4 ms·

With Moderate Drinking Under Fire, Alcohol Companies Go on Offensive

12 points by catilac 10y ago

mark_l_watson 10y ago
After enjoying alcohol most of our lives, my wife and I decided to stop drinking about a year and a half ago. The big advantages are making better use of our evenings and also saving a ton of money. We eat out a lot more, and in probably better restaurants, because even one glass of wine each added significantly to the bill. When we drank two glasses of wine each, alcohol could be half our restaurant bill. We ask for separate checks when eating out with friends but no one seems to mind.
tomjen3 10y ago
We need a better way to get high - alcohol is a pretty shitty drug that we mostly use because it is legal, not because it is the best. Make pot available on the same terms and see alcohol usage decline.
- wry_discontent 10y ago
  Even when pot becomes legal, I don't think it's going to replace alcohol. They feel different, and I like different substances for different occasions.
  - milesokeefe 10y ago
    Especially considering how often it's anxiety-inducing. Hard to say the same for alcohol.
  - bordercases 10y ago
    They're partial substitutes, not perfect ones.
- dpark 10y ago
  > Make pot available on the same terms and see alcohol usage decline. Has alcohol use dropped in Washington or Colorado? I'm not sure very many people consider them interchangeable.
  - chadgeidel 10y ago
    Anecdotally in the Denver/Boulder area I haven't seen an impact. People who drink haven't converted to pot, because - IMHO - it's been "decriminalized" for so long. At places I work we still go out for a beer after work and restaurants are generally unwilling to allow pot products as they are alcohol (that may be a corporate or regulatory thing though). The Guardian published an article stating that alcohol consumption (specifically tax revenue) has actually gone up: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/aug/31/alcohol-industry-sales-marijuana-colorado http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/aug/31/alcohol-indu...
- jconn 10y ago
  I think this point could open the door to a more interesting conversation if we take pot out of the equation. I do agree that we need to legalize pot, and I can see how for some people it would have this effect. In my experience, it's not so much that pot replaces the effects of alcohol (much different effects as mentioned by others), the real impact for me is just being in the habit of using one over the other to alter consciousness/relax. Considering the wide range of molecules that are psychoactive, it is interesting to consider what 'drugs' could be seen as a better alternative to alcohol. Interested if anyone here has ideas on what less harmful substance(s) could step in to fill this role?
- GoToRO 10y ago
  You can get high by drinking... water. You can get as euphoric as drinking alcohol while being sober if you learn to enjoy your life (as opposed of chasing the "perfect life", where "perfect" is defined by other people, ads and unrealistic expectations).
wry_discontent 10y ago
Disclaimer: didn't read. behind sign in wall. I think the approach many people take to things that aren't good for you isn't a good one. I don't need to cut out every unhealthy thing from my life. I just want to know what's healthy and what isn't so I can make some rational choices. I can make the decision to drink when I want to, even if it's bad for me. Most of my friends fall into 2 camps. 1) don't do anything that's bad for you, or 2) find some pseudo-healthy replacement for the thing you actually want.
dgreensp 10y ago
"There is no safe level of drinking." By this logic, there is no safe level of anything.
clifanatic 10y ago
Don't worry alcohol companies, I've got this.
paulddraper 10y ago
I thought the criticisms were going to be different. This isn't a popular opinion, but alcohol is extremely hazardous. There are 88,000 alcohol-related deaths in the US each year[0]. That's more than double the total number of the ever unpopular gun-related deaths[1]. Granted, dying of cirrhosis, or getting hit by a drunk driver, or even getting beat by a drunk boyfriend doesn't have the media appeal of a crazed gun-toting redneck. Anyway, I think people should be able to hoard all the guns and booze they want, but I have to acknowledge alcohol does have a pretty terrible cost on society. [0] http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_S...

12 points by catilac 10y ago

After enjoying alcohol most of our lives, my wife and I decided to stop drinking about a year and a half ago. The big advantages are making better use of our evenings and also saving a ton of money. We eat out a lot more, and in probably better restaurants, because even one glass of wine each added significantly to the bill. When we drank two glasses of wine each, alcohol could be half our restaurant bill. We ask for separate checks when eating out with friends but no one seems to mind.

tomjen3 10y ago

We need a better way to get high - alcohol is a pretty shitty drug that we mostly use because it is legal, not because it is the best. Make pot available on the same terms and see alcohol usage decline.

wry_discontent 10y ago
Even when pot becomes legal, I don't think it's going to replace alcohol. They feel different, and I like different substances for different occasions.
- milesokeefe 10y ago
  Especially considering how often it's anxiety-inducing. Hard to say the same for alcohol.
- bordercases 10y ago
  They're partial substitutes, not perfect ones.
dpark 10y ago
> Make pot available on the same terms and see alcohol usage decline. Has alcohol use dropped in Washington or Colorado? I'm not sure very many people consider them interchangeable.
- chadgeidel 10y ago
  Anecdotally in the Denver/Boulder area I haven't seen an impact. People who drink haven't converted to pot, because - IMHO - it's been "decriminalized" for so long. At places I work we still go out for a beer after work and restaurants are generally unwilling to allow pot products as they are alcohol (that may be a corporate or regulatory thing though). The Guardian published an article stating that alcohol consumption (specifically tax revenue) has actually gone up: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/aug/31/alcohol-industry-sales-marijuana-colorado http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/aug/31/alcohol-indu...
jconn 10y ago
I think this point could open the door to a more interesting conversation if we take pot out of the equation. I do agree that we need to legalize pot, and I can see how for some people it would have this effect. In my experience, it's not so much that pot replaces the effects of alcohol (much different effects as mentioned by others), the real impact for me is just being in the habit of using one over the other to alter consciousness/relax. Considering the wide range of molecules that are psychoactive, it is interesting to consider what 'drugs' could be seen as a better alternative to alcohol. Interested if anyone here has ideas on what less harmful substance(s) could step in to fill this role?
GoToRO 10y ago
You can get high by drinking... water. You can get as euphoric as drinking alcohol while being sober if you learn to enjoy your life (as opposed of chasing the "perfect life", where "perfect" is defined by other people, ads and unrealistic expectations).

wry_discontent 10y ago

Disclaimer: didn't read. behind sign in wall. I think the approach many people take to things that aren't good for you isn't a good one. I don't need to cut out every unhealthy thing from my life. I just want to know what's healthy and what isn't so I can make some rational choices. I can make the decision to drink when I want to, even if it's bad for me. Most of my friends fall into 2 camps. 1) don't do anything that's bad for you, or 2) find some pseudo-healthy replacement for the thing you actually want.

dgreensp 10y ago

"There is no safe level of drinking." By this logic, there is no safe level of anything.

clifanatic 10y ago

Don't worry alcohol companies, I've got this.

paulddraper 10y ago

I thought the criticisms were going to be different. This isn't a popular opinion, but alcohol is extremely hazardous. There are 88,000 alcohol-related deaths in the US each year[0]. That's more than double the total number of the ever unpopular gun-related deaths[1]. Granted, dying of cirrhosis, or getting hit by a drunk driver, or even getting beat by a drunk boyfriend doesn't have the media appeal of a crazed gun-toting redneck. Anyway, I think people should be able to hoard all the guns and booze they want, but I have to acknowledge alcohol does have a pretty terrible cost on society. [0] http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_S...