Davebizzle

That's exactly my opinion on this whole situation with alcohol. The alcohol industry must make billions of pounds a year , probably even monthly , laughing all the way to the bank. The alcohol industry loves it when we get addicted , they need people like that , you are promoting the product they are selling. When in reality all you are doing is buying poison. A poison that has been falsely advertised to you , the paying customer , but I guess you thought you were buying a nice cold beer that was sold in a nice green colored bottle , right ? 'there's no way this is poison' but it is because it damages your brain and over time it will destroy how you function. Im surprises the trading standards haven't had a look into this because last time I checked you were buying a nice cold refreshing beer not something that's going to make you thirstier or better yet , sick. Why do they get away with it ? Because they contribute a lot of tax to the government. Just like these betting shops and cigarette companies do , where's there's money involved there is power. You may think you buy alcohol out of choice which is true to a certain degree. For example when it was Easter morrisons aggressively advertised alcohol which no doubt got a lot of people into there supermarkets , buying alcohol. Why on earth anyone would associate alcohol with Easter is just beyond me. 'but it's bank holiday' well if that's the case I suppose we should celebrate life everyday by drinking. Does that sound good ? Oh no , you wouldn't want to drink everyday because you have jobs etc so you couldn't function properly. So you'll take the hard choice by thinking about it during every working day while your body withdraws then before you know it , it's Friday. 'I haven't had a drink all week' then the cycle viciously repeats itself. How does it feel to be programmed to do this every week ?

DarkDays

I was brainwashed and conditioned along with addicted to this drug for 30 years. Now I am free and think as you do.

hypochondriac

Never underestimate the power of advertising. I drank a lot of gin, and I can't remember where I was reading something about advertising but it mentioned all Gin being in green bottles, and I noticed that my favourite sober drink comes in a green bottle. That was a freaky realisation.

Even though I was a massive drinker I never really bought into the 'alcohol good' campaign. I could never understand why it wasn't ostracised as much as smoking. The amount of damage alcohol does to this country is scary, especially if you add up all the traffic accidents, domestic abuse, A&E admissions... I don't know many 'normal' drinkers, and even those who do drink little are still under illusions about the benefits of alcohol.

Sasha4

But does it not make you feel happy that you can see through all that now?

Like you have joined some secret club that knows better? And you have this exclusive knowledge even though it might have been gained through pain and hard work?

I cannot help when I listen to people harp on about expensive wine.
Its all rotten fruit, despite how much cash it costs.
And when they wax lyrical about the 'smokiness' or 'mellowness' - I love saying what from rotten fruit you get that?

And when people say they drink for medicinal reasons I want to howl laughing.
Have any of us ever actually been to the doctors and got a prescription for red wine or blue WKD?!!!
Can you imagine that?
Where would you take your prescription? The chemist or the off license?!

I think that we have been brainwashed to think drink makes you less boring, more attractive, the life and soul of the party and its wrong.
How can a liquid that takes away your ability to function properly give you more confidence or relax you?

Whats sexy about throwing up?
Whats interesting about someone repeating themselves over and over again?

Years ago, smoking cigarettes was promoted and marketed in the same way and they got into trouble for it.
I do think there is a teeny weeny change coming with the drink responsibly logo and the promotion of understanding units of alcohol.

I like being a member of our exclusive club!

DarkDays

" Normal Drinkers" Never understand this phrase. Iam not a normal heroin user because I just jack up just at weekends am I ? Here in the Uk at least from what I see , "Denial drinkers" sounds about right .

Davebizzle

I remember years ago before I even heard of the term , 'binge drinker'. It was all of a sudden every tv channel , news paper etc and what the media where doing was producing this image which in return promoted the idea that's it's fun and normal to binge drink. When the media does this it gives people thoughts such as 'ah I'll get drunk most people do it now days anyway' it's the same for when you wake up hungover and you know you've been stupid but you just say 'oh well it's not like I'm the only one'. Your thoughts and ideas come from a source that feeds you stories on a box called the 'tv' and it's quiet scary because all the plans they have work. We all know drinkers don't drink out of habit because if they did they wouldn't need to restrict themselves on a daily basis. They can't say it's for fun because let's face it , when was the last time you ever saw someone having fun whilst drinking ? That's why the government only knocked a few pence off alcohol this year because they know that you want your cheap drink and as the drinkers call it , 'fun'. Oh and this whole idea about people having a favourite drink is absolutely rubbish ! When someone is drunk do you see them sticking to there favourite drink all night ? Of course you don't ! They start mixing drinks and usually say 'oh that drink(the fave) is making me feel sick'. So they start drinking something else.

