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[Atlantic] America Has a Drinking Problem

highrider

Banned
The depressed women and men over 30 are running it up. I live in the DC area, almost everyone here is super liberal cumbyyah types, but they are immensely unhappy and drink every night. Then there’s the weed heads, living the dream 👍
 
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SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
I've cut my alcohol consumption by like 80% in the last year, and I wasn't an especially heavy drinker before that. Where I used go through a six pack over the course of a week, now it's more like 4-6 weeks.

I mostly attribute that to stepping into a step-parent role in a kid's life. And especially because her bio-dad is an alcoholic and drug addict, I just think it's better not to, helps her feel more secure.
 

Evil Calvin

Afraid of Boobs
I've cut my alcohol consumption by like 80% in the last year, and I wasn't an especially heavy drinker before that. Where I used go through a six pack over the course of a week, now it's more like 4-6 weeks.

I mostly attribute that to stepping into a step-parent role in a kid's life. And especially because her bio-dad is an alcoholic and drug addict, I just think it's better not to, helps her feel more secure.
6 pack in a week? That's less than I do a day. Ok. I binge Fri-Sun but then go a week a half not drinking. Then binge again. But I'll do 15 or so 'light' beers in a day. Then stop for 10 days or so.
 

Dural

Member
I guess this is as good a place as any to put this.

3 weeks ago my wife's uncle called her at 8am on Sunday asking her if her dad is ok as he got a call that he was in the hospital with a broken leg. My wife tried getting hold of her parents but neither were answering so we ended up driving to their place. Her dad hopped to the front door and had his ankle wrapped and couldn't put any weight on it. He said he didn't remember anything before waking up at the ER and before that he was at a local bar. My wife called the bar to see if they knew what happened to him; she was told he was passing out at the bar and every time he woke back up he would yell at anyone near by and was antagonizing the bouncer and calling him names. The final straw was him yelling that he was going to get a gun, shoot the place up, and kill himself. They told her four guys carried him out and put him outside and that was it. The way his leg was broke the doctor said it would have had to have been pushed back and twisted to where it was pointing backwards. Her dad doesn't remember any of this, he was so wasted. He's a pretty bad alcoholic, at times he'll bring home a case of beer and a bottle of liquor and finish it off every night. He hasn't drank since this incident, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.
 

Sub_Level

wants to fuck an Asian grill.
Insufficient exposure to adversity + lack of healthy coping mechanisms + zero exercise = alcoholism in millennials.

2 of those are true but insufficient exposure to adversity? If anything adversity is partially to blame. I don't think the most prolonged war in American history, the 2008 financial crisis, the opioid crisis, the covid pandemic, and rampant student loan debt are insufficient adversity lol many more Americans have died from opioids than Vietnam in a similar time period.
 
Purely anecdotally: yes, there seems to be a drinking problem, and it seems to have been exacerbated during the pandemic. I can't show up to almost any friend's house without being offered SOME sort of liquor. I sometimes have to turn it down, since I'm not always in the mood for drinking.

BUT, this is hardly an America-only problem. If you go anywhere outside of the United States, you'll find that people drink... A LOT. On the flip side, people in some counties just drink a lot of lighter beer -- pilsners and such. Here in the US, beyond the light beers, alcohol content is a lot higher -- go to any microbrewery that offers IPAs, stouts, etc, and you're easily looking at 8% ABV at a minimum. Wines and spirits are also popular here, arguably more popular than any other country in the western hemisphere.

But again, hardly an American problem. I have friends from Eastern Europe that, any one of those friends by themselves, can probably drink this whole forum under the table 😂 Exaggeration, I know, but man.... They can drink.

EDIT: before I get absolutely destroyed by Maiden Voyage Maiden Voyage ... No, I didn't read all of that, at least not paying close attention. I'll actually read it and edit my comment where necessary.
 
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Dural

Member
In reasonable quantities yes, your body needs those, but anything in excess can kill you and many American meals exceed the daily recommended intakes, and that's just for one meal.

This can't be true, even the worst meal from McDs doesn't exceed the daily recommended values in one meal. I'm sure some fast food restaurants have meals that exceed it, but it's not common. My wife had low iodine that was affecting her thyroid because of always being told salt was bad and never putting iodized salt on anything, she has to take a supplement to help with the low iodine.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
This can't be true, even the worst meal from McDs doesn't exceed the daily recommended values in one meal. I'm sure some fast food restaurants have meals that exceed it, but it's not common. My wife had low iodine that was affecting her thyroid because of always being told salt was bad and never putting iodized salt on anything, she has to take a supplement to help with the low iodine.
That is not real food. Iodized salt is a synthetic compound as well.

