Day 3
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Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 710
I didn’t realise you were in France, Mummyto2?
I’m in the UK now, but I lived in continental Europe for many years. I was taken with the laid back approach to alcohol, having a glass of wine at lunchtime, etc. It all seemed so much more sophisticated than the UK way. The reality is these countries have serious problems with liver disease. Spain is a world leader in liver transplants.
Good luck on day 3.
I’m in the UK now, but I lived in continental Europe for many years. I was taken with the laid back approach to alcohol, having a glass of wine at lunchtime, etc. It all seemed so much more sophisticated than the UK way. The reality is these countries have serious problems with liver disease. Spain is a world leader in liver transplants.
Good luck on day 3.
This is a strange statement Hodd. Spain is the world leader country in transplants. All transplants. Because it is also the world leader country in donors.
Alcohol consumption in France is higher than in the UK and Spain is behind both. However, death attributed to alcohol are way higher in the UK because binge drinking is also more prevalent and probably because of the diet that goes with those binges.
Apart from Eastern European countries, UK and Ireland are pretty bad in terms of alcohol consumption. Also Germany. Stereotypes do have a bit of reality in them. However, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is the individual. Alcohol is equally addictive everywhere. Being Spanish or British will not be the problem. Many live in cultures where drink is not the norm but become addicted anyway.
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Join Date: May 2019
Location: UK
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Fair points. I should have checked some figures so thanks for putting me right.
What I meant to say is that it seems so much more sophisticated when in countries like France or Spain to enjoy that glass of wine over lunch, and there’s nothing wrong with that if done in moderation (not by me alas). It’s just that these countries are not without problems so people shouldn’t assume the people there are all drinking to within healthy limits.
What I meant to say is that it seems so much more sophisticated when in countries like France or Spain to enjoy that glass of wine over lunch, and there’s nothing wrong with that if done in moderation (not by me alas). It’s just that these countries are not without problems so people shouldn’t assume the people there are all drinking to within healthy limits.
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Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 710
Europe is the region in the world with the highest consumption of alcohol in the world. Every country in Europe has a massive problem, whether they have managed to market it as glamorous or not.
Wine has been my poison for years. I have done several 'wine-tasting' experiences over the years in Spain and France. Even when I was an avid lover of wine I thought 90% was non-sense.
At the same time, I never became a real drinker until I moved to the UK. I used to think it was impossible for a normal human being to drink a pint of beer. It would get unbearably warm before you could possibly finish it. There is a certain culture of binge drinking without food, without conversation (loud volume in pubs preventing this), without dancing, without moving from pub to pub (like for tapas; you don't stay in the same place; you drink very small beer or wine and keep moving). And also a culture of 'no children' which means, no family ambience. Pubs are places to drink, not to socialise or enjoy family time or anything else.
The pretended 'glamour' around drinking in France or the 'fiesta' in Spain involve that you must do something else apart from drinking: you drink with your food, or you drink while you dance, or while you look after kids and your grandmother...
In that sense there is a cultural difference. However, those among us who cross the line adapt to every setting
Wine has been my poison for years. I have done several 'wine-tasting' experiences over the years in Spain and France. Even when I was an avid lover of wine I thought 90% was non-sense.
At the same time, I never became a real drinker until I moved to the UK. I used to think it was impossible for a normal human being to drink a pint of beer. It would get unbearably warm before you could possibly finish it. There is a certain culture of binge drinking without food, without conversation (loud volume in pubs preventing this), without dancing, without moving from pub to pub (like for tapas; you don't stay in the same place; you drink very small beer or wine and keep moving). And also a culture of 'no children' which means, no family ambience. Pubs are places to drink, not to socialise or enjoy family time or anything else.
The pretended 'glamour' around drinking in France or the 'fiesta' in Spain involve that you must do something else apart from drinking: you drink with your food, or you drink while you dance, or while you look after kids and your grandmother...
In that sense there is a cultural difference. However, those among us who cross the line adapt to every setting
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