Booze in the UK (again)

[JockSporran]

In an earlier thread I asked what you thought would happen if booze was banned in Britain. Clearly it wouldn't work as we are not ready for it. But now I want to ask something else. (Bear in mind that I drink myself, so I'm not some moralising temperance teetotaller). Do you think we could ever learn to live without booze? I mean, not just have it banned, but reach a society where we don't want it anyway? Why do we need the stuff? Why do we drink ourselves into a mentally disturbed state?

[scotgal]

And did you see the the story about the wee tree shrew of smething that could drink any human under the table?. So the drinking of alcohol is not just confined to the human of the species.

[JockSporran]

Thanks for the answers so far but, it could be argued, we are more aware of harm than animals or primitive humans. We gave up smoking, so couldn't we give up booze? I'm just exploring here, not preaching.

[Octavius]

I think the difference is that smoking is seen as more harming, even in small doses. Drinking in moderation is not so harming and, depending what day of the week it is, can apparently have health benefits.

Of course the issue is excess, so I think any campaign might be better focussed on trying to reduce consumption through various measures � as with smoking � rather than an outright ban.

If you banned smoking completely there would be anarchy, as would there be if you banned many of the freedoms we enjoy, such as driving, eating unhealthily, flying, partaking in dangerous(ish) sports (diving, skiing, climbing etc).

[JockSporran]

Octavius - good answer. I don't want to ban anything. But still I wonder - is it at all possible for us Brits to drink without getting rowdy? To enjoy a civilised glass of wine with food instead of swilling beer down our throats and looking for aggro? Some people can already do this, so why not everybody?

[Octavius]

I don�t know what the answer is, but there are many comparables.

Is it possible for us Brits to enjoy a civilised drive in the country without speeding or drinking and driving? Some people can already do this, so why not everybody?

[keyplus90]

In my experience I have noticed that smoking, drinking or drug abuse all these things and many more usually start as Socialising and soon creep in and by the time you look behind you that how far have you gone, it is too late. Very few can turn around from that point.

However I think any change in the world or society always begins in one mind and that is yours own. When one person decides that he is not going to do it then sooner or later many follow. Because does not matter it is smoking or drinking but somewhere inside or subconscious tell us that it is damaging. So it is a matter of when do you listen to that. Anything can change your mind. My father in law smoked over 50 years and recently in the hospital after a minor operation doctor told him once that if he does not give up smoking, this time next year he might be in the grave. Although that operation had nothing to do with smoking but doctors words scared him. Bit over 7 months and he has not touched a cigarette.

[Quinlad]

I think we may learn to live without it. But in the distant future.

And it would only be because another safer, less harmful and more pleasant drug came on to the market and achieved acceptance.

[B00]

Can I just ask Octavius....what difference does the day of the week make with regards to health benefits?

[Octavius]

Of course you can ask B00.

[ruby27]

Can I add to B00's enquiry, which days should alcohol be consumed and which days should abstinence take place. Also if you don't mind can you tell why there is a difference depending on the day.

JockSporran. I think because mammals like mood altering substances. As we have alcohol and it is so embedded in human culture, it seems impossible to imagine any society where there would be no wish or desire for the impact alcohol has. Even where societies don't consume alcohol they either use other substances or deliberately refrain, which of course still means alcohol plays a significant part in the culture.

It would require a harmless but very similar substitute I think. Personally I wish scientists would concentrate on that!!! .

[Octavius]

Oh ok, it was a facetious reference to the cyclical media led conflict of advice from one day to the next. This article demonstrates my point, especially when you look at the �link� articles to the right.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/14940 43.stm

I made a similar point here:

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Body-and-Soul/Q uestion600043.html

[firetracie]

Hi everyone.

I wonder if it's the way we have governed alcohol consumption in our society which makes a difference? In England The Pub has traditionally been the province of adults. Drinking alcohol at home is a fairly recent development. Drinking wine is also a relatively recent development. Probably because we never used to make any of our own and brewed alcohol from grains - beer, whisky etc. - which is a lot more difficult to DIY hence 'The Pub'.

On the continent, where most countries make their own wine, it's been a part of family social culture for ages. Children are allowed to join in - watered down and in small amounts yes - but alcohol is not solely the province of adults like it has always been here (until recently). That's not to say that the incidences of alcohol related illness is lesser there, but the anti-social consequences that are always hitting the headlines here don't seem to be a part of their culture.

Maybe that's why young people go a bit wild when they get to the age that they can go into a pub and buy a drink.

Other than that I agree with legend (Woah! Hold On! (lol) ) that some people are anti-social to differing degrees. When I get S**t-faced, I dance till I can't stand up and go home to sleep. I drink sleeping beer. Some people drink fighting beer, some people drink crying beer, some people drink shameless beer. I think it just accentuates whatever your basic nature or mood is at the time.

And so many people in our society today are so angry.

Our society didn't invent alcohol, but we overindulge because most of us feel angry, disappointed, disillusioned, powerless and generally hope-less.

Should that change, then so to (probably) would our need to escape into a haze of mind-numbing drunkeness.

[Whickerman]

Not sure why it happens, I'll leave that to the psychologists. But here in Ireland it's illegal to sell alcohol on Good Friday. I drink socially maybe once a week. But I get cravings for a pint like you wouldn't believe on Good Friday. Must be the whole 'not allowed get it' part of my brain playing up.
That's a small part of the reason that I think prohibition would fail too.

[Booldawg]

It is a rite of passage for any Northern European that gets less than 2 months of sunshine each year to drink large quantities of alcohol.

[tiara4321]

the c of e except alcahol so there for we can have it i love a drink and smoke i dont want to give up either as i have had friends dye the same age as me 44 and they didnt touch drinking smoking or any thing harmful what they say are the cause of all these cancers and heart attacks . so i wil do what i enjoy and not listen to what these others are telling us to do i am a free spirit and i will do and say what i put into my body i wont be told i cant smoke in my own house car or be told i cant drink because the truth is i lokk a lot better than some 30 yr olds so i get told so. i like to escape the odd nite into a nite of relaxing with drink and fag i wont go to pub or resteraunt now as i dont enjoy going to stand outside in the rain for a fag so i have my evenings in now and tell you what i save a lot more money that way very expensive to go out with taxi ect. bad for the economy but i can enjoy my self just as much at home now and not have to wait in cold for taxi to turn up. and if they ban alcahol as well its so easy to make anyway thats my opinion tiara