Sarahsays

So, I was read an article the other day which basically showed that the amount people say they drink and the amount they actually drink based on sales is at least double overall, with the vast majority of that obviously being at the heavy drinking end because people who drink moderately have no reason to lie and about a third of adults drink nothing or next to nothing. And I remember, I can't remember what it was in, that 80% of alcohol sales come from the top 10% of drinkers, and they drink enough to be considered what most people would be considered alcoholics (I think something like 160 units a week. but don't quote me on that).

So that would mean 1 in 10 people have a very serious alcohol problem based on the stats. Can it really be that many? I wouldn't have guessed close to that. And if that all checks out, then we are really sleepwalking through a pretty serious issue. There's not very much I or any of us can do about it, but it does give you a sense of scale of just how addictive this drug is.

thomas11

That's an interesting question and one I've thought about often. I'm inclined to believe that a lot more drinking goes on than we observe. Lots of closet drinkers out there. I've never seen a liquor store close down because it didn't make money.

Andante

Yes, there are any number of double standards and inconsistencies in the way society generally views alcohol, but the same is true for a lot of other issues as well. We just notice the ones related to alcohol because it's a subject so near and dear to us.

I'd say the general societal view goes something like this: alcohol is a good thing unless you drink too much of it; then it become a bad thing. So, don't drink too much. And if you do drink too much, it's your problem, not ours.

I've seen the "10% of drinkers consume 80% of alcohol" stat before, but I kind of doubt that 1 in 10 of the overall adult population drinks as much as 160 units per week. That much alcohol would cause severe enough problems with health and functionality that I think it would be more noticeable. However, I do believe that 1 in 10 people probably have an "alcohol problem," meaning they fit somewhere on the spectrum of alcohol use disorder.

Stride34

I've read multiple times that its estimated that 10% of the population has a problem with alcohol. But 160 units a week is not just a problem with alcohol, it's a very severe problem with alcohol. Not sure what the actual number would be, but I'm pretty sure nowhere near 1 in 10 people drink like that.

Zombie79

I was reading something on the BBC website recently that said people were drinking less. Surveys conducted suggested that the results from what people answered gave this information.

Thing is, what people say they drink and what goes on behind closed doors are two very seperate things.
I was drinking 2-3 bottles of wine 5 days a week plus maybe 4-5 on a sat and sun. Now the units were no doubt sky high but if anyone asked, I'd have said something a fraction of that.
Plus people I know on social media constantly joke about the same question when asked.
I very much believe there is a big problem in the UK with alcohol and very little done.
Even for example on tv- the other morning Asda had an Easter advert- half of the advert was chocolate and lamb, the rest- litre bottles of spirits for cheap prices and this was on TV before 9am.
When you consider, you can't get a pack of cigarettes without pictures of black lungs and screens cover packets in shops yet alcohol is widely advertised. I don't understand the difference, both addictive and both destructive

BlissWithin

Through life experience, I do believe a minority of drinkers fuel the alcohol industry and all alcohol advertising is aimed at very young non-drinking people, so the ones who eventually develop an alcohol use disorder can spend their money on it, but I may be wrong, who knows?

milly4me

I've talked to doctors socially who have told me that when it comes to having their patients self reporting alcohol consumption they either 1) double the amount reported, or 2) disregard the self report altogether since it is never accurate.

I know when I reported I thought my alcohol consumption was a problem (I always reported accurately) doctors have told me they didn't believe I could have a problem since I was so honest about my consumption.

Of course, that is just rubbish, but I do think it also speaks to how difficult it is to appropriately gauge consumption thru self reporting.

I live in a region well known for high alcohol consumption. I honestly think more than 1 in 10 people have an alcohol problem.

It does feel like the younger generations are drinking less. There is more box wine sales. Box wine reseals and those younger people keep their boxes going for-ever.

Sarahsays

I re-checked and found that those statistics were by the US department of health. I heard someone else ended the stats at 120 units a week (because the results were being skewed by a few massive examples) maximum and it led them to about 100 units a week for the top 10 percent of drinkers.

I also find this quite hard to believe but then, what do I know.

Sarahsays

I suppose the exact units aren't very important, it was more just......

I always found it amazing that something is so dangerous to me is so celebrated, so I assumed that other people must not feel that way, but I think a lot of people do.

Sarahsays

Yeah, I suppose all this was me just wrapping my head around how off the way we show alcohol is compared to pretty much everything else.

trachemys

For anyone that tries it, nicotene is addictive. Not so for alcohol.

DontRemember

I have a 'theory'/noticed with gamblers. About 95% of people I gamble with will proudly let you know how much $$ they won. About 99.9% will straight up lie about their losses. So in my uneducated research, done in crayon, I double what people say they lose. Seriously.. it's funny. Like I care how much they lost..why lie? shame/guilt/pride is my guess.

MindfulMan

Not true. I know occasional smokers. My mom had an occasional cigarette for years. She'd buy a pack of Marlboro reds and keep them in the kitchen drawer. If she was at a party she might have 5-6, but the rest of the pack would last at least a month or two. I've known other "social smokers."

People, even "normal" drinkers, chronically underestimate their drinking. Problem drinkers even more so.

I always say that drinking was fun. Until it wasn't.

Gottalife

Years ago AA in NZ used to quote a statistic in there ads that 1 in 9 drinkers are alcoholic.

More recently, I read that in the US, 20% of the population at any one time can be diagnosed with alcohol use disorder to varying degress. The bulk of these, I am told, are not alcoholic and will sort themselves out in time.

Thought the stats vary from country to country, culture to culture, they sound about right to me, based on what I have seen and experienced.

tomsteve

trach, are you implying that alcohol isnt addictive?
nicotene is quite addictive.
ANYTHING can be addictive to the right individual.
im addicted to oxygen. try and take it away and see how i react.

trachemys

tomsteve, I'm saying alcohol is not addictive for everyone.

tomsteve

i was thinkin after postin and think that could be what ya meant.
i think its the same way with everything.
cept oxygen.

Tang

My non-empirical observations.
Everyday there is a. ew wine club started with totally unrelated products:
TCM channel wine club? (New)
WSJ wine club?
NYT wine club?

Supply and demand...there must be demand for all these new clubs.

My company started handing out cocktails at weekly sales meetings (middle of the day). That’s new.

So whether it’s 1 in 10 or not, the culture around me seems to be picking up steam on imbibing more frequently.

Zombie79

Even look at TV as an example. In the UK you've got two big sitcom contenders- EastEnders and Coronation Street.
Both mainly centre around a pub.

There was another drama that a while back was criticised that the lead detective was drinking heavily every day....this also wasn't the Prime suspect series that if you watch all of the Helen mirren series, you do see that she becomes an alcoholic

orderfororder

I think it's an interesting question.

The general association between "having fun" and "being drunk" or "being in a low point in life (lost a job, going through a breakup, etc)" and solving it with "getting drunk" are two dangerously accepted (and sometimes promoted) associations in our culture. In the former, people tend to become too reliant upon alcohol for social ease and that only promotes the conditions for a dependency. In the second, people learn not to deal with their problems rationally but to further themselves down an emotional hole with the use of a literal depressive drug that will keep them feeling worse for even longer. And that is a dangerous cycle that can lead to over-drinking.

There are some other trends I've noticed in the youngish adult world. More meetings over drinks, more companies being okay with a beer or two in the office, more Sunday brunches with mimosas, that strange painting while drinking wine trend...to me, these all seem like symptoms of a culture that feels a bit wound up, but who also may not be able to put limits on themselves.