NationStates Jolt Archive

Recently in the UK, a big fuss has been made over "binge drinking" and its effects on society.

While I agree that what one might consider binge drinking isn't healthy, and with some individuals can lead to violence I don't think it is right that the government essentially classifies up to 8 units binge drinking

Binge drinking is drinking that gets you drunk, according to Alcohol Concern. Often others define it as drinking double the Department of Health recommendations or more in a single session; this means eight units for a man or six for a woman would be a binge.

According to Drink Driving.org.uk (http://www.drink-driving.org.uk/) this could equate to as little as 4 pints of lager (at 4% abv).


In order to combat binge drinking the government has begun a campaign urging people to reduce the amount they drink and instituted penalties for drunken behaviour of up to £50. This is generally defined as drunken behaviour .

In my University town of Swansea, this led to an unprecedented police presence on popular nights out including the establishment of "field hospitals" on one of the main roads.

I'd like to know whether anyone else thinks that the reaction to this is a little knee jerk, in that of the limits set and the actions taken by the police. I have no problem with the fines, anyone that acts like an idiot deserves to be ticketed, no matter how much they've drunk.

With the general lifestyle of people being able to afford to go out less, I think they tend to drink a little bit more than they would if they went out more often, and that this in general, is being used as little more than political capital to win the vote of older portions of the population.

What think ye all?

How much is 4 pints? In liters if possible.
After that i can do a little comparison on my own. And tell
you my views.

Recently in the UK, a big fuss has been made over "binge drinking" and its effects on society.

I skimmed over this first and read sobriety :confused:

While I agree that what one might consider binge drinking isn't healthy, and with some individuals can lead to violence I don't think it is right that the government essentially classifies up to 8 units binge drinking



According to Drink Driving.org.uk (http://www.drink-driving.org.uk/) this could equate to as little as 4 pints of lager (at 4% abv).


In order to combat binge drinking the government has begun a campaign urging people to reduce the amount they drink and instituted penalties for drunken behaviour of up to £50. This is generally defined as drunken behaviour .

In my University town of Swansea, this led to an unprecedented police presence on popular nights out including the establishment of "field hospitals" on one of the main roads.

We, as a nation, really do like equating this with war don't we.

I'd like to know whether anyone else thinks that the reaction to this is a little knee jerk, in that of the limits set and the actions taken by the police. I have no problem with the fines, anyone that acts like an idiot deserves to be ticketed, no matter how much they've drunk.

With the general lifestyle of people being able to afford to go out less, I think they tend to drink a little bit more than they would if they went out more often, and that this in general, is being used as little more than political capital to win the vote of older portions of the population.

What think ye all?

Meh drink what you want.

How much is 4 pints? In liters if possible.
After that i can do a little comparison on my own. And tell
you my views.

According to google:

4 US pints = 1.8927059 litres

How much is 4 pints? In liters if possible.
After that i can do a little comparison on my own. And tell
you my views.

About 2 litres.

I think binge drinking is a cultural thing. In Canada, that's usually how young people (and plenty of old folks too:)) drink. We don't have a lot of social interaction (not like you do in warmer climes, with public squares, and plenty of on-the-street parties and such), and so we seem to want to overdo it when we DO get together. In my travels through South America, I have only rarely seen people (and never women) binge drinking. Oh people get right pissed, but not that I'm-so-drunk-I'll-do-anything-and-not-be-responsible-tomorrow-for-my-actions drunk. Maybe in Canada it's because the weather is not great, and we don't have those public spaces for constant interaction that we feel like we have to take the opportunity to get shit-faced, and do things that more socially adjusted folks don't need to do:).

While I think binge drinking is a problem, I think the government's definition of a binge as being 5 drinks for a bloke or 4 for a woman is a little bit unreasonable. I don't think there's any denying there's quite a problem of binging in this country - just go into any city centre late on a Saturday night - and I do think that those that behave violently or who cause trouble as a result of drunkenness do need to be dealt with.

But 4 or 5 drinks being considered a binge? I can't really understand that. Then again, I know bugger all about medicine - perhaps it is really as harmful as they say, though there always seems to be some new thing that 'new studies' find to be harmful. Still, in terms of the social as opposed to the health aspect, as long as you're responsible about it, know when is (for you) a sensible time to stop consuming drink, then I think you should be entitled to do go ahead.

