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US culture actively promotes alcohol use. Go to a college party and all their games revolve around drinking

nicoburns 1y ago
Probably less so than in most European countries. I'd suggest that more likely causes for this are: - Poor diet - Low levels of exercise due to car dependence - Difficulty accessing healthcare - General lack of safety net for the poor
- BadCookie 1y ago
  I’m not sure if “difficulty accessing healthcare” captures the whole problem. Even if you live next door to a hospital, you still don’t know how much it will cost you if you check yourself in. Sure, there is some theoretical maximum out of pocket, but are you certain that the hospital is in network with your insurance? Are you sure that every provider you will see and every test or scan you have done will be treated as in network? I once had a doctor order a test at a hospital that he assured me was in network. The hospital got pre-authorization from my insurance company for me to have the test done. I had the test done. My insurance company then denied me any benefit because they said afterward that I went out of network … and there are millions of stories like mine. Not to mention that even if you manage to stay in network, lots of people cannot afford even the max out of pocket that creeps up faster than inflation every year. I have had some family members decide that they will just accept that they are going to die in an emergency situation because “if it’s my time, it’s my time” and they don’t want their life savings to get vacuumed up by some hospital administrators. This is not merely theoretical… one person in my life is dead now who probably would have lived if he had felt comfortable seeking medical care.
  - soperj 1y ago
    You're saying the same thing.
    - BadCookie 1y ago
      “Difficulty accessing healthcare” brings to mind doctors and hospitals being too far away—a real concern for lots of rural Americans, especially the ones who cannot drive. Or perhaps doctors are nearby, but wait times are too long. This is also a real issue. I have seen wait times for primary care doctors creep up to 4+ months in my area. So I just wanted to highlight that even if those problems don’t exist, you still have the scary unknown cost question that might be the largest impediment of all.
      - nicoburns 1y ago
        The thing I find most scary about the American health care system is people not going to the doctor (/hospital) (/calling an ambulance) because they're concerned about the cost. Often even if they have insurance. And I definitely think if you can't afford something then that counts as having difficulty accessing it.
- skeezyboy 1y ago
  [dead]
cookiengineer 1y ago
But it's got electrolytes!
- jimt1234 1y ago
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAqIJZeeXEc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAqIJZeeXEc
thejazzman 1y ago
Or high school..
mandevil 1y ago
In 2019 per-capita alcohol consumption, the US came in 35th, behind most countries in Europe (1). Latvia, Czechia, Lithuania and Austria all consumed about 25% more pure alcohol per capita than the US did, by this measure. Latvia and Lithuania, in common with most fUSSR countries, have a lower life expectancy than the US, but Czechia and Austria both have higher life expectancy than the US, despite that notably higher per-capita consumption of pure alcohol. So I don't think that has much to do with it. 1: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/alcohol-consumption-per-capita/country-comparison/ https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/alcohol-consump...
tacticalturtle 1y ago
We’re waaay down the list of per capita consumption, especially compared to Europe. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_consumption_per_capita https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol... And anecdotally, any corporate event I’ve attended in the US is dry or 1 drink. Which is a pretty stark difference from when I’ve visited European colleagues.
- mandevil 1y ago
  I recall reading that Gordon Ramsay's first NYC restaurant (Gordon Ramsay at The London) didn't meet its financial projections because, used to London social mores, he expected far more alcohol consumption at lunch and dinner (but especially lunch) than actually happened, and without the huge mark-ups from alcohol the food couldn't pay for itself.
fortran77 1y ago
Have you ever been to France, Germany, Greece, Sweden, Italy?
snovymgodym 1y ago
The social drinking and binge drinking culture of most European countries make the USA look like Saudi Arabia.

Probably less so than in most European countries. I'd suggest that more likely causes for this are: - Poor diet - Low levels of exercise due to car dependence - Difficulty accessing healthcare - General lack of safety net for the poor

BadCookie 1y ago
I’m not sure if “difficulty accessing healthcare” captures the whole problem. Even if you live next door to a hospital, you still don’t know how much it will cost you if you check yourself in. Sure, there is some theoretical maximum out of pocket, but are you certain that the hospital is in network with your insurance? Are you sure that every provider you will see and every test or scan you have done will be treated as in network? I once had a doctor order a test at a hospital that he assured me was in network. The hospital got pre-authorization from my insurance company for me to have the test done. I had the test done. My insurance company then denied me any benefit because they said afterward that I went out of network … and there are millions of stories like mine. Not to mention that even if you manage to stay in network, lots of people cannot afford even the max out of pocket that creeps up faster than inflation every year. I have had some family members decide that they will just accept that they are going to die in an emergency situation because “if it’s my time, it’s my time” and they don’t want their life savings to get vacuumed up by some hospital administrators. This is not merely theoretical… one person in my life is dead now who probably would have lived if he had felt comfortable seeking medical care.
- soperj 1y ago
  You're saying the same thing.
  - BadCookie 1y ago
    “Difficulty accessing healthcare” brings to mind doctors and hospitals being too far away—a real concern for lots of rural Americans, especially the ones who cannot drive. Or perhaps doctors are nearby, but wait times are too long. This is also a real issue. I have seen wait times for primary care doctors creep up to 4+ months in my area. So I just wanted to highlight that even if those problems don’t exist, you still have the scary unknown cost question that might be the largest impediment of all.
    - nicoburns 1y ago
      The thing I find most scary about the American health care system is people not going to the doctor (/hospital) (/calling an ambulance) because they're concerned about the cost. Often even if they have insurance. And I definitely think if you can't afford something then that counts as having difficulty accessing it.
skeezyboy 1y ago
[dead]

cookiengineer 1y ago

But it's got electrolytes!

jimt1234 1y ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAqIJZeeXEc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAqIJZeeXEc

thejazzman 1y ago

Or high school..

mandevil 1y ago

In 2019 per-capita alcohol consumption, the US came in 35th, behind most countries in Europe (1). Latvia, Czechia, Lithuania and Austria all consumed about 25% more pure alcohol per capita than the US did, by this measure. Latvia and Lithuania, in common with most fUSSR countries, have a lower life expectancy than the US, but Czechia and Austria both have higher life expectancy than the US, despite that notably higher per-capita consumption of pure alcohol. So I don't think that has much to do with it. 1: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/alcohol-consumption-per-capita/country-comparison/ https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/alcohol-consump...

tacticalturtle 1y ago

We’re waaay down the list of per capita consumption, especially compared to Europe. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_consumption_per_capita https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol... And anecdotally, any corporate event I’ve attended in the US is dry or 1 drink. Which is a pretty stark difference from when I’ve visited European colleagues.

mandevil 1y ago
I recall reading that Gordon Ramsay's first NYC restaurant (Gordon Ramsay at The London) didn't meet its financial projections because, used to London social mores, he expected far more alcohol consumption at lunch and dinner (but especially lunch) than actually happened, and without the huge mark-ups from alcohol the food couldn't pay for itself.

fortran77 1y ago

Have you ever been to France, Germany, Greece, Sweden, Italy?

snovymgodym 1y ago

The social drinking and binge drinking culture of most European countries make the USA look like Saudi Arabia.