Glitter Poll
Glitterditch Debate: Is London Binge Drinking Out Of Control?
Oh dear. Of all the things we've told you about today, they mainly seem to be based around getting drunk. Not just a little bit tipsy. Really really drunk. London seems to be binge drinking more and more. We don't even seem to notice it anymore.
Glitterbitch had a think about how much she drank last week. We've added it up and realised that we drank four nights out of seven. We had roughly five drinks each night. This means that instead the guideline amount of 14 units a week for women, Glitterbitch had 40. At least. And this isn't unusual. It's not even seen to be excessive - despite how shocked we were.
Before Glitterbitch books herself into The Priory, we had a chat with some Londoners to see what they thought. Does Glitterbitch binge drink too much, or are the guidlines too unrealistic today?
"Binge drinking isn't big and isn't clever. But I wouldn't be saying that if I wasn't hungover!"
"What can I say about binge drinking? Erm... I enjoy it?"
"People use it as a way of escaping stressful lives and jobs for a few hours and to stem boredom when there's nothing better to do. There seems to be an ignorance of the long term effects with people not seeing past the hangover but its so engrained in parts of the English psyche I cant see it changing anytime soon."
"It's not so bad if only occassionally and you don't do anything dreadful!"
"Binge drinking only applies to chavs...to everyone else its normal! I have grown up with alcohol, with parents going in pubs, practically growing up in pubs. I'd like to think I know the downfalls that can occur on a night out (though they can still catch you out!)"
"Women tend to be a little more controlled in the places where I have worked but they are getting more and more out of control. They tend to by the end of the night not even know their own name."
"Binge drinking isn't going to stop. Yes it's excessive but it's not going to change. It's acceptable by society to get trashed at the weekends. There's almost competition to see who can be the most hungover and have the wildest weekend."
So there you go. Tell us what you think. Are we all heading for drunken ruin? Or is the amount we drink really not an issue? Are women worse than men? Are we worrying too much about nothing? Tell us in the comments.
Flickr image from Monstershaq2000's photostream.
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2 Comments
Hmmm.
The term 'binge drinking' is a bit of a tabloid invention in my view. It's about as meaningful as droning on about 'political correctness gone mad', or other-such odious tabloid phrases that hark back to the imaginary 'good old days'.
Anyway, back to the matter in hand - drinking. I've read a few times that the 'guideline amounts' (14 units per week for girlies, 21 units for geezers) were pretty much decided arbitrarily, and might not realistically reflect what is healthy and what is not.
Ultimately, I think it's all about balance, and listening to what your body (tries to) tell you.
If I drank 40 units of methylated spirits per week, alternating it with a daytime diet of Dr. Pepper, deep-fried lard and sausage rolls, it probably wouldn't do me any favours. In fact, I would feel like utter shit.
But, I can drink this amount, over a week during which I eat a varied diet and get out and about a bit, and I generally won't suffer. On the many occasions when I have overdone it over the course of a week, my liver and/or stomach and/or head will generally let me know, either via a major hangover (in the case of a big 'session'), or just feeling a bit run-down (in the case where I've probably just taxed my body a bit too much over a certain period).
Sure, excessive alcohol consumption can certainly be damaging to your health, but I don't subscribe to the idea that you can define 'binge drinking' by looking at an arbitrary units-per-week figure. I think your body will give you a more accurate idea of whether you're overdoing it or not...
Quite an interesting article here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article3108418.ece
Dave, I have to agree. I'm not making excuses for how much I drink, but how realistic that a 70 year old woman's intake is the same as someone 25? It's a very vague guideline.
I don't feel like I drank a huge amount last week. A lot, yes. But a quick poll amongst friends made me realise that this wasn't excessive. One of them drank 50 units this week which made me feel slightly better.
Or, do we make excuses like this to justify a lifestyle that we know is getting out of hand?
By the way, I'm on three units this week and counting...