Skyjumper

Yeah, but there are millions of people who can drink responsibly, one or two, and then stop. Pretty sure the science community has found evidence that there are health benefits of responsible drinking. To claim that it was all just a plot against us, the few who blew it or can't handle it, is just sour grapes. I have the problem, not the winery.

Zencat

Hell yes the programming evedent, (The U.S. beverage alcohol industry is a major contributor to the economy, responsible for over $400 billion in total U.S. economic activity in 2010, generating nearly $90 billion in wages and over 3.9 million jobs for U.S. workers, here too.

I needed some support, like here at SR to set me in the right direction. Focus on what you can change; you. And detach from what you cant change. Works for me.

Be well.

instant

I love the alcohol contributing to the economy stuff, as if we cant find anything more useful to do with our resources!!!

i got angry when i first got sober about the exploitation that is systematic etc. i read the Big Book however and i have come to see that the best option is to have a neutral view of alcohol. that is to say not to have a relationship with alcohol either for or against. It can consume you both ways.

Davebizzle

I am not against or for alcohol. However , I don't like the way it's been used to make millions of pounds off people. Wow so some people really can just enjoy one drink and leave it ? So they don't ever think about ? What , not even once ? So they didn't have any thoughts about drinking and they just drank automatically without ever having thoughts about drinking in the first place ? Well surely that is someone who has been programmed , right ? Because as far as I'm aware before we do stuff we have thoughts about it. When your hungry your body will tell you that by your belly rumbling you won't just eat something unless you are a binge eater. But let me guess you probably think binge eaters ain't programmed into eating junk or over eating do you ? Because I think it's quite clear to see what with all going large , super sizes for just an extra 20p , chocolate bars that now have double chocolate (sugar is addictive) and plus the more you eat the more of an appetite you have. The whole point of super sizing a meal more for 20p 'oh great value' but let's not forget its a big meal which will lead you to eating more.

lillyknitting

I cannot agree with you enough.

ScottFromWI

I choose not to drink. While some of what you say is true, there were addicts long before the big alcohol companies existed. People have abused alcohol and other drugs dating back to the beginning of time as well. The choice to drink is ours, and blaming others doesn't help anything in my opinion.

lillyknitting

I think you will find that most (99.9percent) peeps who drink on a regular basis are in fact addicted. I mix with a group that varies from one total alcoholic who has to drink every day at least a bottle of wine a day to a lady who can have two drinks then go on cranberry. To me they are both addicted because they cannot go any length of time without a drink. As mentioned above, millions who go all week (because of work, family, financial restrictions etc) abstaining, then, on the weekend drink. That is addiction, pure & simple, dress it up dress it down, they are still addicted.

neferkamichael

Davebizzle, ditto that. And think about it Dave they don't have to invest in equipment or anything. The raw materials are cheap and plentiful. The profits have got to be enormous.

lillyknitting

That's like sticking your head in the sand! It's good to see the whole picture otherwise one cannot make an informed view, but, let's not get into an argument over it. We are all doing what works best for us and I believe we are all well and truly brainwashed, not just with the product of alcohol! As they say "advertising works".

ElegantlyWasted

If any one has any interest youtube Charlie Munger's speech on the Psychology of Misconception....really helped me to get my head on straight... I'm on the middle ground with this one... Some of us are just more hardwired to abuse, but the advertisers know this and use everything in their power to move product.

north

* The Seven Key Messages of the Alcohol Industry (PDF) provides a good summary.

Threshold

Just speaking for MYSELF.

I didn't drink because ads said it was sexy, sophisticated and fun. I didn't drink beer with my buddies, or go to the bar to find a hookup. I never played beer pong or 'quarters'. I didn't try every new margarita mix, coffee liqueor, or fancy flavored vodka.

I drank alone, whiskey I never saw advertised on TV for the sole purpose of getting drunk and hiding from life. They don't advertise that.

I can't and won't speak for anyone else, but I don't think it's advertising that made me an alcoholic, and it certainly wasn't advertising that made me a drug addict (sex addict, anorexic, binge eater, self mutilator). It was my choice to do whatever I could in an attempt to escape from life.

ScottFromWI

Advertising only works if you actually buy what they are selling. To be sure, many do. I choose not to and ignore it. I don't really watch much television at all, and I don't allow my children to either. I grow much of my own produce, and purchase as much of my other food sources locally. Heck, even when I was drinking I bought most of my beer from a local microbrew pub.

So if that's sticking my head in the sand, I guess I'm sticking my head in the sand. But frankly I don't care because it works for me.

DG0409

Yep. Taking an addictive substance on a regular basis is pretty much the definition of addicted.