While I think binge drinking is a problem, I think the government's definition of a binge as being 5 drinks for a bloke or 4 for a woman is a little bit unreasonable. I don't think there's any denying there's quite a problem of binging in this country - just go into any city centre late on a Saturday night - and I do think that those that behave violently or who cause trouble as a result of drunkenness do need to be dealt with.

But 4 or 5 drinks being considered a binge? I can't really understand that. Then again, I know bugger all about medicine - perhaps it is really as harmful as they say, though there always seems to be some new thing that 'new studies' find to be harmful. Still, in terms of the social as opposed to the health aspect, as long as you're responsible about it, know when is (for you) a sensible time to stop consuming drink, then I think you should be entitled to do go ahead.


I'd agree with you on this.

I'm not a doctor either, and I'm sure if you frank more than 5 a night regularly it WOULD severely damage your health.

What I think politicians seem to be missing(or ignoring), is that the people that drink more than this don't do it regularly. Even those that do it once a week are between 18 and 25, and as they get older begin to drink less.

Binge drinking when taken to the extremes that some idiots do take them is definitely a problem, but I would think that these people are the ones most unlikely to be effected by the campaign and more effected by the fines. Even then, I doubt it'd do much to change their behaviour.

With the general lifestyle of people being able to afford to go out less, I think they tend to drink a little bit more than they would if they went out more often, and that this in general, is being used as little more than political capital to win the vote of older portions of the population.

What think ye all?
that's precisely what i think, and do.
this year especially i haven't been able to afford to go out to pubs/clubs as much as i used to (its also my 2nd year at uni and the novelty of getting blitzed every night has somewhat worn off). when i do go out, therefore, i want to do it properly and get really smashed.
for example: i haven't been out for over a month. went out last night and got very very hammered - can't remember leaving, getting home, throwing up (out of my window... very messy :( ), loosing my glasses...

(out of my window... very messy :( ),

"What floor are you on?

So that is called binge drinking? Shit, that's like 6 beers :(
I'm so binge drinker... I don't consider that to be too much
in one evening. No hell. I usually (always) have that much
before anything happens... Really that is a start of a evening.
Then again we finnish are considered as a people who drink
to get drunk, but still.

And yes acting like a idiot should get you a ticket not being
drunk :headbang:

"What floor are you on?
:D top floor of the house (loft bedroom) with a velux window. it'll wash off next time it rains :cool:
at home at the mo for easter hols, with parents... they were not amused :p

Almost everyone I know is a binge drinker. If you're not going to catch a buzz what's the point of drinking?

Recently in the UK, a big fuss has been made over "binge drinking" and its effects on society.

While I agree that what one might consider binge drinking isn't healthy, and with some individuals can lead to violence I don't think it is right that the government essentially classifies up to 8 units binge drinking



According to Drink Driving.org.uk (http://www.drink-driving.org.uk/) this could equate to as little as 4 pints of lager (at 4% abv).


In order to combat binge drinking the government has begun a campaign urging people to reduce the amount they drink and instituted penalties for drunken behaviour of up to £50. This is generally defined as drunken behaviour .

In my University town of Swansea, this led to an unprecedented police presence on popular nights out including the establishment of "field hospitals" on one of the main roads.

I'd like to know whether anyone else thinks that the reaction to this is a little knee jerk, in that of the limits set and the actions taken by the police. I have no problem with the fines, anyone that acts like an idiot deserves to be ticketed, no matter how much they've drunk.

With the general lifestyle of people being able to afford to go out less, I think they tend to drink a little bit more than they would if they went out more often, and that this in general, is being used as little more than political capital to win the vote of older portions of the population.

What think ye all?

I think it is a serious problem. If you delve a little deeper and find out how much drinking-related injury costs the NHS every year, and how much it costs the police to stop them all, that alone is enough to try and do something about it.

But I do agree that their classification of binge drinking is a little off. I know people who can drink up to the limit and not appear to be affected, although obviously they are to some degree. I generally consider binge drinking to be the phenomenon where people , drink until they're sick and can barely stand, and sometimes move from pub to pub, bar to bar, and drink as much as they can at each one.

