See? I knew it was all lies

LostinBlanch

Men 21 units a week, wimmins 14 units a week. Pffffft

At last some decent journalism.

It was the world's greatest disease-nobbler Louis Pasteur who said "alcohol is the most helpful and hygienic of beverages".

And over the years the genius chemist was proved spot-on. Research revealed that a few drinks every day can protect against heart disease, osteoporosis and anaemia, aid digestion, reduce the severity of colds, lower cholesterol, increase blood flow, improve bone strength and reduce stress.

In fact, experts believe knocking back two glasses of wine a day means you're 30 per cent more likely to live longer than a teetotaller.

Hence the lauding of the Provencal diet, which encourages lashings of red wine, as the most beneficial known to man.

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So where are the governmentbacked campaigns warning teetotallers of the dangers of smugly walking past bargain booze?

Why no ads starring the Grim Reaper cackling at an empty pint glass as his scythe beckons abstainers towards an early grave?

Why? Because ever since Britain signed up to a World Health Organisation (WHO) pledge in 1980 to slash overall alcohol consumption by a quarter, we've been fed lies.

Take the latest £10million campaign warning men to drink no more than 21 units and women 14 units every week. We're given no evidence as to how they arrived at these figures, or how they can possibly apply to everyone. That's because they're made up.

Are we supposed to believe that drinking more than a pint of strong lager a day threatens our health?

If so, why hasn't buying rounds been banned? Any drinker will tell you the first pint barely touches the sides, two relaxes you, three gets you going and four does the trick.

Up until two decades ago that was scientific reality. In 1979, the government advised men to drink no more than 56 units a week.

After the WHO pledge it was gradually cut until the current ludicrous maximum of 21 units-aweek was imposed in 1987. When Andrew Barr (author of Drink: A Social History) asked Richard Smith, a member of the panel which fixed the 1987 limits, where the figures came from he said: "We just pulled them out of the air." :eek: :mad:
These wildly-low thresholds are not there to give intelligent people the truth about drinking but to scare problem drinkers into abstention. Even though they, along with alcoholics, bingers and teenagers will ignore it.

The only drinkers taking notice are the ones who need it least - the mature and informed - who tend to know when they're hitting it too hard and when to give it a rest.

The £10million misinformation campaign is the latest act of a cowardly government who want to be seen to be addressing bingedrinking (while happily raking in billions in duty) but are simply indulging in binge-whinging.

Let me repeat: alcohol is good for you. Until 21 years ago experts told us that having up to four drinks a day was fine. It relaxed you and made you enjoy life more.

So what happened? Did alcohol become more dangerous, or man less able to hold it?

No. Health fascists decided to treat us like idiots. Fine by me, so long as there's consistency. So Mrs Primarolo, I'll accept your propaganda about alcohol if you'll highlight the dangers of abstention.

Can I suggest a campaign using the words of that celebrated imbiber WC Fields: "Never drink water because fish screw in it," as a warning to all those teetotallers heading for an early grave?

Asked where the figures came from he replied: "Out of the air"

Grrrrrr death to the booze fascists I say, death to them. Worse than veggies they are.

Zombrex

Old news TBH.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article2697975.ece

Anyways, people always miss the point with these things.

When the unit system was introduced some people (ie stupid people) though that consuming all their 21 units at the end of the week on a Friday and Saturday night was the same as 21 units a week.

The real danger with alcohol is binge drinking. That is what caused the most harm to your liver and kidney's, drinking alcohol faster than your body can process it. That is why doctors are now complaining about having to treat 30 year olds (most women interestingly) with the kidneys of 70 year old alcoholics.

LostinBlanch

Wow,I didn't realise this thread would be moved from BGRH hence the tone of the post, but hey.

But when you hear of definitions of binge drinking being anything more than 3 pints at one time it diminishes the credibility of those advancing such a definition.

RealEstateKing

But when you hear of definitions of binge drinking being anything more than 3 pints at one time it diminishes the credibility of those advancing such a definition.

There is about the same amount of alchohol in 3 pints as there is in an entire bottle of wine.

5% of 568 ml x 3 = 85.2 ml of alcohol : Lager

12% of 750 ml = 90 ml of alcohol : Wine

If somebody you knew said they finished a whole bottle of wine on their own every night, you'd be concerned about them and call it binge drinking. But we have nice way of hiding it here in Ireland we just say : "Ah sure I only had 3 beers , I was only getting started!"

Zombrex

LostinBlanch wrote: »

Wow,I didn't realise this thread would be moved from BGRH hence the tone of the post, but hey.

But when you hear of definitions of binge drinking being anything more than 3 pints at one time it diminishes the credibility of those advancing such a definition.

As RealEstateKing says, that is a significant amount of alcohol to consume in a short period of time. The fact that a large number of people do consume that amount or often much much more in one go (ie space of 2 or 3 hours) doesn't change that fact. It does explain though why the nation is experience significant increase in alcohol related health problems, particularly in younger people.

Wibbs

There are two opinions on one off "binge" drinking versus regular(both within reason of course). The Irish while having a reputation for hard drinking had quite low levels of alcoholic related liver disease when compared to the French as an example. One explanation was that the french imbibed on a daily basis and the Irish in the past tended to restrict the drinking to the weekends. The liver got the chance to dry out basically between drinking episodes while the french liver was soaked all the time.

I personally have seen people in this new "crack open a bottle o wine every night" generation with liver damage after a few years. Given that liver disease is largely silent until down the line, that's a worry.

If you're having a glass or two of red a night with a meal or just chilling I reckon like the research says you'll live longer compared to a teetotaler. Beer is less advantageous but has some. I'd love to able to link to a great bit of research that showed a very large anti cancer protective effect in rats of all things from non alcoholic beers. Eggh yes but....