxicologists argue that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. And then you'll read a population study suggesting that modest consumption is actually protective for some conditions. And another one suggesting something else. And the same for every conceivable component of diet.

So in the end I've concluded that everything in moderation is probably the safest course of action. Eat and drink as wide a variety of things as possible, but not too much of anything. Maintain a healthy bodyweight, and cardio fitness.

And don't smoke.

chris_bass

keef66 wrote:

Some toxicologists argue that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. And then you'll read a population study suggesting that modest consumption is actually protective for some conditions. And another one suggesting something else. And the same for every conceivable component of diet.

So in the end I've concluded that everything in moderation is probably the safest course of action. Eat and drink as wide a variety of things as possible, but not too much of anything. Maintain a healthy bodyweight, and cardio fitness.

And don't smoke.

the problem is that the studies focus in on one thing and ignore the harm it does to other things.

so if it says a glass of red wine is good for the heart or whatever it doesn't look at the affect it has on the brain, liver, kidneys etc etc

they were talking about those studies on the radio just yesterday as it happens!

but yeah, life is for living so do what makes you happy and doesn't kill you (or anyone else for that matter!) too quickly!

pinno

keef66 wrote:

So in the end I've concluded that everything in moderation is probably the safest course of action.

Even sex?!

#squarepants

keef66

Even sex.

Stevo_666

keef66 wrote:

Some toxicologists argue that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. And then you'll read a population study suggesting that modest consumption is actually protective for some conditions. And another one suggesting something else. And the same for every conceivable component of diet.

So in the end I've concluded that everything in moderation is probably the safest course of action. Eat and drink as wide a variety of things as possible, but not too much of anything. Maintain a healthy bodyweight, and cardio fitness.

And don't smoke.

Some wag put it rather well when they said that being teetotal didn't necessarily make you live longer, but it sure as hell made it feel like you did.

pblakeney

Those extra years that you get? They are not 20+11 or whatever they are 85+, at which point most seem to want to give up anyway. I may change that opinion should it get closer.

ddraver

Stevo 666 wrote:

Some wag put it rather well when they said that being teetotal didn't necessarily make you live longer, but it sure as hell made it feel like you did.

Indeed, I occasionally find myself listening to some of those healthy podcasts, like when Rogan has some dietician or other on, and as much as I accept that my diet and lifestyle could always do with a bit of work, good god those never sugar, never gluten, never dairy guys sound like they're actually never fun...

Stevo_666

ddraver wrote:

Stevo 666 wrote:

Some wag put it rather well when they said that being teetotal didn't necessarily make you live longer, but it sure as hell made it feel like you did.

Indeed, I occasionally find myself listening to some of those healthy podcasts, like when Rogan has some dietician or other on, and as much as I accept that my diet and lifestyle could always do with a bit of work, good god those never sugar, never gluten, never dairy guys sound like they're actually never fun...

You're right, they aren't fun and life's too short for crap like that. The food is a bit of an obsession for them. I prefer to do a bit more exercise than be uber-careful about what I eat and drink.

FatTed

I find it funny when people say "life is too short to do....." so why make it shorter? by smoking, drinking excessively

robert88

FatTed wrote:

I find it funny when people say "life is too short to do....." so why make it shorter? by smoking, drinking excessively

Cryogenic freezing is the new living.

tangled_metal

The argument goes that you live longer that extra is going to be at the end when you're more likely to be less able to enjoy life due to reduced physical capabilities and illness. So by not smoking or drinking on excess I might live 5 years longer. So 90 instead of 85 years. But I've been living in a nursing home for 5 years drooling into my chest so those 5 years gained are really just prolonging my miserable existence at the end of life.

Of course I could be a 105 running marathons in which case the years 100 to 105 given by living life healthily was truly a worth it.

Or I could drink and smoke myself into a emphysema or COPD hell at 40 years old.

