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Post by blacklion400 on Mar 25, 2009 23:00:27 GMT
What's your opinion on the recent price increase on alcohol? personally I think it's utterly ridiculous, it will never stop alcohol problems. People who want a drink that bad will either pay the price for it, or find a way to get it without paying. All it's doing is punishing the sensible drinkers, like myself ;D
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Post by Rusty Red Scrap Iron on Mar 25, 2009 23:25:47 GMT
I thought we already had a thread for Alcohol.
But anyway, I don't drink at all. Only wine at New Years, but the closet thing to Alcohol I drink is Red Bull even though it's not an Alcoholic drink.
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Post by FlyingScotsman on Mar 25, 2009 23:34:09 GMT
I'm dead against it, personally. I do drink, but responsibly - I know when to stop, and I'm a mellow drunk in any case.
In any case, one of the effects of alcohol is that you don't worry about things so much. How many people have gone on a night out and said, "Right, I'm only going to spend £10" only to discover the next morning that they've motored through £30? After a few drinks, you're not going to care about the extra.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2009 23:44:03 GMT
I love a bitter myself, but I'm always sensible when having a pint by drinking at my own pace and knowing when to stop. But, since moving to Essex, I haven't been able to drink as much, which is a shame. Still, I s'ppose that saves me some money, eh? Ha, ha!
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OldBoiler
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Post by OldBoiler on Mar 26, 2009 19:54:43 GMT
I got to admit that i don't drink anywhere near as much as i did when i was 18. Even then i didn't drink that much. I totally understand where Flying Scotsman is coming from by saying about setting spending limits and finding out you've gone over them. Have done that a few times. I used to volunteer to drive and then that way i didn't drink but my friends would buy me soft drinks or pay for petrol money to cover the cost of me taxiing them around. I still enjoyed myself and sometimes made a couple of pound too. I do agree with the thought that if people want to drink then they will no matter what but we seem to be faced with quite a serious problem in this country compared to other European nations. Under age drinking and teenage pregnacies are almost hand in hand and we are topping the leagues in both. In some ways this says alot for our education but it also hint at our standards of living and care for our children? Should we be educating them about the effects of alcohol at home? That way they are in a safe environment but also get an idea of what it can do to you. I also think that parents should take more of an interest in where their children are going when hanging out with friends. That way it may just help in reducing under age drinking and hanging around in gangs on street corners etc. Encouraging children to take up more activities like football training, swimming etc after school to not only keep them active but also to make new friends and give them something to enjoy doing other than going out drinking etc. I think i learnt in a similar way to the above and i hardly ever drink. Every once in a while i'll share a bottle of red with my wife with our meal and that's it. I much prefer to taxi people and have a clear head next day!
Though i shouldn't pick on the younger generation for it is also the 20s to 30s age group that cause alot of problems when they go out binge drinking and clubbing. It always amazes me at how people can go out, drink so much, become sick ang yet they do that every week. It is just a waste of money. Something needs to be done but i don't think the increase in alcohol prices is totally the right idea. To put a cap on the lower price range that supermarkets sell at might help as it mean that they have less of a monoply when it comes to the festive seasons and summer BBQ time. Interesting thread and i'm looking forward to reading others thoughts on this.
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Post by FlyingScotsman on Mar 28, 2009 0:18:14 GMT
I just don't get those people who drink until they're sick when they're in their 20s and 30s. I do understand getting a bit crazy at the end of a hard week, but drinking until you're ill is just plain no fun. Not to mention the fact that it looks incredibly crass.
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OldBoiler
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Post by OldBoiler on Mar 28, 2009 0:52:27 GMT
I couldn't agree more. It's also a very expensive past time too. Might as well throw the money into a river or burn it as in the end it comes to the same thing, wasted! There is nothing wrong with having a few drinks to unwind after a hard week. I just don't understand nor see the point of binge drinking until you are ill. It isn't hard and can only cause long term effects like liver failure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Not so long ago a young lass in her 20s was in the newspaper. She was a holiday rep and was consuming 50units per week and in some cases more. Her doctor has told her that one more drink and she could die from it. She now wishes that she hadn't bothered drinking at all. That, to me, indicates thoughtlessness, recklessness but also the possibility of peer pressure too. When you're abroad you tend to drink more as you're on holiday or, if you're a rep, partying and meeting the new batch of 18-30 year olds and going out with collegues and having a good time. I'd imagine it would do nothing for 'street cred' if you didn't drink with the rest of them. Tis a shame that she can no longer enjoy having a drink with friends in case it is her last.
