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U.S. alcohol consumption drops to a 90-year low, new poll finds

sfchronicle.com

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Re: U.S. alcohol consumption drops to a 90-year low, new poll finds

#81

Post by OkayPhysicist »

amanaplanacanal wrote: post #43
chiffre01 wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anecdotally it seems like alcohol is being replaced with weed or other things. But it doesn't bode well for the future of mental health if social drinking is being replaced with solo drug use or just solo everything.

if . Other drug use can be just as social as alcohol consumption.

Since opium dens fell out of favor, the only psychoactive substances that have dedicated social spaces are booze (bars, nightclubs) and nicotine (hookah lounges, cigar clubs). This could change, but it hasn't yet. It sure seems like society's just swinging antisocial.

Re: U.S. alcohol consumption drops to a 90-year low, new poll finds

#82

Post by OkayPhysicist »

littlexsparkee wrote: post #80
OkayPhysicist wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Substance use is dropping precipitously, because partying and socialization writ large are dropping. The people who party are still drinking, they're really not the ones driving these decreases. Alcohol's primary purpose in our society is as a social lubricant. It both lowers inhibitions, and in the expectation of its doing so creates spaces with freer acceptable behavior. Cannabis doesn't currently fill that niche,…

Well, with edibles, mints, drinks - does there need to be? There are lounges opening in some cities like Oakland, SF but that's an emerging thing depending on openness to changing zoning.

Dedicated spaces to consuming social lubricants naturally are social spaces. Losing them would be a dramatic blow to the entire concept of social life.

Re: U.S. alcohol consumption drops to a 90-year low, new poll finds

#83

Post by Larrikin »

charcircuit wrote: post #73
subjectsigma wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why even post this?

Because I have never had the desire to buy alcohol since there is a superior alternative. I am providing context on why me and many others are contributing to the fall of the statistic.

Then post it on your blog, nobody actually wants your thoughts on why you think you're superior for not enjoying one of the most common beverages in human history.

Re: U.S. alcohol consumption drops to a 90-year low, new poll finds

#84

Post by littlexsparkee »

OkayPhysicist wrote: post #82
littlexsparkee wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, with edibles, mints, drinks - does there need to be? There are lounges opening in some cities like Oakland, SF but that's an emerging thing depending on openness to changing zoning.

Dedicated spaces to consuming social lubricants naturally are social spaces. Losing them would be a dramatic blow to the entire concept of social life.

Yeah, I agree with you. I'm just saying someone could take a 5mg THC mint and then grab a beer at a bar to be social. My point is that weed can be social in any third place, whether or not it's dedicated to it.

Re: U.S. alcohol consumption drops to a 90-year low, new poll finds

#85

Post by tokioyoyo »

A good chunk of my “fun and memorable nights” involved going out for a drink with friends/meeting new people at the bar. It’s very good if the younger generation is consuming less alcohol, but unless they’re replacing the social-aspect of it with something similar, I pity them. Unfortunately, looking at the data, it shows that people are just lonelier and hang out in social circles even less.

Obviously there are problems with over-consumption, and addiction. However, what is life, if not a large collection of your memories?

Re: U.S. alcohol consumption drops to a 90-year low, new poll finds

#86

Post by charcircuit »

Larrikin wrote: post #83
charcircuit wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because I have never had the desire to buy alcohol since there is a superior alternative. I am providing context on why me and many others are contributing to the fall of the statistic.

Then post it on your blog, nobody actually wants your thoughts on why you think you're superior for not enjoying one of the most common beverages in human history.

Posting about not drinking alcohol in a thread about not drinking alcohol is on topic. Don't enter such a thread if you don't want to see such comments.

Re: U.S. alcohol consumption drops to a 90-year low, new poll finds

#87

Post by leptons »

mrtksn wrote: post #48
bdcravens wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Especially when you consider this user's profile: "Sometimes I will say things I don't actually believe so we can have a more lively debate."

I do actually believe that weed replacing alcohol as drug of choice is destroying the social fabric of the society. What's so controversial about it? What is the last time when a joint got someone laid or made friends?

If you need alcohol to get laid or make friends then I feel very sorry for you. Most people I know got laid in high school (sometimes actually inside the school), without any alcohol involved at all. We also made plenty of friends. YMMV, I guess. I suppose some people are only likable if other people are drunk? I generally avoid those kinds of people no matter how inebriated I am.

Re: U.S. alcohol consumption drops to a 90-year low, new poll finds

#88

Post by jsbisviewtiful »

I'd be curious to see a breakdown of this data by location/market and with sales data instead of a poll. I have a friend who works in the alcohol distribution industry and he's refuted these kinds of claims multiple times, but he also lives in a midwest state where there's not much to do but eat and drink so perhaps it's all relative.

Re: U.S. alcohol consumption drops to a 90-year low, new poll finds

#89

Post by OkayPhysicist »

littlexsparkee wrote: post #77
OkayPhysicist wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The entire upside of alcohol use is social lubrication. Frankly, I think our society could benefit from a bit more peer pressure.

You can get the social upside with adaptogens which are increasingly showing up in canned drinks or drinking kava with friends. Alcohol doesn't have a monopoly on that.

We could, but we don't. Alcohol currently has a defacto monopoly on lubricated social spaces. Distant second is nicotine. Nothing else comes anywhere close.

Re: U.S. alcohol consumption drops to a 90-year low, new poll finds

#90

Post by gwbas1c »

I recently had a cardiologist wag her finger at me and tell me that recent data pretty much demonstrates that there really isn't any healthy amount of alcohol to consume.

20 years ago, when "1 drink a day is healthiest" was all over the news, I said cheers and picked up the habit. It's kind of hard to break, considering that I really, really enjoy the flavor of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol, as a solvent, allows for flavor profiles that just water don't allow.

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