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It's circular. You drink because you're depressed because you're poor because you spend all your money on booze. Yes food is expensive, but you can buy a bag

It's circular. You drink because you're depressed because you're poor because you spend all your money on booze. Yes food is expensive, but you can buy a bag of rice and a bag of onions and a bag of potatoes, and eat decent meals of stir fried rice and onions, baked potatoes, onion soup, etc for far less than mcdonalds. Takes almost no time to prepare too. People just don't realize it. That's where targeted education would be really helpful.

wildgift 13y ago
I don't think that's a fair characterization. Most of the teetotalers and very light drinkers I've met in my life are or were working class or poor people. I think middle class people drink more than poor people. If you go to a party with poor people, there's hardly any alcohol at all. When you go to a party with middle class people, there's a little keg of some craft brew and a few bottles of liquor. (In fact, I think the fact I don't drink has actually harmed my career, because I don't really socialize as much as I used to. My SO hates alcohol. I like it, but can't partake.) The main reason why poor people are poor is because they make like $8.50 an hour and no benefits. Also, grocery store stats refute your assertion about foods. The bag-it-yourself stores sell more per customer than the mainstream supermarkets.
- precisioncoder 13y ago
  It may be different where you're from, but I'm from NS Canada in GDP/capita the second lowest in Canada with the lowest PEI. Alcohol aside, people spend their money on luxuries rather than saving it. Which is just fine as a personal choice, but when it's a societal trend that the lower class are going in to debt or not saving in order to buy luxuries I would say there are some gaps in education. I lived on minimum wage for years and saved large amounts in little time while watching people making more than me living paycheck to paycheck struggling simply because they didn't know how to manage their expenses.
  - wildgift 13y ago
    Maybe the situation is different in Canada. I've been there only a couple times, and it seemed cleaner and wealthier. I'm in an area of L.A. where a lot of families cram into 1 bedroom apartments.

wildgift 13y ago

I don't think that's a fair characterization. Most of the teetotalers and very light drinkers I've met in my life are or were working class or poor people. I think middle class people drink more than poor people. If you go to a party with poor people, there's hardly any alcohol at all. When you go to a party with middle class people, there's a little keg of some craft brew and a few bottles of liquor. (In fact, I think the fact I don't drink has actually harmed my career, because I don't really socialize as much as I used to. My SO hates alcohol. I like it, but can't partake.) The main reason why poor people are poor is because they make like $8.50 an hour and no benefits. Also, grocery store stats refute your assertion about foods. The bag-it-yourself stores sell more per customer than the mainstream supermarkets.

precisioncoder 13y ago
It may be different where you're from, but I'm from NS Canada in GDP/capita the second lowest in Canada with the lowest PEI. Alcohol aside, people spend their money on luxuries rather than saving it. Which is just fine as a personal choice, but when it's a societal trend that the lower class are going in to debt or not saving in order to buy luxuries I would say there are some gaps in education. I lived on minimum wage for years and saved large amounts in little time while watching people making more than me living paycheck to paycheck struggling simply because they didn't know how to manage their expenses.
- wildgift 13y ago
  Maybe the situation is different in Canada. I've been there only a couple times, and it seemed cleaner and wealthier. I'm in an area of L.A. where a lot of families cram into 1 bedroom apartments.