Life choices so do what you like but live with the results of your choices not smoking and not drinking excessively makes me happier than the opposite would. I do not lose out anything. I can socialise a well sober as shoot faced. Actually better.

rolf_f

keef66 wrote:

So in the end I've concluded that everything in moderation is probably the safest course of action. Eat and drink as wide a variety of things as possible, but not too much of anything. Maintain a healthy bodyweight, and cardio fitness.

You're going to die early; of moderation.

Tangled Metal wrote:

The argument goes that you live longer that extra is going to be at the end when you're more likely to be less able to enjoy life due to reduced physical capabilities and illness. So by not smoking or drinking on excess I might live 5 years longer. So 90 instead of 85 years. But I've been living in a nursing home for 5 years drooling into my chest so those 5 years gained are really just prolonging my miserable existence at the end of life.

It's not likely to work like that though. Probably you'll be wheezing and groaning at 55; you'll gain 5 years over all (during which you may be dribbling) but probably 25 extra years of good health. It's weird getting to 50 in a condition not really notably different to how I was 20-30 years ago (except I'm fitter now) and realising that a lot of the old wrecks I see about are the same age or younger than me. When you are in your twenties everyone over 50 looks pretty ancient so you don't really pick up on how young some wrecks actually are.

orraloon

Rolf F wrote:

keef66 wrote:

So in the end I've concluded that everything in moderation is probably the safest course of action. Eat and drink as wide a variety of things as possible, but not too much of anything. Maintain a healthy bodyweight, and cardio fitness.

You're going to die moderately early; of moderation.

FTFY

pinno

Rolf F wrote:

keef66 wrote:

So in the end I've concluded that everything in moderation is probably the safest course of action. Eat and drink as wide a variety of things as possible, but not too much of anything. Maintain a healthy bodyweight, and cardio fitness.

You're going to die early; of moderation.

Yeah, not enough Broccoli.

rolf_f

Pinno wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

keef66 wrote:

So in the end I've concluded that everything in moderation is probably the safest course of action. Eat and drink as wide a variety of things as possible, but not too much of anything. Maintain a healthy bodyweight, and cardio fitness.

You're going to die early; of moderation.

Yeah, not enough Broccoli.

Or an excess of beige.

crumbschief

I try to just drink on Friday but for some reason i keep forgetting what day it is.

vinnymarsden

I simply don’t drink it’s an easy choice, all my own and I made it many years ago. Fed up of waking up feeling terrible, overweight, and constantly skint, now I’m fit healthy... constantly skint through having cycling as a hobby!!!!

tangled_metal

Cycling is a healthy addiction.

DeVlaeminck

It can be but you wonder sometimes with accidents. A friend of a friend was killed I last year when a car hit him, a mate broke his neck in a crit and has fused vertebrae and problems as a result, another mate broke his back at the weekend and is in a brace for 8 weeks when a car hit him, another guy I know had a serious head injury when a car turned right across him and he has never fully recovered, another friend of a friend has seriously life changing injuries from a car taking him out, I've got mild tinnitus myself and a disc bulge from 2 bike accidents - one a guy went down in front of me and I couldn't avoid the other a car drove through the back of me. You do start to wonder !

Probably for another thread though !

rjsterry

DeVlaeminck wrote:

It can be but you wonder sometimes with accidents. A friend of a friend was killed I last year when a car hit him, a mate broke his neck in a crit and has fused vertebrae and problems as a result, another mate broke his back at the weekend and is in a brace for 8 weeks when a car hit him, another guy I know had a serious head injury when a car turned right across him and he has never fully recovered, another friend of a friend has seriously life changing injuries from a car taking him out, I've got mild tinnitus myself and a disc bulge from 2 bike accidents - one a guy went down in front of me and I couldn't avoid the other a car drove through the back of me. You do start to wonder !

Probably for another thread though !

From a public health/population point of view, cycling is healthy. The numbers of lives saved from illnesses related to inactivity vastly outweigh the number of deaths and serious injuries from accidents. Small comfort if you are one of that few, though.

tangled_metal

That's my view, statistically speaking you're more likely to benefit from cycling than lose out. If only there was a way to stack the odds in your favour.