Social drinking – social stigma if you don’t?
March 31st, 2008
This month a new study from the UK Department of Health has some alarming results which has caused concern among many social drinkers, mostly woman.
According to the report, one large glass of wine a night can increase the risk of breast cancer by a whopping 60%.
One of the biggest issues is that wine glasses have increased in size, in the UK a standard drink is measured in units. A large glass of wine is now equivalent to three units. So woman are drinking more and increasing their risk of breast cancer plus multiple other health risks.
The news isn’t much better for men. Drinking one pint of beer or a large glass of wine a night increases the risk of bowel cancer by 10% or 1 in 20.
So there is certainly enough reason for people to either stop drinking altogether or reducing the amount they consume. My partner and I have already taken this on-board and have done away with our large glasses and replaced with smaller ones. We don’t drink at all during the week and will have 2 over the course of the weekend.
I’ve never been a big drinker and for as long as I can remember I have always felt like there was a need to defend myself. Going to parties or any social gathering, alcohol would be more or less pushed at you. The moment you say no, people look at you like you like there’s something wrong with you! Infact, some of my closest family would call me boring.
It’s even harder for men. Take the case of 58 year old Brian, married and a father of two who was a heavy drinker. He was the life the party and would go out to get drunk. Brian, like most Australian men was a moderate to high drinker. He had gone from drinking beer in his 20′s to scotch in his 30′s and through his 40′s.
Brian decided to quit drinking about 12 years ago after a serious accident which resulted in some pretty heavy medications. The alcohol was not sitting well and his family noticed a huge difference in his mood over the coming months. The weight piled on and so did the amount he consumed.
One of the first things he noticed after quitting was that his friends and some family members started to tease him. They would tease him mercilessly and joke about his decision. Being called a whimp, boring and a loser was a fairly common occurrence. Interestingly though, they were more than happy for him to drive them home after a big night out boozing!
He was more than capable of taking the friendly jokes and has continued to not drink. Over the years, friends have relented and some have even congratulated him on sticking with it.
So why is it that people who choose not to drink are treated this way? I have a few thoughts on this. My leading theory is that people find it quite threatening. Whether by choice or habit, they continue to drink, so seeing someone who has stopped brings the truth a little too close to home.
Another is that people have it in their heads that you have to be drunk to have a good time. I don’t know when or why this has happened but it’s pretty clear that this perception is played out in many parties both under age and over every weekend. It’s not age discriminate either. There are plenty of people who should know better that get blind drunk at parties and think it’s a good night out.
The reality is, even though we now know there is a strong like between cancer and drinking many people, kids included will continue to drink much more than they should. Some will develop serious drinking problems which will affect the rest of their life.
The sad reality is that the thought of being a social outcast whether through friends joking around with you or more serious bullying might be enough for some people to continue drinking, regardless of the risks.
I can only suggest that those who are drinking every night consider reducing their consumption and maybe just drink on the weekend and not as much.
Personally, I think people who choose not to drink should be congratulated and admired.
May 26th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
I really like how you tied the study to the size of wine glasses and to the social stigma of not drinking. Do you think it is different than with tobacco, where the risks are very well publicized, on the one hand, but where many people see it as “cool”, on the other hand?
May 27th, 2008 at 2:23 am
Hi Lisa,
That’s a very good point you make about smoking.
Certainly in Australia there is a link between smoking and the ‘cool’ factor. More young women than men are taking up the habit despite the warnings.
One thing that strikes me is that most people when younger don’t really see or think of danger all that often. They are invincible! We see this played out over and over when our young people drink and drive with often deadly consequences.
With age comes wisdom with real life experiences often showing us that our habits and actions can cause harm.
I don’t know many adults who smoke that still think they are cool but sadly their addiction is so strong that quitting is a difficult thing to overcome.
I guess that’s where you can see a difference between smoking and drinking at an older age. We have been conditioned to see drinking when adults as a pretty cool thing. It makes us fun to be around and those who don’t drink are boring.
So I think both habits start off in very similar ways but there does appear to be a shift in attitudes as we age.
Thanks very much for taking the time to comment Lisa!
Sally