ot; wow. the country really doesnt drink much

[scaredyclassic]

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2014/10/how_much_alcohol_do_americans_drink_consumption_predicts_alcoholism_and.html

[scaredyclassic]

pretty crazy. top 20% is just 15 drinks a WEEK.

30% of the country doesn’t even drink.

man. howd they ever get prohibition repealed with these kinda numbers?

[NotCranky]

[quote=scaredyclassic]pretty crazy. top 20% is just 15 drinks a WEEK.

30% of the country doesn’t even drink.

man. howd they ever get prohibition repealed with these kinda numbers?[/quote]

Prescription drugs prohibit drinking and eating grapefruit.

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=Blogstar]
Prescription drugs prohibit drinking and eating grapefruit.[/quote]

That was very funny… but very true.

I do however thing that patients do mix drugs and alcohol. They just lie about it.

[FlyerInHi]

I don’t drink at all.
Don’t taste the pleasure in it. Plus the “good stuff” is expensive.

One friend asked me “how do you let loose?” I’m the same temperament all the time.

[CA renter]

Have to admit I’m surprised by these numbers. Maybe people are lying about their drinking habits?

[njtosd]

Can’t believe the difference between the top 10% and the remaining 90%. 75 drinks/wk – and they’re not dead? Makes you scared to drive.

[UCGal]

[quote=CA renter]Have to admit I’m surprised by these numbers. Maybe people are lying about their drinking habits?[/quote]

This was my suspicion.

When I have friends over for dinner and offer them a glass of wine – they pretty much all take a glass. Some may stop after one glass… some don’t.

Maybe I just hang out with drunks, lol… But I only have a few friends that don’t drink. One for religious reasons (Hindu), one because he gets alcohol flush – so it’s not pleasant to have even half a beer. To me it’s just something to plan for when I have these friends over – like accommodating a vegetarian or vegan… make sure to have a fun non-alcoholic beverage for the social time before the meal. (And the one religious one is also vegetarian – so I definitely have to plan ahead for dinner invites for him.)

[scaredyclassic]

[quote=njtosd]Can’t believe the difference between the top 10% and the remaining 90%. 75 drinks/wk – and they’re not dead? Makes you scared to drive.[/quote]

75 drinks a week is kind of high but really, just 2 bottles of wine a night which isn’t really all that much.

[kev374]

drank very very rarely before age 32, who can blame me.. the only thing I knew back then was Miller and Corona!

Then suddenly started up when someone introduced me to good beer – all the delicious Belgian and German brews! Slowly discovered others as well reds, ambers, doubles, triples etc. and the marvelous craft breweries right here in California. Suddenly I understood how people could love this stuff so much 🙂

These days I will drink 2 beers a weekday, 4 a day Fri-Sun. I don’t find this too excessive although a doctor may disagree.

I know some that drink 6-12 beers a day, that is clearly excessive.

Drinking is fun, it relaxes stress and loosens you up. Stress is a killer as well so it’s got to wash out somehow. The one problem with alcohol is that it increases appetite which means potential weight gain.

I am super physically active though so no weight gain for me, I hike 12-16 miles every weekend and go to the gym thrice a week doing 1+ hour intense workouts…

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=kev374]
Drinking is fun, it relaxes stress and loosens you up. Stress is a killer as well so it’s got to wash out somehow.[/quote]

I’m really interested in the loosening up part and how that works.

I just got my genome from 23andme. I’ve downloaded but not look at it yet. I just not have the addiction gene, whatever it is.

I think it’s a blessing for me because I stay fit, but I don’t get much pleasure from food and drink. Sure I appreciate good food, but 90% of it is OK. An invite to a restaurant doesn’t get me excited. I never feel that anything is “sooooo gooood” or “to die for.”

[sdsurfer]

I wonder about the stress vs drinking aspect. Of course I do think that people should find other outlets too, but I’m referring to the person that comes home from work and has a beer or two to loosen up from the day.

Say you had two people that were very similar. One of them has a beer or two every day when they get home on the porch as a little stress reliever and the other one does not.

Who would live longer if everything else stays the same?

I really think that as long as it does not lead to Jack Daniels the one that has a beer or two might have a bit more longevity. Let me know if you know of anyone like the second guy. I’ll be test subject #1.

[njtosd]

[quote=scaredyclassic][quote=njtosd]Can’t believe the difference between the top 10% and the remaining 90%. 75 drinks/wk – and they’re not dead? Makes you scared to drive.[/quote]

75 drinks a week is kind of high but really, just 2 bottles of wine a night which isn’t really all that much.[/quote]

Deleted. Was thinking workweek. Still , two bottles a night 7 days a week is a lot.

[njtosd]

[quote=sdsurfer]I wonder about the stress vs drinking aspect. Of course I do think that people should find other outlets too, but I’m referring to the person that comes home from work and has a beer or two to loosen up from the day.

Say you had two people that were very similar. One of them has a beer or two every day when they get home on the porch as a little stress reliever and the other one does not.

Who would live longer if everything else stays the same?

I really think that as long as it does not lead to Jack Daniels the one that has a beer or two might have a bit more longevity. Let me know if you know of anyone like the second guy. I’ll be test subject #1.[/quote]

Problem is that the body’s response to alcohol (depressant) is to produce its own stimulants. Which causes me to wake up at 3:00 am if I’ve had a couple drinks the night before. So long term, is there any net gain in stress relief, or is there just a redistribution? Hard to say.

[sdsurfer]

I guess I’m lucky that I sleep right through the night after a beer or two in the evening, but if it kept me from being able to sleep it would not be worth it at all. Maybe I’ll just stick to surfing as a stress reliever with no side effects!

[Author]

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