Men Urged to Limit Alcohol to One Drink a Day Amid New Concerns

[Jason]

A federal committee’s recommendation for new U.S. dietary guidelines comes as a 20-year rise in Americans’ drinking accelerates during the pandemic

 

Uh, yeah, my drinking has gone way up since November 2016, not just March 2020.

[marioandsonic]

Meh, climate change will kill me before my liver does.

[Remarkableriots]

1 minute ago, marioandsonic said:

Meh, climate change will kill me before my liver does.

Just sounds like you ain't trying hard enough! 

[CitizenVectron]

There are a small number of benefits to drinking, societally, and they boil down to: People tend to loosen up with a few drinks. I would argue, however, that the overall effect on society is negative due to abuse and physical damage. I don't think alcohol is something that should be banned...but there should definitely be regulations that raise prices to reduce consumption and abuse. You will never stop all abuse, but you will definitely reduce it, and that's a good thing. And before anyone argues against the idea practically, studies in Canada show that it works. BC raised the price of hard liquor (minimum alcohol prices are set by governments in Canada) and they tracked a corresponding reduction in use. It's like anything else, really.

[Jason]

1 minute ago, CitizenVectron said:

There are a small number of benefits to drinking, societally, and they boil down to: People tend to loosen up with a few drinks. I would argue, however, that the overall effect on society is negative due to abuse and physical damage. I don't think alcohol is something that should be banned...but there should definitely be regulations that raise prices to reduce consumption and abuse. You will never stop all abuse, but you will definitely reduce it, and that's a good thing. And before anyone argues against the idea practically, studies in Canada show that it works. BC raised the price of hard liquor (minimum alcohol prices are set by governments in Canada) and they tracked a corresponding reduction in use. It's like anything else, really.

 

When I've been in Vancouver it seems like drinks at bars are cheap (coming from Los Angeles, since drinks will be the same numerical dollar amount as they are in Los Angeles) but that a 6 pack of beer is pretty expensive at the liquor store even accounting for exchange rates. Do you have any idea what's going on with that?

[Firewithin]

27 minutes ago, Jason said:

A federal committee’s recommendation for new U.S. dietary guidelines comes as a 20-year rise in Americans’ drinking accelerates during the pandemic

 

Uh, yeah, my drinking has gone way up since November 2016, not just March 2020.

 

who would have thought that drinking would rise during the worst fucking time in most peoples lives.

 

i feel like ive drank 10yrs worth in the last 4 years

[CitizenVectron]

3 minutes ago, Jason said:

 

When I've been in Vancouver it seems like drinks at bars are cheap (coming from Los Angeles, since drinks will be the same numerical dollar amount as they are in Los Angeles) but that a 6 pack of beer is pretty expensive at the liquor store even accounting for exchange rates. Do you have any idea what's going on with that?

 

Government sets minimum price for drinks, but bars can charge whatever they want above that. Most regulations are aimed at liquor store prices, so stuff here costs 2-3x as much as the US at a minimum.

[Uaarkson]

Actual drug addict here. Alcohol is worse than meth 

[Jason]

7 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said:

Government sets minimum price for drinks, but bars can charge whatever they want above that. Most regulations are aimed at liquor store prices, so stuff here costs 2-3x as much as the US at a minimum.

 

Is the intent to use the tax policy to encourage people to at least go out and drink socially instead of holing up by themselves at home with their booze? I've suspected that's what the point was since I noticed the discrepancy but I've never been able to track down an actual answer.

[SilentWorld]

5 minutes ago, Jason said:

 

Is the intent to use the tax policy to encourage people to at least go out and drink socially instead of holing up by themselves at home with their booze? I've suspected that's what the point was since I noticed the discrepancy but I've never been able to track down an actual answer.

I really don't think there's any intent to encourage people to drink their alcohol at restaurants/bars. You're still paying significantly more to buy alcohol at a bar than you would at a liquor store. There just isn't cheap alcohol here like there is in the USA. 

[Zaku3]

21 minutes ago, Uaarkson said:

Actual drug addict here. Alcohol is worse than meth 

I do prefer THC and nicotine. I have pretty much stopped drinking. Like handful of times a year. 

 

I also like opiates but you do need to be careful.

[Bloodporne]

My drinking has gone up an absurd amount and I can't say I give a shit right now. 

[Uaarkson]

It’s not just you guys. Substance abuse skyrocketed during the pandemic and it’s still getting worse.

[Massdriver]

1 hour ago, CitizenVectron said:

There are a small number of benefits to drinking, societally, and they boil down to: People tend to loosen up with a few drinks. I would argue, however, that the overall effect on society is negative due to abuse and physical damage. I don't think alcohol is something that should be banned...but there should definitely be regulations that raise prices to reduce consumption and abuse. You will never stop all abuse, but you will definitely reduce it, and that's a good thing. And before anyone argues against the idea practically, studies in Canada show that it works. BC raised the price of hard liquor (minimum alcohol prices are set by governments in Canada) and they tracked a corresponding reduction in use. It's like anything else, really.