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Post by shanedooiney on Mar 30, 2009 1:44:20 GMT
Every weekend it's a tradition for our little posse to gather at our local Mexican restaurant and enjoy the "Saturday Special" they have: $2 margaritas!
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Post by Knuckles on Mar 30, 2009 20:24:57 GMT
Personally I haven't noticed the price increase, it's still roughly £1 a can.
I used to get w**kered alot, especially in the Army, packed that game up now though, wasn't doing me any favores so the occasional can in home is about it now.
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Churchy
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Post by Churchy on Mar 30, 2009 20:41:26 GMT
Hmm. I rarely go out (with mates who know people so I can get served ) but when I do I just wake up in the morning and find that I'm missing a shoe or something silly like that. Still, I don't go out all the time as some people I know do. Me being me, I'd drink anything. At least I gave up smoking, god I hate that habit...
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Post by edwardblue on Mar 31, 2009 23:45:09 GMT
Personally, I drink only sporadically, and I know where to draw the line when it comes to drinking on special occasions. I usually prefer the fruit-flavored alcoholic drinks as opposed to beer and wine, mainly because the fermented taste doesn't agree with my taste buds.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2009 23:27:55 GMT
Working in a pub I have found that the price increases have caused people to stay away. Unlike Supermarkets, pubs can't afford to sell alcohol on at a loss. This shows with the rate of 39 pubs a week shutting (I think I heard that figure last month) and I can see the one I work in closing before too long. As alcohol is more expensive people drink less of it and its in a social environment, unlike at home and you also have a landlord who says "On your bike" or sometimes something a little less polite when you've had more than enough. At home its not like that. In my opinion its the supermarkets that should see the price increases to a greater extent and not the pub.
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Post by FlyingScotsman on Apr 3, 2009 22:13:11 GMT
I agree - what's the point in putting up the price of a pint in your local when you can still buy enough beer to get roaring drunk for a tenner at your local supermarket? That, in my opinion, is far more risky. A barman, as you rightly observe, can keep an eye on things. He can ID people, tell them when they've had enough and so forth. At a house party, there are no such restrictions - that's where accidents happen. I've seen far more people make themselves ill at a party than at a bar.
As usual with this government, it's a case of "do it now, think about it later."
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Post by stuart7 on Apr 4, 2009 23:08:45 GMT
I very rarely drink at all, during the week, and when I do, it's usually only between 2-4 pints, and it's Carling or Stella Shandy at that, with the occasional white wine spritzer.
Stuart
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PC Stratford
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Post by PC Stratford on Apr 4, 2009 23:38:52 GMT
It's the whole 'drink culture' and people I've known who handle drink that have turned me teetotal. I don't mind people who drink and I can have a good chat with and spend some good times with, it's just those certain individuals who make fools of themselves
I did drink a very small amount of cider once, but I still don't drink and I plan to keep it that way
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Post by FlyingScotsman on Apr 5, 2009 11:08:06 GMT
I'm teetotal - always have been, always will be. I just don't like the taste of the stuff - any of it. I also have a cunning plan to put my perfect liver on eBay in a few years when everyone will have destroyed theirs due to drink - kerching! *sees dollar signs*. Well, it's cunning up to the point at which you have to hand over the goods.
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Post by FlyingScotsman on Apr 5, 2009 13:57:59 GMT
And then there's a drunk with a new liver standing over you saying, "Now who's laughing?"
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Post by Aidan on Apr 5, 2009 23:08:17 GMT
I had my first sip of alcohol on St. Patrick's Day. It was a sort of light Irish beer, but it was a little strong for me. The legal drinking age over here in Virginia is 21.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2009 20:49:36 GMT
That is another thing, for me you should have been allowed to have a sip from a young age. I've seen it all too often, alcohol for children is taboo except for those who were introduced to it from an early age. Those who have been introduced to it from an early age either aren't bothered about it, or if they do have it, they drink what they can and if they have too much, its an accident. I'm sure that others around the forum agree with me.
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Post by Halstead on Apr 9, 2009 20:27:12 GMT
Yes I wholly agree. My first drop of alochol was roughly when I was 14 where I sampled some lager. From there it was only on special occasions like I would drink a few cans and quite often I'd go funny with the alcohol intake but luckily not to induce vomiting.
The first time I threw up due to alcohol wastage was a few months ago where I had too many rounds of Ameretto (a spanish tipple that tastes like battenburg cake) mixed with Dr Pepper while watching a marathon of Mr Bean, not a very good combination IMHO.
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