:D top floor of the house (loft bedroom) with a velux window. it'll wash off next time it rains :cool:
at home at the mo for easter hols, with parents... they were not amused :p

Ha, all good then.

Say what you like about the tories, when thatcher was in charge, she didn't give a shit about binge drinking. (And it isn't a new phenomenon).

Say what you like about the tories, when thatcher was in charge, she didn't give a shit about binge drinking. (And it isn't a new phenomenon).

Eactly. This is something else that nags me, the government and police treat the culture of going out for a drink and the problems it can bring with it as some revelation. So it's worse now than it was 5 years ago? Or 10?

It's the kind of thing that just makes me think it was a slow politics day and someone suggested this as a target.

Additionally, though this "wasn't a problem" with Thatcher or Major, howard and the present tory party have leveled accusations against labour, that the party and blair are not doing enough to combat binge drinking.

Do you think its possible that the relaxation of liscencing hours panicked a few people?

Personally, I'd have thought that relaxing "kicking out time" would have led to people not rushing their drink. Think about it, when the pub rings for last orders and you've only been out an hour, are you gonna say oh well, or go and buy another 2 pints. This, only to have the staff force you to pour it literally down your throat because they want to go home?

As for the burden on the police and the NHS, yes it probably does cost quite a bit, but again, I don't think that the current campaign will have any effect on the idiots that drink so much that they DO become violent or a danger to themselves.

As Sinuhue said, we Canadians do tend to drink copious amounts when we drink. I'm no exception, as a few people here on NS have witnessed via instant message interaction with me at about four or five in the morning after a hearty night out. I'm not sure how to look at it, good or bad, though. I don't drink often, and I'm making a solid attempt not to drink when I'm in certain moods now - so it is controlled in that way. I don't know why its considered such a sociality to drink as such up here, but it is fairly common. That said, I don't drink every time I go out either, so I really don't consider it a problem, and if I do choose to - it ought to be my right to say when and how much.

I'm no exception, as a few people here on NS have witnessed via instant message interaction with me at about four or five in the morning after a hearty night out.

I've gotta see that.

Then again we finnish are considered as a people who drink
to get drunk, but still...

Who doesn't? If people who went out didn't WANT TO GET DRUNK then they'd be drinking orange juice. Yeah, beer tastes quite nice, but, uh, people buy it for its intoxicating effect.

I've gotta see that.
Well, from what I've heard, it might be hard to understand - but fairly amusing just the same! Haha! :p

Eactly. This is something else that nags me, the government and police treat the culture of going out for a drink and the problems it can bring with it as some revelation. So it's worse now than it was 5 years ago? Or 10?

It's the kind of thing that just makes me think it was a slow politics day and someone suggested this as a target.

Additionally, though this "wasn't a problem" with Thatcher or Major, howard and the present tory party have leveled accusations against labour, that the party and blair are not doing enough to combat binge drinking.

Do you think its possible that the relaxation of liscencing hours panicked a few people?

Personally, I'd have thought that relaxing "kicking out time" would have led to people not rushing their drink. Think about it, when the pub rings for last orders and you've only been out an hour, are you gonna say oh well, or go and buy another 2 pints. This, only to have the staff force you to pour it literally down your throat because they want to go home?

As for the burden on the police and the NHS, yes it probably does cost quite a bit, but again, I don't think that the current campaign will have any effect on the idiots that drink so much that they DO become violent or a danger to themselves.

If anything, I seem to remember that there was more binge drinking in the 80s. I have no problem with the notion that if someone goes out and get s drunk and starts a fight, they should be arrested, but it should be for fighting &ct. Not for being drunk.

Certainly, when I was younger, the culture was very much geared towards getting utterly slaughtered on friday and saturday nights. (With regular sessions interspersed in between.) Nobody seemed to care that much - or if anyone did they were in the tiny minority - and that's just the way things were. It was all good.

As someone who hasn't lived in England for fifteen years, whenever I go back, new-labour's puritanical attitudes and police state mentality kind of shock me. Blair and his cronies are just a little too keen on involving themselves in the private lives of citizens in respect of "good" behaviour.

