Drug And Alcohol Strategy

[Crelly]

I have just listened to the radio report about how successful the drug and alcohol strategy is on the island.

 

What absolte c**p

 

I lived in Spain for many years and as such had access to limitless cheap booze but they didnt have a culture of drunkeness . The price doesnt affect the way we use alcohol it is the way we are taught to think about it.

 

Mind you the comment made by Mr Malarkey about what alcohol does to your body was laughable, pot calling the kettle black and all that

[GD4ELI]

I have just listened to the radio report about how successful the drug and alcohol strategy is on the island.

 

What absolte c**p

 

I lived in Spain for many years and as such had access to limitless cheap booze but they didnt have a culture of drunkeness . The price doesnt affect the way we use alcohol it is the way we are taught to think about it.

 

Mind you the comment made by Mr Malarkey about what alcohol does to your body was laughable, pot calling the kettle black and all that

 

I agree - it's a cultural problem, although we're seeing many young Swiss going out, buying a six-pack and drinking it in an evening.

[jehovah]

I have just listened to the radio report about how successful the drug and alcohol strategy is on the island.

 

What absolte c**p

 

I lived in Spain for many years and as such had access to limitless cheap booze but they didnt have a culture of drunkeness . The price doesnt affect the way we use alcohol it is the way we are taught to think about it.

 

Mind you the comment made by Mr Malarkey about what alcohol does to your body was laughable, pot calling the kettle black and all that

 

 

I heard that, something about it won't be noticed immediately and will need another couple of years to take effect, that'll be after the next election then,

Please elect me again, don't put anyone against me Pete, please

[hboy]

I agree - it's a cultural problem, although we're seeing many young Swiss going out, buying a six-pack and drinking it in an evening.

 

Its not a cultural problem, its a prosperity problem. Loads of people who should be on the dole here are in good jobs because of the economy. That means more money to get pissed or shove stuff up your nose. Its not cultural I'm afraid. Its just being a dickhead with disposable cash when if life was fair you would be skint.

[alibaba]

I agree - it's a cultural problem, although we're seeing many young Swiss going out, buying a six-pack and drinking it in an evening.

 

What is wrong with drinking a six-pack in one evening?

[GD4ELI]

I agree - it's a cultural problem, although we're seeing many young Swiss going out, buying a six-pack and drinking it in an evening.

 

What is wrong with drinking a six-pack in one evening?

Quite a lot if you're 15 and have school the next day

[La_Dolce_Vita]

Its not a cultural problem, its a prosperity problem. Loads of people who should be on the dole here are in good jobs because of the economy. That means more money to get pissed or shove stuff up your nose. Its not cultural I'm afraid. Its just being a dickhead with disposable cash when if life was fair you would be skint.

I don't know what you mean Hboy because you seem to be very against the idea of people being on the dole. Do you just mean they should have worse jobs? It seems just from what I can glean from your posts that the people on the dole need to work but it is ok if they are skint or poorly paid. Though I am more be wrong, just making an assumption.

I would say that if they are poorer they'll be buying the white ace and getting shit faced on that.

[alibaba]

I agree - it's a cultural problem, although we're seeing many young Swiss going out, buying a six-pack and drinking it in an evening.

 

What is wrong with drinking a six-pack in one evening?

Quite a lot if you're 15 and have school the next day

 

 

Ahh right fair enough. You should never get drunk on a school night.

[cheeky boy]

Its not a cultural problem, its a prosperity problem. Loads of people who should be on the dole here are in good jobs because of the economy. That means more money to get pissed or shove stuff up your nose. Its not cultural I'm afraid. Its just being a dickhead with disposable cash when if life was fair you would be skint.

 

 

Thats bollocks, we have always been a nation of pissheads.

 

Back in the 70s and 80s when nobody had much money we still spent most of it on drink.

 

George Bernard Shaw called us 50 thousand alchoholics clinging to a rock and that was 70 years ago

[Albert Tatlock]

I agree - it's a cultural problem, although we're seeing many young Swiss going out, buying a six-pack and drinking it in an evening.

 

Its not a cultural problem, its a prosperity problem. Loads of people who should be on the dole here are in good jobs because of the economy. That means more money to get pissed or shove stuff up your nose. Its not cultural I'm afraid. Its just being a dickhead with disposable cash when if life was fair you would be skint.

