Getting merry?

[AB Asks]

Britain is a nation of binge drinkers, going out on a Saturday night and drinking until standing becomes a tricky task. Women are predominantly the accused for drinking far too much. With new research suggesting a strong link between depression and binge drinking, let alone all the other health risks excessive drinking poses, we have to wonder why it continues.

Is it because life is so depressing? Or are the Government worrying about nothing?

[Octavius]

Binge drinking is not new. It has been happening for so long that I am sure even Andy Hughes might have done it (!), well at least the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans did. Most battles were fought whilst the infantry were out of their minds on mead. It gave them courage in battle and the unwitting ability to die at the sword believing they would be cherished as a brave warrior in the halls of the afterlife.
� Octavius MMVII

[LostSheep]

What is so wrong with going a bit wild on a Saturday night after a hard working week. It's not like we do it every single night. I definately think the Government are worrying about nothing and that there are far more important issues that they should be concerned with.

[funkymoped]

i dont drink, but i can see why some people would drink to excess.... this countrys LEADERS have little or no respect for its population... were over taxed in every respect. were treated like second class citizens in OUR country.

booze is a short term escape from reality... simple as that.
also, if it makes you happy, it cant be that bad...
:-)

[funkymoped]

why is your Question staying at the top of the list ??

i would have thought the AB would treat all Qs with the same respect.

as for the binge drinking..... women on the whole tend to be housewives. struggling all week to keep things in check at home.
one night on the town isnt a bad thing, so long as they remain safe !

[DJerba]

If you read the Ed's blog it explains all about the pink questions.

[ELVIS68]

Women shouldn`t be drinking, they should stick to coke so they are still able to drive us home, cabs cost a fortune nowadays

[Champagne]

"SHOUTING! Lager lager lager... SHOUTING! Mega mega... SHOUTING! Lager lager lager... "

...and so on and so forth. That's my opinion and I stand by this conviction.

*hic*

[dot.hawkes]

Decades before monthly salaries were the norm, Friday night was pay night and that meant a good night out every week, niw with monthly payments falling very often on the same weekend for everyone, there is a monthly good night out.
Can you cite your research source linking depression and binge drinking please?
In what way are the Government worrying? What aspect are they looking at and what if anything are they doing?
I have found this research and it seems commonm sense enough. if people are told the risks in palin English they may start to realise what is at stake.
http://alcalc.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/a bstract/42/1/37

[dot.hawkes]

That is not Michael Palin English by the way it is plain English.

[Mikeyd2]

I think Dot has brought up a good point on the wages / Salary front . Also the easy credit society we've now turned into .
Like most things we now can get most things quickly without thinking about the consequencies 'til later and drink is one of them .
Whereas once you had a couple of good nights out after payday ( ie paid on Friday every week) and then "stayed in" or whatever until the next cash !!!! payday etc etc. Now punch in some numbers and bingo , anytime anywhere ....!!!
This has also contributed to the huge amount of debt about of course .( I am speaking from experience by the way ).
Bring back the old brown pay packet I say ....I'm now going back to work with my other Ludite friends......oh and Sunday closing and half day Weds and only 2-3 TV channels and .......Baa humbug!!!

[dot.hawkes]

No you are not at all naz, it is an expressed opinion .

I personally am finding these questions very contentious, statements are included without citation or back up links, and whereas we are here to ask for help, advice or just answers, these are meant to have a more professional function. Allegedly

[pinkiefriend]

OK, for some reason I have a strong view on this topic. I am 24 turning 25 soon. I dont drink every day, hardly through the week at all but when it comes to the weekend, it is rare for me not to have a drink, although I do some weekends. I suppose in a way this does make me a heavy drinker. But the thing I do notice is that I dont think this its not right. I think it is far more sivilised for a male or female to go out and k now their limits. Woman and men could sort this out, we could be more sivilised, we could know our limits and become sivilised people. While we are doing that, we could sort global warming out too! (please forgive my spelling, my spell check on this laptop is not on/working, must fix)

[unruliejulie]

havent people always had a drink at the weekends,????? its called unwinding after a week of hard work!!!! More bloody nanny state stuff if you ask me. Is there anything we are still allowed to do in theis country without the government telling us its bad for us ?? Give people a break and let them make their own decisions about what, when and how much they want to drink on a weekend..

Elvis698, if we women didnt drink and get beer goggles, a lot of you men would be out in the cold!!!!!!! ;-)

[dot.hawkes]

pinkiefriend i will forgive your laptop for not having it's spellchecker working, but i can't understand anyone not being able to spell civilised, it is an everyday word. come on catch up.....not being patronising but it is an unlikley word for someone to misspell.

[Champagne]

I agree Julie. I find men a lot more tolerable after a few pints of Champagne...

[unruliejulie]

champagne, they are my MAIN reason for binge drinking!!!!!!!! LOL

[dot.hawkes]

Good point julie, well said. lol