Report: Sixty percent of U.S. adults drink

Bah. I think the sexes should be equal on this one.

Also how does five drinks a night classify as "binge" drinking? I mean after a few weeks in a row it's not exactly a binge anymore is it?

The 40% believe that the Constitution is a holy document and that anything from the repeal of Prohibition on was inspired by the devil.
-- Ned Raggett (ne...), February 26th, 2004.

Fundies Are Still Having Sex

So beer is the World War II field phone of the modern day.

This still doesn't mean that the definition of "heavy drinker" should be different for each. Why isn't the definition of "binge drinker" different for each sex then?

Probably a lot more since 9/11.

1 The Czech Republic 163
2 Germany 138
3 Denmark 126
4 Austria 118
5 Ireland 112.6
6 Belgium 108
7 The United Kingdom 100
8 Luxembourg 104
9 Australia 96
10= The United States 86
10= The Netherlands 85

"Darwin's thirst for alcohol used to be legendary, with statistics for beer consumption averaging out at around 230 litres per year for every man, woman and child. Eliminating the largely teetotal children and moderate women drinkers, that meant each grown man knocked back nearly a pair of "slabs" (24-can cartons) each week - fifty percent more than in the rest of Australia, although to be fair, consumption of soft drinks is also well above the national average. In recent years, consumption has eased off considerably, as the NT government, embarrassed by this boozy image, instigated a "Drink Less Live More" campaign, imploring moderation and reducing the price of "lite", low-alcohol beer. They've got their work cut out however as beer-drinking is still considered a prerequisite or indeed the main way of having a good night out in Darwin..."

I started reading that paragraph and thought it was talking about Charles Darwin.

I must be drunk.

Not to stereotype, but none of my female drinking buddies were ever the type to wear 3" heels. That said, I learned how to walk in heels (I was a theatre major in college), and I still walk funny after I've tied one on.

I think it's just because women are inherently much cooler than men w/ regard to a lot of things, and drinking is certainly one of them.

It's definitely been the case that women out in my group have tended to drink less than the males; though the degree of this varies a lot.
I myself have been known in the past to get haplessly bladdered on the beer [though generally worse when I have stuff other than beer in the same night], but within the last year and a half, maybe longer, I feel I've located my limits and generally stick within them. It may also be a penny-saving tendency; just generally, I don't go overboard, and I think generally this is the way to go. Retaining control is worthwhile; and you enjoy your drink more if you take it slower. I guess I've gone well past the blokish issue of 'proving yersel' in terms of quantities of alcohol imbibed. If ever I had anything to prove, I wager I proved it long back; as a group of friends we're all much more relaxed and at ease now when out, so I guess that figures. Due to maturing really, and mostly all having spent time away from home at university... strangely, I've had very few nights out drinking in term time this year: maybe partly as I was in a bad way after an operation in October, and also as it's my last year, and I've felt the need to knuckle down. It's helped that the work has been much more interesting; no coincidence that there's a far greater role for choosing your own papers/areas within papers, this year. I feel somewhat wistfully, that my existence has been overly monkish, or donnish... but I've kind of enjoyed focusing on my work in far more depth; I've got more out of that this year, than I would with just a few more piss-ups - which I know I'll be able to have anyway at home. Once exams are over however; I can certainly see a little revelry for me here. :)

Just speaking more generally for a second; I am gobsmacked that the U.S. figure is as low as 60%... I'm sure it'd be close to 80% or more in Britain; though I guess the circles I move in are more conducive to drinking than, say, some parts of Britain/sections of our society. It's blatantly a very central part of the adult culture in the north-east, is pub going. And I'll not be one to criticise that; I like my ale and pub conversations with mates, et al. Alcohol is only a bad thing if it takes more out of you than you take out of it. [ah, paraphrasing Churchill... what next? ;)]

I sadly dont hold my booze well - I can drink TONS, but it shows, as Im sure Jim can merrily attest to :/

I have a hard time believing that my ONE beer/wine with dinner each night qualifies me as a heavy drinker.

Do you use the units system in America, where a small glass of wine or half pint of normal strength beer is approx. one unit? And women are meant to limit their drinking to 14 units a week? So a drink a day would be half that - how the hell is that 'heavy'?

*remains silent*

*sips on slightly cold Fresca*

*hums*

*looks around*

*taps fingers on empty section of computer desk*

*remembers to check social calendar*

*remembers the lack of a "social calendar" in first place*

*hums*

Somebody's been watching too many Jim Belushi sitcoms and commercials where the girl plugs the hole in the boat with a tampon.

I'm talking about the prevalence of the "bumbling idiot dad/man" cliche. You can chalk it up as a tit-for-tat tradeoff for having meek submissive sitcom housewives on tv in decades past, but you can't deny that pop culture is wallowing in dad-ain't-got-a-clue syndrome.

"Mr. Jordan's slogan for Schaefer beer, written in 1961 ["Schaefer is the one beer to drink when you're having more than one."], was based on research by the brewer indicating that 80 percent of the beer sold in the United States was bought by 20 percent of the drinkers. He noted a line in a report Schaefer had prepared that described the brand as 'one beer for heavy drinkers to consume when they are engaged in a substantive drinking experience.'"