For example, I was in Tynemouth last summer, and one afternoon I went to the offy with some friends (also yanks), and we bought some cans of Stella to take down to the point so we could drink them and watch the ships come into the Tyne (and well generally just get fucked up with a nice backdrop).

I used to do this all the time - everyone did on a nice sunny day - and it was never considered anti-social or a danger to society. This time, it wasn't long before some police showed up and told us that we weren't allowed to drink outside..blah,blah,blah.

I mean, WTF? I asked the cop if it felt good having eliminated violent crime and burgulary from North Tyneside, because after all how else would he have the time spare to worry about us. He didn't look impressed.

But, I also blame the tory wets, for not standing up to Labour when they pull this crap. Because if anything, they egg blair on. It's pathetic to think the government is actually wasting time worrying whether or not someone has more than two pints of larger during any given session.

I read things that are difficult to understand all the time. It's a place called GameFAQs, and ~80% of the people who post there are morons.

You'd probably get a kick out of the things they do... Or you'll be saddened by their utter stupidity.

I read things that are difficult to understand all the time. It's a place called GameFAQs, and ~80% of the people who post there are morons.

You'd probably get a kick out of the things they do... Or you'll be saddened by their utter stupidity.
Haha, IM me sometime on a weekend then! Though it may be well over a month before I drink again... damn bills.

I personally have just recently found an alternate to binge drinking. Took me 34 years... well, only discovered alcohol when I was 16... so I have 18 years of binge drinking experience behind me. I have to agree with the person who said that drinking habits change when you get more money (somebody DID say that... or am I delirious again???).

I don't think the opening hours of pubs and clubs change the behaviour an inch. I have seen the opening hours been extended from 1:30 am to 2:30am to 3:30 am here. No change in behaviour. Stingy people always drink at home /with friends before they go anywhere --> are drunk before hitting a bar. And I agree with Lacadaemon, the situation was WORSE in the past when bars closed earlier.

Of course, you are talking about Britain. Things are way different there I would assume. I only know the British drinking habits from watching them in Spain. I can say it wasn't always fun to be the bartender (most of the time it was though! drunken people are way funny!). :D

Haha, IM me sometime on a weekend then! Though it may be well over a month before I drink again... damn bills.

I just might have to do that... Sometime! And yeah, bills do suck. Immensly.

hell, we used to throw parties (in college) at which people would drink 10 or more beers (wop for the ladies)...

so 5 seems like a low number.

That said, at that time i was seasoned to drink that much.

Now if I tried to drink 5 beers i'd probably get a decent buzz going, depending on how much food was in my stomach before/while I drank.

I've been a total SLACKER, of late (last few years), when it comes to drinking... hehe... while 5 would have done nothing to me in college, it would now likely cause effects listed above.

I assume the "8 units" in the first post means the equivalent of 8 times 4cl of 50% proof alcohol? Am I right? I think that's the case in here. I don't know where the 5 beers came from... but that to me is far from binge drinking.

I assume the "8 units" in the first post means the equivalent of 8 times 4cl of 50% proof alcohol? Am I right? I think that's the case in here. I don't know where the 5 beers came from... but that to me is far from binge drinking.

I think a unit is equal to half a pint of beer.

Right. That's the way it's measured in here too (1 unit=a bottle of beer=4cl of 50% proof). Thanks.

I'm always the lightweight of the group but apparently now I'm a binge drinker. If drinking is such a big problem for the government of any country why don't they either confine it to homes to try to prevent public displays of stupidity or just ban it? Oh wait, everyone would get pissed and the gov would lose money. That's why. The government needs to accept that people like to get drunk and do stupid shit. If they didn't, they wouldn't. Don't bother trying to change it.

4 Pints is binge drinking.

ahahahahahahahahahahahaha..... and so on

I'm not trying to sound manly or anthing, hell im far from it, but unless you down thouse pints in about an hour, you wont be that drunk if you only had 4 pints in a night. Hell id say 8+ was binge drinking, thats when you really start to get pished.

4 Pints is binge drinking.

ahahahahahahahahahahahaha..... and so on

I'm not trying to sound manly or anthing, hell im far from it, but unless you down thouse pints in about an hour, you wont be that drunk if you only had 4 pints in a night. Hell id say 8+ was binge drinking, thats when you really start to get pished.

Amen Scouse.