There are plenty of other natural iodine rich foods you can eat without the fake rock salt (table salt).
 
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Boss Mog

Member
This can't be true, even the worst meal from McDs doesn't exceed the daily recommended values in one meal. I'm sure some fast food restaurants have meals that exceed it, but it's not common. My wife had low iodine that was affecting her thyroid because of always being told salt was bad and never putting iodized salt on anything, she has to take a supplement to help with the low iodine.
Who said anything about fast food though? I'm talking more like complete meals at places such as Applebee's, Cheesecake Factory, Clain jumper, Chili's, Outback, etc... Just a Bloomin' Onion appetizer at Outback has 800 calories, 58g of fat and 1520mg of sodium

If your wife has low iodine it has nothing to do with salt intake, it's because she's not eating a balanced diet that would supply her with iodine her body needs. I only consume sea salt when eating at home (which is most of my meals), which isn't iodized, and my iodine levels are fine. Iodine is mainly supplied through meat, fish, dairy and eggs so maybe your wife isn't eating enough of that stuff. Is she a vegan? If so, then yeah, you would need to find another source of iodine like iodized salt.

Don't forget also that 2000 calories is a recommended daily intake for an active person and most Americans aren't that active and so 1600-1700 is more appropriate to maintain weight for a non-active person.
 
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DeepEnigma

Gold Member
Who said anything about fast food though? I'm talking more like complete meals at places such as Applebee's, Cheesecake Factory, Clain jumper, Chili's, Outback, etc... Just a Bloomin' Onion appetizer at Outback has 800 calories, 58g of fat and 1520mg of sodium

If your wife has low iodine it has nothing to do with salt intake, it's because she's not eating a balanced diet that would supply her with iodine her body needs. I only consume sea salt when eating at home (which is most of my meals), which isn't iodized, and my iodine levels are fine. Iodine is mainly supplied through meat, fish, dairy and eggs so maybe your wife isn't eating enough of that stuff. Is she a vegan? If so, then yeah, you would need to find another source of iodine like iodized salt.

Don't forget also that 2000 calories is a recommended daily intake for an active person and most Americans aren't that active and so 1600-1700 is more appropriate to maintain weight for a non-active person.
  • Dried Sea Vegetables: Dulse, Kelp, Nori, & More!
  • Fruit Plants High in Iodine: Strawberries, Prunes, & Cranberries.
  • Vegetables High in Iodine: Green Beans, Corn, Lima & Potatoes.
  • Leafy Greens: Spring Greens & Watercress.
I use Himalayan, black salt, and some sea salts at home as well. Always in moderation.
 

Boss Mog

Member
  • Dried Sea Vegetables: Dulse, Kelp, Nori, & More!
  • Fruit Plants High in Iodine: Strawberries, Prunes, & Cranberries.
  • Vegetables High in Iodine: Green Beans, Corn, Lima & Potatoes.
  • Leafy Greens: Spring Greens & Watercress.
I use Himalayan, black salt, and some sea salts at home as well. Always in moderation.
I used Guérande sea salt exclusively, collected by hand from salt marshes that have been used by humans for thousands of years. Bonus is that it's decent source of extra magnesium which is something a lot of people are deficient in.
 

JCK75

Member
I love good beer and bourbon but I take it in extreme moderation
a 6 pack of beer will last me like 2-3 weeks, and a bottle of good bourbon makes it about a year.
 

chromhound

Member
Cheers_I%27ll_Drink_To_That_Bro_Banner.jpg
 

Razvedka

Banned
2 of those are true but insufficient exposure to adversity? If anything adversity is partially to blame. I don't think the most prolonged war in American history, the 2008 financial crisis, the opioid crisis, the covid pandemic, and rampant student loan debt are insufficient adversity lol many more Americans have died from opioids than Vietnam in a similar time period.
It wasn't a war. Afghanistan and Iraq were 'blips' of distant violence which scarcely effected anyone on the home front relative to WWI, WWII, Korean War or even Vietnam. Afghanistan and Iraq were' conflicts'. There's a legal distinction there but also for the sake of this conversation a very practical one.

No drafts. No mass mobilization. No existential threat.

Let me put this into perspective. The quantity of US personnel lost in both Iraq and Afghanistan as of 2019 was 7,000.

The Russians seemingly lost that many troops in Ukraine in about a month.

