View Full Version : Habit, Culture or alcoholism
QuietLunatic
03-15-2007, 10:12 PM
I've been thinking about different cultures and how alcohol is treated in different countries. For instance, wine with supper is pretty common in France and probably Italy and maybe other countries, but it's generally considered more of a special drink in North America.
Where is the defining point between culture and alcoholic, I wonder?
mtajim
03-16-2007, 10:02 AM
The point where people start taking alcohal without any purpose and just for there self desire then its addiction else it remain a culture
britjojo
03-16-2007, 11:03 AM
I cannot answer this. I see the difference myself, coming from a country where alcohol for children in the home is permitted, then coming here to America. There is a huge difference.
I guess the point of interest would be; what is the prevalence of alcoholism in all these countries?
ozzie
03-17-2007, 06:12 AM
I can't answer this either. I've heard that a glass of red wine every day is good for our health. Surely if a person started drinking one glass of wine each day that wouldn't make them an alcoholic???
britjojo
03-17-2007, 09:35 AM
Yes, red wine contains large amounts of antioxidants, which can help 'mop up' free radicals in the body that might lead to cancer. It also, by way of helping you relax, reduces your stroke and heart attack risk.
One glass a day would not be enough to cause a physiological addiction, at least in most people. An emotional need might however be possible.
QuietLunatic
03-17-2007, 12:51 PM
When my children were small, and if we were having wine with supper for a special occasion, my husband and I would give them a small plastic wine glass with a little bit of wine mixed with water. It's not the usual for North America, but it didn't hurt them any and it kept the wine from being something forbidden that they had to go looking for later.
britjojo
03-18-2007, 11:47 AM
This is the very same thing as my parents would do. Though they tended to mix with lemonade to make the taste a little more palatable; water seemed to make it taste even more dry.
mtajim
03-19-2007, 09:40 AM
I have heard that drinking lemonade mixed with alchohal makes the person feel more high than a normal alchola would do
QuietLunatic
03-19-2007, 02:23 PM
I can't see any reason for that to happen. It's not like lemonade is alcoholic in and of itself, so it shouldn't increase the effect of alcohol.
britjojo
03-19-2007, 03:30 PM
No, lemonade in no way should have a catalytic effect. It dilutes the alcohol, so you need to consume a greater volume, and also can help stave of hangover by reducing the dehydration effects, but there is no evidence that it increases the effect.
mtajim
03-20-2007, 07:05 AM
Oh , then i might have got wrong info , thanks for correcting me
easternbrain
09-29-2007, 03:27 AM
Culture definitly has a lot of effect on a person drinking habits. At our place drinking is a taboo. You cannot even think of casually telling your parents that you had a beer. Doing so will make you an epitomy of devil himself. therefore in society such as ours problems related to drinking are considerably less than others.
Archbob
09-30-2007, 05:04 AM
If you are drinking with no other purpose other then to just get drunk, then thats where the line crosses. I think people in Europe handle it alot better than here. Its probably because they've been doing it since they were kids and know how to handle it.
easternbrain
09-30-2007, 07:18 AM
Relieving all of your daily stress from your day's work by having "a beer" is quite different from getting drunk. But still you JUST CANNOT do that.
rafael
10-05-2007, 07:37 AM
Do you people think that Alcoholis the only thing left in this world to relax your body and make you feel fresh?? There are other ways to get relaxed which I think are healthier then alcohol.
Alcohol is healthy if taken in controlled aounts but we often get driven away with alcoholism which later creates trouble for us. All the cultures in this world accept alcohol but the difference comes at what age they accept it.
websurfpro
10-20-2007, 11:01 PM
There is no such thing as culture when it comes to alcohol, at least this is my opinion, in my country many people drink before and after meal a little whisky or rum or whatever I can`t call this a culture, drinking everyday makes you an alcoholic , alcohol should only be used on ocassions and never drink it by your \self.