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America has a drinking problem

theatlantic.com

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Re: America has a drinking problem

#51

Post by soperj »

hervature wrote: post #19
mywittyname wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The average of the top 10% of anything is going to be absurd compared to the population average; probably around 2 standard deviations over the mean. If you looked at the average caloric consumption at the top 10% of people, you'd probably find the amount similarly unbelievable. Ten drinks isn't that much hard liquor: it's about 450ml. That's a little more than a can (392ml).

> Ten drinks isn't that much hard liquor: it's about 450ml. That's a little more than a can (392ml). Sure, the volume isn't unfathomable. But most people drinking a Mickey (13 ounces ~ 9 drinks) would render them useless.

Not if you regularly drink much more than that.

Re: America has a drinking problem

#52

Post by coherentpony »

rrrrrrrrrrrryan wrote: post #16
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #3

The statistics about alcohol consumption are so stunning that I often wonder how accurate they are. If these numbers are correct, the top 10% of alcohol drinkers consume the equivalent of 10 drinks per day : https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/09/25/think... The unit for a single drink is a fixed measurement, so someone pouring a tall glass of wine or a very stiff drink could be consuming 2-5 “drinks” in…

Honestly, as someone who has 2-3 drinks per day, I've always been more surprised by the amount of people who basically don't drink at all. In that chart it's over half of Americans. Travel a bit, any you'll quickly discover that a couple drinks in the evening is basically normal in much of the world. I'm not arguing that it's healthy (it's not), but the median American really doesn't drink much - our Puritan values r…

> our Puritan values run deep.

Not at all. It's expensive and very harmful. Why would I drink alcohol when I can enjoy a meal out with friends without drinking at all?

Re: America has a drinking problem

#53

Post by soperj »

rrrrrrrrrrrryan wrote: post #24
subsubzero wrote: post #14

I am not a heavy drinker, but one thing I noticed having moved around to a few places is how much everyone in my age group drinks(30's to mid 40's). I have gotten to know many a neighbor and they are all working professionals like me and I am just shocked that having 8-10 drinks a night seems like it comes standard for a Friday/Saturday night. I thought that it was just one location, but I moved twice in the past 2 y…

That's definitely just a certain personality type, I think. 8-10 drinks is pretty aggressive for a random Friday night among grown-ass adults - that's 2 full bottles of wine. At best, you won't be able to drive home and you'll feel beat up in the morning. How long are they staying out? I'm in my thirties, and a drink every 45 minutes seems pretty standard among my peers that don't have kids and still go out. In colle…

I worked with people who would finish off a 24 pack on a random Monday. It was lights out when they actually went out.

Re: America has a drinking problem

#54

Post by WrtCdEvrydy »

trts wrote: post #29

I decided to give up alcohol for a year. That was three years ago and doubt I will ever go back. Aside from having better sleep than at any other point as an adult, I truly enjoy the activities I partake in just as much, if not more, than when I still paired them with alcohol. It took about 6 months to stop feeling like I was missing out, and now I feel like everyone else is. Anxiety in general is noticeably lower (t…

I got a drone pilot's license. 8 hour limitation after drinking basically obliterated my drinking over night because the nieces can immediately be like "Can we fly the drone?".

Not for everyone, because 13 year old nieces can be dangerous with drones.

Re: America has a drinking problem

#55

Post by PragmaticPulp »

tmm wrote: post #30

I’ve never been much of a drinker, generally preferring soda, sports drinks, or sweet tea to stay hydrated. In my experience, this is unusual. My friends, relatives, etc. all exclusively drink beer when doing yard work, home improvement projects, or hobbies like working on cars. When I’m at the marina, I’m the only one not drinking beer while working on their boat. Maybe all of these people stick exclusively to water…

> However, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that the group drinking a six pack of 90-calorie light beer over the course of a day is healthier than people like me drinking a six pack of Dr. Pepper in the same timeframe. Cirrhosis on one hand, diabetes on the other. Pick your poison, I guess.

Most people choose neither option.

Drinking a 6-pack of beer every day and drinking a 6-pack of sugary sodas every day are not normal behaviors. We shouldn't try to normalize things like this when they're clearly unhealthy and definitely outlier behavior.

Re: America has a drinking problem

#56

Post by leifg »

trts wrote: post #29

I decided to give up alcohol for a year. That was three years ago and doubt I will ever go back. Aside from having better sleep than at any other point as an adult, I truly enjoy the activities I partake in just as much, if not more, than when I still paired them with alcohol. It took about 6 months to stop feeling like I was missing out, and now I feel like everyone else is. Anxiety in general is noticeably lower (t…

Genuine question: what do you drink instead? Do you stick to water or do you order any kind of soda/lemonade (or something I’m not thinking about)

Re: America has a drinking problem

#57

Post by miguelmota »

kingTug wrote: post #15
meristohm wrote: post #2

What are we trying to escape?

Our deeply unnatural existence staring into glowing rectangles 8+ hours per day.

We wake up and look at the small rectangle.

Go to work and stare at the medium rectangle.

Come home and watch the big rectangle.

Re: America has a drinking problem

#58

Post by PragmaticPulp »

subsubzero wrote: post #14

I am not a heavy drinker, but one thing I noticed having moved around to a few places is how much everyone in my age group drinks(30's to mid 40's). I have gotten to know many a neighbor and they are all working professionals like me and I am just shocked that having 8-10 drinks a night seems like it comes standard for a Friday/Saturday night. I thought that it was just one location, but I moved twice in the past 2 y…

Heavy alcohol drinkers tend to cluster with each other. This leads to a self-reinforcing cycle wherein they see their peers consuming a lot of alcohol and assume that means it's normal and fine.

Likewise, non-drinkers tend to cluster with each other because after a while it's just not fun to hang out with people consuming copious amounts of alcohol all of the time while their health slowly declines. I had to stop inviting several friends to certain activities because they wanted to make everything revolve around consuming alcohol. It gets old.

Anecdotes aside, the statistics just don't support 10 drinks/night as being average. That's top 10-20% behavior.

Re: America has a drinking problem

#59

Post by pengaru »

pedroma wrote: post #10

Worked at a startup with beer stocked in the fridge. I enjoyed a beer several times a week once it hit 4-5pm. This behavior started as an intern and I still got brought back for full time so apparently they didn't care.

A few beers cost almost nothing vs. paying overtime to have you in the office longer for those hours spent starting your night of drinking.

And if the employer is lucky, your coworkers become your drinking buddies in the process. Before you know it you're now spending all your waking hours with your coworkers. Makes quitting your post a lot more difficult.

Re: America has a drinking problem

#60

Post by subpixel »

subpixel wrote: post #44
meristohm wrote: post #2

What are we trying to escape?

Apparently 15% of our countrymen believe the QAnon pedophilia hoax/theory [0]. That gives me a certain thirst. [0] https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/05/31/qanon-poll-americ...

Of all the downvotes I have received on HN, these puzzle me the most.
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