tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870641958407671573.post5843113161117994329..comments2023-09-15T08:14:07.431-07:00Comments on Taking the beard out of beer!: Anti-Alcohol Lobby Is Taking Their Ball InMelissa Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13701889299756506857noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870641958407671573.post-77810318513827161182011-08-02T01:49:48.059-07:002011-08-02T01:49:48.059-07:00Vulpine - indeed. Here's the start of a report...Vulpine - indeed. Here's the start of a report on that report:<br /><br />"Industry efforts to combat the problem of under-age drinking appear to be paying off, with numbers falling substantially according to a new NHS study.<br /><br />"The research found that the proportion of 11 to 16 year-olds who have drunk alcohol at least once in their life has fallen lately—from 51% in 2009 to 45% in 2010. It continues a downward trend since 2003, when the figure stood at 61%.<br /><br />"The report also found that young people were becoming less tolerant of drinking among their friends. Fewer than a third (32%) think it is appropriate for people their own aged to drink alcohol once a week—compared to a figure of 46% in 2003.<br /><br />"Tim Straughan, chief executive of the NHS Information Centre, said: 'Our figures point to an increasingly intolerant attitude among young people in today’s society when it comes to the use of cigarettes, alcohol and drugs. As well as a reduction in the percentage who say they partake in these behaviours, a shrinking number think that drinking and drunkenness is acceptable among their peers.'”Martyn Cornellhttp://zythophile.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870641958407671573.post-81734498793685942682011-08-01T15:38:48.441-07:002011-08-01T15:38:48.441-07:00Martyn - point (a) is misleading anyway, since the...Martyn - point (a) is misleading anyway, since the evidence seems to indicate that alcohol consumption amongst teens is falling, not rising (http://www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/003_Health_Lifestyles/Smoking%20drinking%20drug%20use%202010/Smoking_drinking_and_drug_use_among_young_people_in_England_2010_Full_report.pdf).Vulpinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09782343995142068109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870641958407671573.post-81856344497825354832011-08-01T14:57:21.526-07:002011-08-01T14:57:21.526-07:00Note also Don S slipping this one in: "This g...Note also Don S slipping this one in: "This government needs to decide if it wishes to truly get to grips with the significant levels of alcohol harms in the UK …" that's called a "presupposition", where you make a statement that assumes something to be true - in this case that there ARE "significant levels of alcohol harms in the UK" - and continue, in this case to demand something be done about it, without ever bothering to prove your presupposition is correct. <br /><br />A similar piece of trickery is going on with the statement that Panorama will show "the damage excessive drinking is wreaking on young people and [ask] why the government has not acted to raise alcohol prices", which presupposes that part (b) - presupposed "cheap" alcohol prices - has a real causal connection with part (a), the damage allegedly caused by young people's excessive drinking. You've really got to watch the way these feckers manipulate the language they use.Martyn Cornellhttp://zythophile.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870641958407671573.post-86283496347185094922011-08-01T14:56:34.756-07:002011-08-01T14:56:34.756-07:00All this health stuff pumped out is mostly not pee...All this health stuff pumped out is mostly not peer reviewed science. Like the linking diseases with obesity when mostly it's clearly not a causal link but two symptoms of the same problem.<br /><br />We had a load of tosh from Panorama tonight based on 2 or 3 losers. Again people who consume rot gut alcohol with bad diets and no doubt lashings of fizzy pop (might be worse per pint than beer - or hey why not invent a stat) in a perfect storm on their liver.<br /><br />The aim appears to be to get the price up for those of us who drink to enjoy it - who care what is in our glass. <br /><br />The meths drinkers who are the problem are not be affected as they'll keep drinking the cheapest rot gut and vodka they can find - which is even more unsafe.bedfonthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08734407435275515547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870641958407671573.post-56079369742702917322011-08-01T11:56:13.882-07:002011-08-01T11:56:13.882-07:00The "five a day" rule was apparently dre...The "five a day" rule was apparently dreamed up by taking the average daily consumption of fruit and veg in California and doubling it.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870641958407671573.post-37975932703048592642011-08-01T11:04:32.098-07:002011-08-01T11:04:32.098-07:00Excellent post Melissa. When I did my Health Psych...Excellent post Melissa. When I did my Health Psychology MSc, we were told that the 'five a day' fruit&veg rule was also plucked out of the air. Why can't the powers that be treat us like grownups?<br /><br />On a related subject, I'd love to see you deal with the ludicrous advice given to pregnant women regarding alcohol, in particular the downright offensive "strikemark over picture of pregnant woman drinking" graphic that appears on bottles these days. :(Vulpinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09782343995142068109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870641958407671573.post-46277298562471830752011-08-01T05:30:48.292-07:002011-08-01T05:30:48.292-07:00If you regard alcohol per se as a toxic, dangerous...If you regard alcohol <i>per se</i> as a toxic, dangerous substance, then of course you wouldn't allow any industry representatives to have a voice. This has long been the case with tobacco regulation. Inded, under World Health Organisation guidelines, the UK government is obliged to ensure the drafting of all relevant legislation is free from tobacco industry influence. No doubt before too long the same will apply to alcohol.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870641958407671573.post-73459936842411423892011-08-01T05:25:38.177-07:002011-08-01T05:25:38.177-07:00I'm glad to see you addressing the anti alcoho...I'm glad to see you addressing the anti alcohol lobby.<br /><br />However when you advocate in previous posts that their ought to be a minimum price you do pay into their hands.Cooking Lagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02830924433230427226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870641958407671573.post-86425615913623832132011-08-01T05:23:38.421-07:002011-08-01T05:23:38.421-07:00Sounds like you could do with a drink Melissa. To ...Sounds like you could do with a drink Melissa. To calm your nerves etc, oh no wait alcohol actually turns people in to uncontrollable yobs bent on bringing down society or some such bollox.<br /><br />Sometimes I can't stand the sheep mentality of the human species. What happened to us having free will and the ability to think for ourselves?Reuben Gray - TaleOfAlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15948722985150698273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870641958407671573.post-55648862200207515632011-08-01T04:30:53.132-07:002011-08-01T04:30:53.132-07:00a moot point, alcohol is legal, drugs aren't -...a moot point, alcohol is legal, drugs aren't - be good for police arrest rates mind you!Melissa Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13701889299756506857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870641958407671573.post-38643594175994910532011-08-01T04:18:39.289-07:002011-08-01T04:18:39.289-07:00So the next time the UK government sets up a commi...So the next time the UK government sets up a committee to investigate drugs, they should include representatives of the heroin, cocaine and marijuana growers, traffickers, dealers, etc. If I'm reading you right, you would be happy if they had majority representation on the committee.blowbackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11661397569876675986noreply@blogger.com