Alcohol taxes should go up substantially in the U.S.

[osxmatt]

I've been sober since December 2018.

 

God bless those that can stick to one drink a night.

[Zaku3]

8 minutes ago, osxmatt said:

I've been sober since December 2018.

 

God bless those that can stick to one drink a night.

It's the one thing I don't like about hanging out wit one of friends. He loves drinking and doesnt rrally take no as an answer. It's almost as bad as him being a Trump support. Probably worse in fairness. 

[Brick]

So one drink a night, which would average to 7 drinks per week, meaning if I miss a few nights, I can have 7 drinks in one night to make up for it! 

 

 

In all seriousness though I think my drinking has gone down since the lockdown. I still have wine occasionally, but Friday was the first time I had a beer in months. 

[elbobo]

My drinking has gone up over the last year not to an alarming level or anything but it is noticeable. I still limit myself to only Friday and Saturday. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Huh. I still have 4 cans out of the six pack I bought last month. I need to get back to it.

[Joe]

My family is filled with big-time drinkers, so relative to them I am a light-weight. I still have been drinking 10-12 drinks a week though. Got to cut back. My dad has gone from drinking 1-2 bottles of wine a day to basically not drinking at all. At 71, that's pretty impressive!

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

I like beer.

 

I've cut back on my drinking recently but on the weekend I might have one or two. Flavored seltzer water has been my thing at night to avoid snacking and drinking. Helps me anyway.

[Brian]

Drinking is up since the lockdown/wfh. I used to average maybe 2-4 beers a month. I am probably averaging double that amount currently though I haven’t had any alcohol in the last two weeks 

[TwinIon]

Yeah, I've only recently started to bring my drinking back to pre-pandemic levels. In the before times I'd gotten much better about mostly drinking with friends. When the lockdown started, that rule kinda went out the window and I was having something every night. I'm getting back to a more reasonable level of consumption, but it's definitely still higher than 7 drinks a week.

[marioandsonic]

Drinking for me has gone up over the last 4 years.

[Mr.Vic20]

My drinking has gone up as well, but that's from zero drinks a month to 1 or 2 every other week. so, nothing to concern myself with. 

[sexy_shapiro]

I haven’t had a drink in over ten months but I did get back into smoking weed again. And a few months ago my anxiety reached such a high that I had to start taking CBD oil daily just to prevent myself from having another panic attack during work.

[silentbob]

Never been a drinker. I’ve been legal for 20 years almost and have only had 1/2 a beer and it was forced on me by my old theatre manager while out for a round of golf. I will say my weed intake is slightly up, but I’ve also been working more on my own. I’m still on light duty with my wrist and it really helps it calm down and take away my ache after my shift. 

[Guest]

I probably have a drink every couple of months. I just don't tend to think of booze much, even in situations where one might be expected to have one. Part of it is being a diabetic since I was a kid, you're always told it's better to eat your carbs than drink them. 

[rc0101]

I drink once a year and it’s only 1 drink at my companies holiday party. I won’t have to drink this year at least. 

[SimpleG]

I have at most 5 drinks a year. M-TH I dont touch a thing, Friday and Saturday Ill have an edible or 2 or pop a xan.

[SoberChef]

3 hours ago, Uaarkson said:

It’s not just you guys. Substance abuse skyrocketed during the pandemic and it’s still getting worse.

Locally as well as nationally, overdose rates are higher than they have been in years which is quite disconcerting to be sure. Personally, while I have been drug free since 2008, while my beer consumption is down significantly on the weekends, it's been usurped by my affinity for neat double pours of Anejo tequila which I'm doing my best to be mindful in just exactly how much I happen to be consuming.

[Reputator]

I can't read the article so I have no idea what a "drink" is. Considering the wide gamut of ABV between different drink types, that's pretty ambiguous.

 

No question my beer consumption has gone way up since the quarantine in March. I'm drinking three a night, four nights a week currently. Usually in the 6-7% range.

 

Should I reduce it? Probably. But I hate my job so it makes the nights before work the next day more bearable.

[GeneticBlueprint]

Never had a drink in my life...

[Keyser_Soze]

49 minutes ago, GeneticBlueprint said:

Never had a drink in my life...

 

Cot damn Mormons!

[skillzdadirecta]

9 hours ago, CitizenVectron said:

There are a small number of benefits to drinking, societally, and they boil down to: People tend to loosen up with a few drinks. I would argue, however, that the overall effect on society is negative due to abuse and physical damage. I don't think alcohol is something that should be banned...but there should definitely be regulations that raise prices to reduce consumption and abuse. You will never stop all abuse, but you will definitely reduce it, and that's a good thing. And before anyone argues against the idea practically, studies in Canada show that it works. BC raised the price of hard liquor (minimum alcohol prices are set by governments in Canada) and they tracked a corresponding reduction in use. It's like anything else, really.

 

Has it worked with cigarettes? Genuinely asking and not trying to be a smart ass. I've been staying with my parents the whole pandemic and haven't been out socially that much so my drinking has gone WAAAAAY down.