Booze and some more

Alcohol, this is the hot topic in news these days after a recent report published by the House of Commons health select committee about Binge Drinking.

Binge drinking is defined by Dictionary.com as :the consumption of dangerously large quantities of alcoholic beverages in one session.

UK has one of the highest Binge drinking rates in Europe according to the Euro-barometer survey of 2007. It has now become one of the most serious health concerns of the country.

This country is immersed in Alcohol. You get booze right from supermarkets, newsagents and not to forget the innumerable pubs, clubs and restaurants which are scattered in every nook and cranny in this country. Plus, Britons love their drink. You will often find British people with a drink in their hands.Even the University, where Hubs did his MBA has around 7-8 pubs on the campus.


I have often wondered with this country's obsession with Alcohol. It is an intricate part of the national culture akin to Jam and scones and talking about the weather. Alcohol is served as a part of celebration, to unwind or as a part of being socially accepted. Briton is the birthplace of the pubbing culture, where earlier it was the working man who stopped by for a drink on the way back home from work. Now, it is just a way to Party and get drunk.

The rise in under age drinking has become a matter of serious concern. The rate of teenage drunkenness are higher amongst children of people who drink to excess and of those who abstain completely. It is important for parents to set an example and also talk to their children about Alcohol and its effects.

There has been a call for the minimum pricing of Alcohol. Also, the report recommends a major change in the regulation of Alcohol Industry.It calls for severe restrictions in Alcohol marketing and has asked for banning liquor ads from Social networking websites.

I feel that educating the public is the best way to control this situation. Any changes in Advertising or pricing will definitely help, but it will not nip the problem in the bud.


I am not against drinking. I myself enjoy a few glasses of white wine on occasion. But, the idea of getting hammered, lying on the road and getting alcohol poisoning is not my idea of fun.

Cheers! Mate, have a pint....hic...hic

Leaving you with this video of Booze Britain.





Comments

  1. Bang On sweety!! Very nicely put. I couldnt agree more. The people (though not all), I feel, eat, drink, breath alcohol. But what else can we expect when it is available at every "LALA ki dukaan" on the corner? The teachers are presented with a bottle of scotch or wine after the module is complete. The students are treated by the MBA director (YES, in the classroom) with wine and cheese at the end of semister. It os so common for the white collar executives to have a beer over the lunch and get back to work!! Its amazing how much do they consume even though they cant handle it. In some towns as high as 80% of 999 emergancy calls over weekends are alcohol related.

    I dont think pricing or availability is going to reduce the binge drinking... Its fast becoming a culture. As you mentioned in old days guys used to have a beer when coming back from work. Those days are not far when kids will have beerS while coming back from school//collages.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Vinitha,

    Very nicely written as usual. I totally agree that educating people will help a lot more than banning ads and stuff like that. I myself get scared sometimes what is going to happen to the future generation. I don't mind when people have a glass here and there and party but I absolutely hate it when I see some people getting so drunk that they have no clue what they are talking about or doing. I myself know a few people who do that. I think it is pathetic. Even in India drinking has become a fashion statement. If you try telling someone you know not to drink so much they will look at you as if you are trying to preach. So what to do? I just pray to God to give wisdom to all those youngsters and make the right choices when it comes to drugs and alcohol.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ani: Yeah I agree...already kids aged 11 have a drinking problem. I feel the parents are to be blamed for not educating their child. Casual drinking, is fine as long as it does not become an addiction.

    Kavita: Thanks dear.

    Yeah, if you see the video, you can see how people lose all sense of decency. Also, if you don't drink you become a social outcaste and thus have no friends. The peer pressure to drink is quite high in UK. I think its growing in India as well with so many new pubs getting launched.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi,LP-this is universal-but,in a place like Dxb it has it's advantages-no Brit will stay in office after working hours. From 6 PM,they're all off pubbing.So,their juniors also heave a sigh of relief.:)
    ---
    Baaki, it's their funeral(Pun intended) if they drink excessively,na?)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

85 thoughts of a Fat girl when out for a run

Humari Adhuri Kahani

It is not yet goodbye