Personally I do see this as a cultural problem, and by a cultural problem - I don't mean limited to one geographic culture such as those in the UK - I mean culture in the sense of 'relating to the shared knowledge and values of a society' - the society of young people (<35) across the UK, Europe and the world. This only happens to be spreading from the UK and into Europe because it has developed, 'matured' and spread throughout the UK for the last 25 years, and is now being copied and is spreading elsewhere to Europe. Having lived and worked in the UK and Europe for much of the last 25 years, that is my view and experience. The fact is, a lot of western 'culture', both good and bad, has developed first in the UK and then spread elsewhere from there.

 

But substance abuse (drink and drugs) is only a symptom and one result of what is spreading, it is not the actual problem itself IMO. The problem that is spreading is complex, western in origin, and spreading mostly via young people (<35). It is selfishness, indifference, boredom, value failure, stress, and a sense of aspiration failure, amongst other issues. It manifests itself as a lack of respect for others, a lack of respect for themselves, a lack of respect for money and a general lack of respect for the system. It has all been aided by the failure of religion (a major European buffer against this until now), and the disintegration of nuclear families and family values (another major European buffer until now). It happens to be being spread from the UK by exporting the behaviour (via Brits on tour!), media coverage (including television programming), as well as the music and celebrity industry and many in it. These problems are now a major part of popular culture for the want of a better description.

 

Prosperity only allows substance abuse to spread widely and across different social classes by allowing people to deal with these problem factors in their own way i.e. by affording drink/drugs, and allowing the underclass to steal valuable things to afford to deal with these issues in their own way too.

 

Don't get me wrong, booze and drug use has always been a problem throughout history, but coincidentally their widespread use have usually been very evident at the fall of many a civilisation. Bigger picture, it could in this case be one of the symptoms of the failure of the fall of religion and capitalism, into what and for how long who knows? - maybe some kind of Gene Rodenberry Star Trek world eventually (where poverity, differences, religion and finance dissapears) and humans once again find common aims and objectives. We once had religion, families, kings and queens and politicians to respect to keep us in line, now people don't know what the f**k the world is all about anymore, and on top of that want everything on a plate now.

[La_Dolce_Vita]

I think the reasons you gave are specific to different people, from where you mention selfishness to lack of respect for the system (not sure what you mean there).

 

I think drug use and drug abuse is symptomatic of the need of people in a society to escape from reality (sobriety) to varying extents and in varying regularity. I think there are lots of reasons for this. I think the many reasons you have given will be true in many circumstances, though of course different people will drink for different reasons. But I think such escapism as it becomes regular and taken for granted is perpetuated. People learn from others in society. People recognise what is considered acceptable in meeting their desires to engage in escapism and allow themselves to do it. I think this is quite natural and not in itself a problem except that the extent to which some wish to get fucked.

 

Don't understand what you say about the effect of religion and family values though.

[Albert Tatlock]

where you mention selfishness to lack of respect for the system (not sure what you mean there).

I mean, regardless of who you vote for the government always gets in. Politics does little for people anymore, it's only perceived as doing much for politicians. We have just also witnessed the near collapse of the finance system - the bedrock of what our lives are currently based on. People perceive we are being governed by the least of us and have little respect for them.

Don't understand what you say about the effect of religion and family values though.

Simple. There are few boundaries anymore, even parents (generally the under 40s, lots of whom are even now grannies/grandads even) behave like this now, this helps spread the behaviour.

[La_Dolce_Vita]

But I don't see how recognition of the fact that we are government by the 'least of us' translates to use of alcohol, nor how the near collapse of finance has caused a resurgence in drinking.

 

I think the trends with drinking go farther back. Why would a group of 15 year olds in the 1950s not regularly get shitfaced at the weekend? I wonder if it is largely the case that young people being more frivolous and hedonistic are also free from the authority that would have reined them in and punished them for such behaviour.

[WTF]

But I don't see how recognition of the fact that we are government by the 'least of us' translates to use of alcohol, nor how the near collapse of finance has caused a resurgence in drinking.

 

I think the trends with drinking go farther back. Why would a group of 15 year olds in the 1950s not regularly get shitfaced at the weekend? I wonder if it is largely the case that young people being more frivolous and hedonistic are also free from the authority that would have reined them in and punished them for such behaviour.

 

think you're right on the lack of authority aspect, and thats what too much freedom of choice and civil rights do for the place.

[Cambon]

I think the trends with drinking go farther back. Why would a group of 15 year olds in the 1950s not regularly get shitfaced at the weekend? I wonder if it is largely the case that young people being more frivolous and hedonistic are also free from the authority that would have reined them in and punished them for such behaviour.

 

But back in those days Alcohol was not readily available from every street corner. Kids could not access it like they can today. Also today, drinks are designed and marketed at kids.