The 2008 Financial Crisis hit before most millennials were really even a player in the economy. So we were 'coming up' just as that hit, so we didn't really lose anything (our parents did). I will agree of course that our careers have been complete trash compared to Boomers, and this has been something we've been grappling with. 2008 probably didn't help that.

Our generation has been completely coddled is what I was going for. I didn't say that our lives were charmed, just that we've been exceedingly babied before being dumped into a world far more difficult and complicated than the one our parents enjoyed at our age. This then ties directly into insufficient coping mechanisms resulting in alcoholism. Alcohol and drug use are symptoms, not the problem in and of itself. Our generation is seeking an escape from the stress.

We were babied and whispered asinine promises like 'do what you love' and 'your work should make you happy'. The reality we walked into was very different from what we were being told, but the government backed student loan money was easy and the curriculums watered down or complete bullshit (gender studies, et al). That was a bomb waiting to explode as we approached 30. Toss in Covid/being stuck indoors, flagging economy, and you've a wonderful recipe for self medication.
 
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Not to be a pissant but Finland has a drinking problem, they don't keep going on about it.

I realize that I'm being a bit disingenuous towards people that really do have a drinking problem, but yeah, I just wanted to say that for some reason.
 

Tams

Gold Member
Lol, people think the US has a drinking problem?

Come to the UK. We'll show you a drinking problem.

PAY-carnage.jpg


Or if you want to see the worst; go to Russia.

I will give you Americans that the US has one of the most immature stances on alcohol consumption. Likely comes from their puritan past. And yes, the UK has and had some of that too; we just sent our worst off to the Americas.
 

JetBlackPanda

Gold Member
As someone who recently started drinking and using cannabis well into my adult life (I am 39) I would be ok if I never drank again, I cant say the same thing about cannabis.

Even before I ever tried either one, when I would attend concerts, I would rather stand next to some pot heads than someone drunk off their ass.
 
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Kev Kev

Member
As someone who recently started drinking and using cannabis well into my adult life (I am 39) I would be ok if I never drank again, I cant say the same thing about cannabis.

Even before I ever tried either one, when I would attend concerts, I would rather stand next to some pot heads than someone drunk off their ass.
yeah just stick to the ganja man. alcohol is fun but its poison. if youre drinking 5 or 6 beers a night, every night, you probably have a multitude of health issues that could be fixed by cutting your drinking in half, even more if you cut back by like 75%.

weed just makes everything more enjoyable, with a fraction of the risks of alcohol. its a better high than alcohol too, imo.
 
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sinnergy

Member
Ha! Americans don't drink heavy at all. Lol. Not even close. You're beer is all light lagers too. Give me a break.
I drink 8 - 12 percentage beers in the weekend mostly ! I am super creative and active ! European though . Don’t drink Bud light 🤣 drink Grolsch Kanon . Hertog Jan Grand Prestige .
 
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Aesius

Member
I have wanted to quit drinking entirely for years but always end up having a glass of wine or a beer in the evening. I like it but I always feel like it’s pointless. It’s almost like a ritual for me at this point and it’s just empty calories. I don’t even drink enough to get a buzz and haven’t been drunk in years.
 

Ownage

Member
I remember in the summer of 2020 I was working on a legal and marketing project, and ALL of our outside consultants got on the Zoom call with glasses of wine, or bottles, in frame. Proceeded to have boozy Tuesdays... and Wednesdays... and Thursdays... beginning around 11am. I'm not going to deny that I judged the shit out of their professionalism, and they became more dead weight than helpful.
 
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Lunarorbit

Member
It wasn't a war. Afghanistan and Iraq were 'blips' of distant violence which scarcely effected anyone on the home front relative to WWI, WWII, Korean War or even Vietnam. Afghanistan and Iraq were' conflicts'. There's a legal distinction there but also for the sake of this conversation a very practical one.

No drafts. No mass mobilization. No existential threat.

Let me put this into perspective. The quantity of US personnel lost in both Iraq and Afghanistan as of 2019 was 7,000.

The Russians seemingly lost that many troops in Ukraine in about a month.

The 2008 Financial Crisis hit before most millennials were really even a player in the economy. So we were 'coming up' just as that hit, so we didn't really lose anything (our parents did). I will agree of course that our careers have been complete trash compared to Boomers, and this has been something we've been grappling with. 2008 probably didn't help that.

Our generation has been completely coddled is what I was going for. I didn't say that our lives were charmed, just that we've been exceedingly babied before being dumped into a world far more difficult and complicated than the one our parents enjoyed at our age. This then ties directly into insufficient coping mechanisms resulting in alcoholism. Alcohol and drug use are symptoms, not the problem in and of itself. Our generation is seeking an escape from the stress.

