The latest drivel from the prodnoses and wowsers is that we Brits are doing our drinking in entirely the wrong manner. We, apparently, like to get drunk. This will not do of course so we’re advised that we should in fact drink and yet not get drunk.
Sigh. You can almost hear the tooth sucking at this finding:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Meanwhile, UK drinkers regretted just under a fifth (18.5%) of their drinking sessions, compared to 20% globally.[/perfectpullquote]We get pissed more often than the others and regret it less? Have we no shame? Well, no, apparently not and doesn’t that just piss off those who would rule our lives?
As to the finding itself, we get pissed more often than others:
The correct reaction to that table is what the hell is everyone doing that final week of the year? But we also have this set of numbers:
So, we drink less than many others, we get drunk more often than any others. Hmm, that means that our consumption of alcohol is more efficient, more productive, than that of others, doesn’t it? I haven’t checked it but I would assume that the definition of drunk being used here is to get a decent buzz on, not actually falling down, Swedish style, dead drunk.
All of which is fine but then look at what the advice we’re being given is:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] Professor Adam Winstock, founder of the survey, said while fewer people were drinking, many who were are doing so in a potentially harmful way. He said: “We get told too much is bad, and it is, but current guidelines fail to accept the pleasure of intoxication and give little guide on difference between being a little drunk and a lot drunk, and doing it 3-4 times a year versus weekly. We need to have that conversation. “In the UK we don’t tend to do moderation, we end up getting drunk as the point of the evening. “Until culture changes and we become more European and moderate in our drinking, we might have to bite the bullet and think about how to advise people to get drunk drinking less. [/perfectpullquote]We should become more European? Raise annual alcohol consumption but get drunk less often? Booze more but get a buzz less? Become less productive in our drinking?
Some people are just never happy leaving us alone to get on with life, are they?
Professor Adam Winstock, founder of the survey….
Can you get me an introduction to the good Professor? I would like to apply to assist him with his fieldwork on any follow-up drinking study….
How do we define ‘drunk’? Personally, I’m with Dean Martin: “You’re not drunk if you can still lie on the floor without having to hold on.”
Would a survey that said everything was hunky-dory keep the author/founder benefiting from grant money? All these studies need to be viewed through the lens of how to keep the money flowing.