We were babied and whispered asinine promises like 'do what you love' and 'your work should make you happy'. The reality we walked into was very different from what we were being told, but the government backed student loan money was easy and the curriculums watered down or complete bullshit (gender studies, et al). That was a bomb waiting to explode as we approached 30. Toss in Covid/being stuck indoors, flagging economy, and you've a wonderful recipe for self medication.
Completely coddled? You list two devastating wars and a complete financial collapse like they were nothing. Maybe in your life it seemed like millenials were coddled but certainly not mine.

You know what didn't happen after ww2. A global pandemic. Russian troll farms. Housing crisises. Opiod addiction spurred on by pharmaceutical companies. Stds that don't have cures.

Get outta here with your nonsense
 
Two plus decades of bartending has taught me that we Americans love shitty beer. For a long time we didn't have too much of a choice, but then the import scene started blowing up followed a few years later by a microbrewery explosion.
Now there are TONS of great beers available, both micro domestic and imports, but the lite shit always outsells them all.
I remember when Mich Ultra launched and the reps bought in a bunch for everybody to try. It tasted like a watered down lite beer, I thought "nobody is gonna drink this shit." Now it's a best seller, but I still judge the shit outta you when you order it and I have stuff like Kostritzer or Ashley Gang Imperial on draft.
 

Z O N E

Member
I was born with some REALLY damn good genetics. I can drink so much alcohol and not get drunk. I tend to only drink once every blue moon, I like to pour one glass of whatever I'm feeling fancy from my collection and just enjoy it and that's it and I usually do that with friends around or with the wife.

I don't mean to derail, but the fact that alcohol is legal and embraced by much of society while mushrooms are illegal and marginalized is the most clown thing of the clown world imho.

Yeah, I don't even smoke, but even I think that is absolutely insane. From the moment I've been born to now, the only people who have attacked me... are drunk people. I live in the UK so drinking will NEVER EVER get banned. Pubs are like the holy grail there. Banning drinking will probably cause more riots than another covid lockdown.

I do smell my neighbour enjoying his marijuana and I'm glad he's smoking that instead of cigarettes.

Alcohol is an incredibly destructive and potent drug. It's amazing that you can legally buy it or even drink it in public places. People who are hammered drunk act more ridiculous than people on almost any other drug known to man. Hell, people on bath salts are probably more reasonable than people who are blackout drunk.

It's insane, that if you live in South Korea and you commit a crime while drunk, you actually get your sentenced REDUCED. Makes NO SENSE, but that's how fucked up it is there.

GRAPHIC: A man brutally destroyed the anus of a 7? year old girl, she literally had internal injuries and will have to wear a colostomy bag for the rest of her life and could've got life or somewhere close to that for a prison sentence, but when the little girl testified and mentioned alcohol, the judge ended up giving him a lighter sentence of 12 years.

Like, even when it comes to DUI in South Korea, you can be let off with a warning. But if you were sober, you get punished more.
 

SpearFist

Member
Due to alcohol addiction i Lost my father to cancer. Metastatis cancer spread from Liver to intestines and then spread to whole body. He was a good man and very intelligent person, respected and praised by everyone. But He coudnt quit his alcohol and smoking addiction even when chemo was going through, very hard to see someone this strong being helpless to his addiction and battling for life. I was going on the same path with occasional drinking( thats how it starts). Quit it, drank twice in span of 8 years after quitting. Last time i touched it it was years ago and i dont miss it one bit. I hate it now. Not going down the same path. Dont do it fellas, it destroys family, health and wealth. Nothing good about it.

What i dont like is the peer pressure, you have to drink to be cool or social. I say fuck that, if you dont like it say no. No matter what. Ppl who love you will respect your decision. Dont give in to peer pressure.
 

BossLackey

Gold Member
I'm not a drinker, so I've always wondered what's the deal with hard drinks like hard lemonade, hard cider, hard iced tea. Why not just drink normal lemonade or iced tea? Isn't the point of alcohol to savor the unique taste a glass of scotch or whiskey or wine brings? What's with spiking already fine drinks with alcohol?

You know alcohol is literally a drug, right?


Right?
 

Winter John

Member
"I can drink so much alcohol and not get drunk."

I swear to Christ I'd be a millionaire if I got a dollar every time I heard some guy say this. I've yet to see a single one of them get past 4 shots of Everclear
 
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